Van Halen (David Lee Roth version) had a motto: “WDFA”
We don’t mess up, or words to that effect.
Brian Burke, the new president of Penguins hockey operations, operates on the same principle. Read his autobiography, “Burke’s Law”. Burke has been involved in hockey management for 34 years. If you don’t fit, you’re gone. It usually doesn’t take long.
Let’s see who fits.
Burke is not the only new decision maker. Ron Hextall was hired to be a GM.
Hextall seems to have the final say. But Burke is on top of most totems organically. His personality can surpass that of Hextall.
It was necessary to hire a gang of two. A new employee would have spoken out against the madness, but was criticized by those who think it is still 2017. This cannot happen with two.
The stated goal is to fight for a championship while retrofitting for the future. The realistic goal is to decide which one applies.
Burke will do it, and ruthlessly.
Earlier this season, when working on TV, Burke said the Penguins’ window was closed. When he was hired on Tuesday, he said otherwise. Burke has been complaining endlessly about the Penguins winning the 2005 lottery that presented them with Sidney Crosby. He’s not the nicest guy.
And? He’s employed by the Penguins now. When Hextall scored for Philadelphia, he once chased Robbie Brown, the Penguins’ winger, across the ice with bad intentions.
The Penguins played 11 games and won only once in the regulations. They still don’t lead by two goals. Your goalkeeper stinks. Tactically, they are living in the past. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2018 and haven’t been competitive in the postseason defeats to the New York Islanders in 19 and Montreal last season. The organization, the coaches and the main players see things as they used to be, not as they are.
It is not a situation that requires the nicest guys.
It is not a situation that coach Mike Sullivan should take lightly.
Under Sullivan, the Penguins are relying on speed as they did to win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and ’17. That’s what the players want.
Burke and Hextall don’t care what the players want. Burke, in particular, will not fall in love with acquiescing this way.
Sullivan needs a Plan B. The Penguins play too loose. They need an infusion of discipline, especially due to the stench emanating from their goal. They are not fast enough to depend mainly on speed. They are not as fast as they were or as they think they still are.
Is Sullivan’s work in danger? Yes. Neither today nor tomorrow. But as of Tuesday, ’16 and ’17 are no longer important.
The rest of the season seems to be mostly an evaluation process, a ruthless process that only new and educated eyes can provide. Fans will expect a big exchange that will lead the team into a legitimate dispute.
But such an agreement simply does not exist. Not with these penguins. The future cannot continue to be sacrificed. “Win now” is a bad philosophy if you can’t win now.
The change in management will not affect Crosby. He has influence, but he doesn’t need it. Crosby needs to button things up a little. But he plays structured hockey.
This will affect Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Their stroke died on Tuesday.
It is not that the core three of the Penguins make demands in themselves. They do not know. But your will is guessed and done. So far.
It is hard to imagine Burke and Hextall being laissez-faire with Sullivan as former GM Jim Rutherford was. It is difficult to think that more structure will not be required.
It is a difficult situation. But does the organization realize how difficult it is? Burke and Hextall?
The Penguins do not want to be like Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles, disappearing inexorably after winning several championships. But that process has already started. This tide cannot be contained. The Penguins maintained their core for a victory tour, and are now aging.
Malkin would have gotten great value if it had been traded in 2018 after the Penguins lost to Washington in the second round of the playoffs. He was 31 and had just scored 98 points. Now he has two goals in 11 games and seems uninterested. The return would be minimal. (To be fair, negotiating with Malkin at any time would be complicated because of its total ban clause.)
Perhaps Burke and Hextall conclude that it is time for a complete reconstruction. How this manifests itself is a complicated question. Tickets and merchandise need to be sold. (But Crosby is not going anywhere.)
Burke and Hextall are not working cheap. The property has made a commitment. Terrible conclusions can be reached. Unpleasant decisions can be made.
If so, it was time. WDFA
Tags:
Mark Madden Columns | Penguins / NHL | sports