Pittsburgh Penguins Coach Lands New Job After Missing Third Straight Playoff

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs for the third year in a row this season as the core continues to get older.

Sidney Crosby is still in his elite form, but one 90-point player cannot single-handedly get a team into the postseason.

While Crosby and his teammates may be done for the season, there is still lots of work to do this summer for Kyle Dubas, the front office, and the coaching staff as they prepare to make a comeback next year.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the coaching staff as the team continues to trend in the wrong direction, but Dubas has already confirmed he intends to bring Mike Sullivan back next season.

We can then assume that the rest of the coaching staff will be returning as well.

Notably, part of the Penguins coaching staff will be gone for part of the offseason as Team USA just announced their own staff for this year's world championship.

Among the coaches selected for the team is Mike Vellucci, who has been an assistant on Sullivan's staff for the last five seasons.

Vellucci has extensive experience in several leagues including the OHL and AHL.

He spent five years in the Hurricanes organization serving multiple roles as a head coach at the AHL level and as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations.

He joined the Penguins organization for the 2019-20 season where he served as both general manager and head coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before he was promoted to the NHL full time.

He is expected to return to the Penguins next season where he will resume his role as an assistant coach for the club.