When the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Mike Johnston as the franchise’s newest head coach, you could feel a collective rumbling in Pittsburgh from the Pens’ faithful typing viciously to find details on the unproven leader.
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Johnston was an unknown. He was a junior coach with the Portland Winterhawks tasked to build a rapport with two of the game’s biggest stars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He was asked to take over a perennial playoff team that has failed to reach the promise land and suffered disappointing exits in five consecutive years. You’d think he feel as if he just stepped into a pressure cooker, right?
There was a different feeling in the summer of 2014 among the Pittsburgh Penguins faithful. Everyone knew that despite the team’s regular season success, their playoff failures warranted a huge shift in the organization. Change was needed, and change is exactly what happened. A new GM, a newly hired coaching staff, and a large turnover of players meant one thing for the Pens; No one knew what to expect.
Mike Johnston and the Pittsburgh Penguins came out flying to start the year. Their offense looked absolutely unstoppable and they were playing the best defensive hockey we had seen since 2009. Of course, the Pens collapsed once the calendar flipped to 2015 but their downward spiral can be primarily linked to detrimental injuries to players like Ollie Maatta, Pascal Dupuis, Kris Letang, and Christian Ehrhoff. And while it was disappointing to see the team outed in the first round of the post-season, it was somewhat expected.
The 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins Represent a New Level of Expectations
Things are different for Mike Johnston for the upcoming season. The Pens made a splash in acquiring world-class sniper Phil Kessel, and did so while keeping the core of this team fully intact. Jim Rutherford also signed Sergei Plotnikov out of Russia and has effectively built a very solid stable of wingers to accompany Crosby and fellow center Evgeni Malkin.
There are questions about the young defensive corps on this squad, but overall the expectations are that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be contenders. If they aren’t yet, they’ll be expected to reach that point by season’s end. All of those expectations basically add up to a lot pressure on Mike Johnston.
And, while this summer’s roster additions have provided a boost in skill and potency, they have also created the need for some tough personnel decisions for Johnston and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching staff.
How Will Johnston Handle the Added Pressure?
If last season is any indication of how Mike Johnston responds to pressure, it’s as simple as saying that there’s no waiver in his demeanor or approach. Many people, myself included, criticized the Head Coach for his reverting to dump-and-chase hockey once struck so hard by the injury bug. But, in all honesty, what else could he do? I can’t really say he made that adjustment as a way to succumb to pressure, but rather the need to adjust to his less-than-optimal lineup.
There are multiple ways to look at Johnston’s situation for next season. First, you can say that this is a great problem to have, which is true. Every coach in the league would love to have a stable of very capable wingers to flank the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Or, you could take a more pessimistic view and debate whether the inexperienced coach is up to the task of handling all of these big personalities. Pleasing Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel will be no easy task. The best way to do so? Winning.
I have faith that Mike Johnston will handle the pressure of this coming season with poise and not change his approach. Considering his questionable lineup decisions at certain points in 2014-15 though, I am a bit nervous to about whether he’ll utilize everyone in the right situation in order to maximize their production. Time will tell if he is truly ready to be a head coach in the NHL, as a second consecutive first round exit with this talented of a roster could make any coach fall out of favor very quickly.
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