Penguins part ways with assistants after loss in qualifiers

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Wednesday they won't renew the contracts of three assistant coaches, the first of the changes general manager Jim Rutherford hinted were coming.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Wednesday they won't renew the contracts of three assistant coaches, the first of the changes general manager Jim Rutherford hinted were coming. Not returning to head coach Mike Sullivan's staff are coaches Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi, Rutherford said in a team statement.

"We want to thank Sergei, Jacques and Mark for their many contributions to the Penguins over the years, and wish them well in their future endeavors" Rutherford said. The move came just one day after Rutherford told reporters the team underperformed in the best-of-five qualifiers for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. which they lost 3-1 to the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins, based on their regular-season record, were the No. 5 seed, with the Canadiens seeded No. 12.

The Canadiens shut out the Penguins 2-0 in the deciding Game 4 in Toronto on Friday. "We get to certain points in playoff series and we're not the same team," Rutherford said, per NHL.com. "We don't have that same drive as we get closer to elimination. It was so disappointing in Game 4 against Montreal to see where we're at. You're waiting for the desperation from the drop of the puck, and it didn't come.

"There's something wrong. There's something wrong if you don't have that drive to win at that point in the series." The Penguins said a search for new assistant coaches would begin immediately.

"We are in the process of conducting a review of our organization because we have underperformed in the playoffs the last few years," Rutherford said. "We just thought we needed to change the dynamic of our coaching staff. We have very high standards here in Pittsburgh, and we want to continue competing for Stanley Cups. The message to our fans is that ‘We are not rebuilding, we're retooling.'" The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017 but are 2-8 in the last 10 playoff games.

Sullivan's job is expected to be safe. He signed a contract extension in July 2019 that runs through the 2023-24 season. In five seasons in Pittsburgh, Sullivan has a regular-season record of 214-115 and a playoff record of 39-30. 

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