Pittsburgh Penguins Must Fire Head Coach Mike Johnston To Cure Early-Season Struggles

Something is clearly not clicking with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first month of the 2015-16 campaign. They are near the basement of the Metropolitan Division and things are not going well. They are only two points ahead of the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres and just a mere six points ahead of the winless Columbus Blue Jackets. One area that has not been discussed is the coaching, and the team should consider relieving head coach Mike Johnston of his duties if things do not improve immediately.

The Penguins made the biggest splash of the offseason by working out a trade with the Maple Leafs to acquire Phil Kessel. The early prognostications had the Penguins as Stanley Cup threats adding Kessel to team superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. To date, the trio has a combined 11 points and that simply is not good enough. This one trade was supposed to equal immediate chemistry, but after seven games they are not clicking together. Management and the coaching staff are struggling to figure out whether Kessel works better with Malkin or Crosby.

The team also has defenseman Olli Maatta back on the roster this year after playing only 20 games a year ago and finishing the campaign with nine points. He has had a rough go of things off the ice, having shoulder surgery on top of surgery to remove a tumor from his neck.

The star of the team, Crosby, has played in all seven of the team’s games and has three points. That might be okay for just an average player. but the former 2005 No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft only scored his first goal of the campaign during game six of the season against the Florida Panthers.

There is a lot of pressure on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to elevate this team into the playoffs and ultimately win another championship. He has started every game for the team thus far and given up 15 goals. The Montreal Canadiens are also a feared team to win a Stanley Cup, and their star goaltender, Carey Price, has given up seven goals in seven games. Fleury has to improve significantly.

It is said that you cannot change an entire team’s roster in one massive trade. Trades may indeed have to come shortly, but if the losses mount the only decision may just be to fire the head coach and right this ship before it sinks like the Titanic.