Insider: Penguins Coach Calls Out Star Defender

After another disappointing loss, it appears the Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach is calling out his star defender.

Oct 29, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) skates with the puck as Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) chases during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It started with a cryptic post-game comment from Mike Sullivan, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team suffered through another walloping by the Carolina Hurricanes, losing 5-1 and dropping their record to 5-8-2.

In the post-game scrum, the Penguins' coach applauded some of his team's efforts. It was clear, however, that he didn't want his comments applied to the entire lineup.

"I thought we had a lot of guys who played really hard and didn't get rewarded for their efforts," he said. "I think there were a few guys that didn't live up to the expectation. It's hard. We need every body to bring it every night to have a chance to win."

Team reporter Josh Yohe followed up with Sullivan after this comment. Asking him to clarify if he felt certain players didn't play hard in the game, Sully offered this.

"I thought a lot of the group played extremely hard," he said.

That response had both Yohe and fellow NHL insider Elliotte Friedman into sleuth mode. Sullivan's initial comment and response left the door open for a player or players to be the subject of criticism.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Yohe speculated that the subject of Sullivan's ire is none other than star defender Erik Karlsson. For him, it didn't require much detective work to figure that out.

"Sullivan didn't have to mention anyone by name," he wrote. "But he didn't have to. Erik Karlsson was almost solely responsible for the first two goals against and endured a nightmarish first period, even by his lower-than-usual standards this season."

Friedman corroborated Yohe's belief on a recent episode of 32 Thoughts. Speaking on the subject with co-host Kyle Bukauskas, Friedman shared his thoughts and they were largely in agreement with the Penguins' writer.

"I have fallen into the Mike Sullivan trap," Friedman said. "If you look at the Pittsburgh first goal (against), he calls out a play on the first goal. And it looks like it's Erik Karlsson. Unless I'm missing something I'm not seeing there, it looks like it's Karlsson."

It has been a tough start to Karlsson's season in Pittsburgh, and this speculation doesn't help the matter. While the offense hasn't gone away completely, he has eight points in 15 games, his defense has struggled and the Pens are struggling to produce with him on the ice.

With the Penguins looking like one of the bottom teams in the division, the team needs more from the two-time Norris Trophy winning defender. Their head coach might not have called him out directly, but it seems multiple insiders agree that their star defender is currently in his coach's doghouse.

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