Something needs to change with the Penguins. But Mike Sullivan doesn't seem convinced that a massive overhaul of the team, or the structure with which it plays, is necessary.
Pittsburgh is 3-12 in its last 15 playoff games, and has not won a series since defeating Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2018.
This has happened despite, for the most part, having a wildly successful and talented group of players.
Because of that, Sullivan spent this offseason looking for ways to improve.
"We try to take an honest assessment at the experience we went through the prior season," he said Thursday as the Penguins opened training camp in Cranberry. "As a coaching staff, we go through a due diligence process in the offseason and we ask ourselves that question, and I pose that question to our coaching staff.
"And then we drill down into the details and look at the aspects of our game where we think we can improve. This year, we talked about a number of different details where we think are areas where we can improve and get better."
Sullivan indicated that this is no different than previous years, and that, in addition to showing parts of the game where the team can improve, he also shows them areas where the did get better during the course of the 2020-2021 season.
"There were a lot of things that we really liked about last year," he said. "We won our division, we won a lot of hockey games. We like how we became a team in the true sense of the word.
"My experience with coaching this core group of players is that when you present them with a challenge, they usually get better at it.
But Sullivan did acknowledge that, despite last year's regular season successes, the team did not achieve what it wanted to in the playoffs. His players acknowledged it too, with defenseman Kris Letang calling it a "disappointment."
A year ago, the team fired three of Sullivan's assistants, including popular figures among the fanbase in Sergei Gonchar and Mark Recchi.
This offseason, Sullivan made the decision to let go of goalie coach Mike Buckley, naming Andy Chiodo to the role.
The question, however, is if the issue rests within Pittsburgh's locker room, the coaching offices, or if Sullivan's system is outdated or flawed.
And that is what this year may determine. Three straight first-round playoff exits is well below the line for an organization that still features some of the game's best players, even if the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are past their primes.
Sullivan is the director. He's changed some of the cast and brought in a new crew. But if there aren't standing ovations and flowers being thrown when the curtain drops, what then?
"As a team or a coaching staff, I don't think we ever arrive," Sullivan said. "We're always trying to get better. There's always areas of improvement.
"There's a lot to like about this group. So we're excited to get back on the ice with them and see where we can take this."
Hear more of Sullivan's comments about the Penguins' self-analysis here:
