Reirden Remains

Matt Bodenschatz | WBS "Baby" Penguins

May 20, 12:35 PM | Hype this story!

According to the Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Penguins today announced that interim head coach Todd Reirden of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL has been signed to a multi-year contract.

Reirden, who served as Dan Bylsma’s assistant before his promotion, went 14-9-3 as interim head coach. He also led his team to the East Division Final, before losing to Hershey.

Jon Bombulie, had a collection of quotes from “Baby” Penguin players as they packed up for the summer. Here is what veteran Jeff Taffe had to say:

“It’s a pretty great situation here with Dan (Bylsma) and Todd (Reirden). Obviously have to see if Todd’s going to be sticking here. See what these guys have to say. It basically comes down to them. I’ve been here for two years now. I know the organization pretty well from that standpoint. I’d like to do that.”

While the team remains committed to winning, the future could be different for Reirden’s bunch.

In the past, the “Baby” Penguins filled out their roster with veterans, such as Taffe, Chris Minard, Janne Pesonen, and David Gove. But with up to nine rookies possibly on the verge of breaking into the AHL, Reirden’s job may shift from guiding a veteran team through the playoffs to teaching a young group how to play a professional game.

Comments

  1. Dave

    May 20, 04:57 PM

    I think with the situation that the Penguins put themselves in with all the big long term contracts they are going to have to rely on entry level prospects to round out the roster for the next few years. Hopefully they can get these guys up to speed quick and restock with some high quality picks in this draft. Shero knows that the way to keeping an organization competitive is through the draft. You can always fill in the bare spots through trades and free agency.

  2. Matt Bodenschatz

    May 20, 05:25 PM

    Right. In the past, what we’ve seen is a Baby Pens team that was depleted of young talent because of the influx of high-end draft picks who went straight to the NHL: Crosby, Malkin, Staal (Letang after a year, Fleury after a brief AHL stint, Kennedy, etc). That gave them an opportunity to design the farm team as a winner based on free agency.

    Now, as Shero works his way into year three, we’re seeing more and more solid draft picks work their way into the AHL.

    For the parent club, this is good news, as there will be a constant supply of players to fill various roles…so long as Reirden and his staff continue to develop them well (and there’s no reason to believe this won’t happen).

    For “Baby” Pens fans, this is bitter sweet. The team likely won’t be as successful as it has been in the past, as the primary makeup will consist of rookies/young players learning the professional game. No longer will half of the team be made up of career minor leaguers who dominate the AHL, but can’t step up and play fulltime in the NHL.

    In essence, what has been a very successful 50/50 team of prospects and veterans in the past will likely shift to a mediocre/average 75/25 team of prospects and veterans in the future.

    Such is the life of an AHL team.

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