Penguins: Mike Sullivan’s assistant fired, a breaking point with Kyle Dubas?

There’s a lot going on in the NHL. There are already a few teams looking for a coach, and we have to add, potentially, the Hurricanes, Maple Leafs and Bruins.

But the biggest issue seems to be Pittsburgh.

Mike Sullivan is rumoured to be heading to Newark to manage the Devils. The Penguins owners like their coach, but we’re not sure how Kyle Dubas sees it. There is a world in which Sullivan could well leave, after all.

Today, there may well have been an element that will move the matter forward.

The Penguins have announced that they have fired the club’s assistant coach, Todd Reirden. Initially, this may have seemed like a hockey decision, but it didn’t appear to be anything more than that. But clearly, things are in motion.

Kevin Weekes said he was “curious to see what other potential changes might take place” within the Penguins coaching staff, adding that Sullivan was not allowed to talk to other teams.

He also added that if there were to be a departure, it would be by mutual agreement and via a transaction.

Then, Frank Seravalli added that there was (obviously) friction there and that Coach Sullivan was vehemently opposed to changes in his coaching staff.

So Seravalli wonders if Reirden’s dismissal (which is clearly Dubas’s decision) is the final straw in the relationship between Dubas and Sullivan.

I really wouldn’t be surprised, under the circumstances, if Sullivan were traded, with his consent, to the Devils. Nor would I be surprised if Sheldon Keefe landed in Pennsylvania.

After all, whether or not he wins tomorrow night, it doesn’t mean his job is secure for next year in Toronto…

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