The true cost of Todd Rierden's power play failures is revealed

A poor season for the Pittsburgh Penguins was topped by poor power play numbers. Former Penguins coach Todd Rierden was at the helm of these failures. Anyone who watched a Penguins game with a power play for the team saw utter disaster.

The latest regime in Pittsburgh strongly appreciates analytical stuff in hockey, Todd Rierden was a tirefire analytically. The office will be looking at the numbers all across the board, and it will contribute to many things, including people's jobs.



The Penguins had high marks in expected goals, but it did not lead to many actual goals. You had Sidney Crosby, although he is older, he is still a monster for the Pittsburgh Penguins.


Add in the fact that you also have Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, this team, on paper, is really talented and skilled. Bring in the likes of Erik Karlsson and many other skilled players, this Penguins team shouldn't have fallen flat on their face like they did this year.



Across 252 power play opportunities, the Penguins only scored 40 times. They also gave up 12 short-handed goals throughout the season and finished 30th in power play unit effectiveness. This alone cost Rierden his job among other things.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the 2024-25 season with the Penguins' head coach Mike Sullivan and its aging core of players. The team needs a face lift, but its aging core shouldn't be apart of that face life by no means.