After the Penguins won a second straight Stanley Cup in 2017, GM Jim Rutherford decided the Penguins needed more size and toughness. So, he got battleship winger Ryan Reaves.
Coach Mike Sullivan disagreed. He barely played Reaves.
Reaves was gone at the 2018 trade deadline, a cap dump to Vegas. He remains a valuable component with the Golden Knights.
Reaves’ acquisition is a big example of miscommunication between GM and coach. Why get Reaves if he won’t play? Did Rutherford and Sullivan talk before the former traded for Reaves?
For more details on that situation and the direction the Penguins will be headed under current GM Ron Hextall and President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke, click HERE.
The Penguins are going to get bigger. That’s how the NHL has been trending and that’s what Hextall and Burke prefer. The question is: Will it work, and how will Coach Mike Sullivan deal with it? Sullivan refused to play Reaves. He prefers speed and skill.
Sullivan needs to understand he won’t have a choice.
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