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Penguins Eye Former St. Louis Blues Bench Boss as Top Coaching Target
The Pittsburgh Penguins are eyeing a former St. Louis Blues coach as their top target to replace Mike Sullivan behind the bench.
Many changes were expected in Pittsburgh following another disappointing season that led to the team's third straight year of missing the playoffs.
While the team was only six wins away from a playoff spot, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson in the lineup, results should be much different.
After making many massive trades during the season, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the team Kyle Dubas made the biggest change of the year when he parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan, who was the Penguins' head coach for the past 10 seasons.
With an important role to fill in the organization, the situation in Pittsburgh is being monitored closely.
A massive rumor just dropped, suggesting that the Penguins have their next coach potentially lined up.
Indeed, according to Josh Yohe, Kyle Dubas could be looking to hire the former St. Louis Blues head coach Drew Bannister.
Bannister's stint in St. Louis didn't last long as he couldn't get the results expected by management, and when Jim Montgomery became available early in the season, the Blues decided to make the switch.
Yohe also highlighted that Bannister played for Dubas' hometown team, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, something that could be of value to the Penguins' boss.
In Yohe's words:
"Team sources said the Penguins have an interest in Drew Bannister. His recent stint behind the Blues bench lasted less than a year, but Dubas likes him.
For good measure, Bannister played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and won the Memorial Cup there in 1993. If you know anything about Dubas, you know his connection to his hometown runs deep."
For good measure, Bannister played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and won the Memorial Cup there in 1993. If you know anything about Dubas, you know his connection to his hometown runs deep."
With the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken and Philadelphia Flyers also looking for a new head coach, teams would gain by making their decision quickly.
Stay tuned for the latest developments about the Penguins' search for a new head coach.
| POLL | ||
MAI 10 | 153 ANSWERS Penguins Eye Former St. Louis Blues Bench Boss as Top Coaching Target Do you think the Pittsburgh Penguins would make the right choice by hiring Drew Bannister as their next head coach? | ||
| Yes | 39 | 25.5 % |
| No | 114 | 74.5 % |
| List of polls | ||