The Penguins do not seem to be going anywhere this year, and with not going anywhere, means the young kids need to play. Coach Sullivan likes to be stubborn and play the veterans and not play the young kids and see what he has in them. There has been rumors for years that he prefers playing the veterans over the young kids.
Ice time has been skewed because of the PK but still a mistake for Coach Sullivan
In the past couple games, Ponomarev, Puljujarvi, and Poulin's ice times have been low. But there is a major reason why they are not higher. These three forwards usually do not play on the penalty kill.
Nieto and Acciari usually do play on the penalty kill and get the majority of that ice time when the Penguins take a penalty.
In the latest game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nieto's TOI was 15:02 which 2:55 was on the PK, Acciari's TOI was 16:17 which 2:54 was on the PK.
Ponomarev totaled 8:36 TOI, Poulin totaled 9:49 TOI, and Puljujarvi totaled 10:13 TOI.
PK has been a major factor in why the young kids don't get more playing time.
Poulin played 9:49 tonight.
— B (@BV8771) November 20, 2024
Ponomarev played 8:36 tonight.
Matt Nieto, 32 year old coming off double knee surgeries played 15:02.
This is why Mike Sullivan needs to go. The young prospect will never get a fair opportunity under him. He cannot be the coach while rebuilding.
The young kids need to see at least 15 minutes a night if not more
Coach Sullivan needs to see what he has in the young kids. He needs to not bench them after one stupid mistake. It does not make any sense to bench them. They have a lot of young kids that are going to be coming up in the next few years.
The young kids need to showcase what abilities they have and what they can do for the future of the club. These three forwards with the Penguins now is just the start. McGroarty and others will be up in coming years and should also get the ability to show what they have.