Mark Madden's Hot Take: Todd Reirden had to be Penguins' sacrificial lamb, but will things change with power play?

Todd Reirden is a sacrificial lamb. Like ex-Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada before him.

Next up: Pirates hitting coach Andy Haines.

Canada got blamed for not being able to polish excrement, specifically quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Haines is taking heat because, for one thing, Oneil Cruz never learned how to play baseball.

Assistant coaches are easy targets. Nobody owns a jersey with an assistant coach’s name and number on the back. They’re not heroes. Fans are predisposed to blame them.

Reirden, who just got fired as a Penguins assistant coach, was nominally in charge of the team’s power play. Despite a plethora of big-name talent, that unit finished 30th in the NHL with a conversion rate of 15.3. It allowed 12 short-handed goals, most in the league.

It was even worse than those numbers. It was a pathetic, disorganized, ego-bloated mess. It was insultingly awful.

Reirden wasn’t to blame for that.

Reirden didn’t tell Erik Karlsson to try “to slap-pass it through five people every time,” as president of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas complained at season’s conclusion.

Reirden didn’t tell those on the power play to look constantly for back-door tap-ins to the exclusion of more shots, more rebounds, putting the foe under siege and seizing momentum.

Coach Mike Sullivan never stepped up and took charge of the power play himself, ramrodding through what’s needed via his authority.

The players betrayed Reirden. So did Sullivan.

That said, Reirden had to go. The power play was horrific, and the Penguins couldn’t do nothing.

But change is unlikely. What, you think those prima donnas will suddenly start listening to whoever’s in charge?

That power play did not modify one bit all season. Oh, the personnel got juggled. But the method didn’t adjust. Whatever the method was. It was so haphazard, it was tough to decipher. The power play never simplified, that’s for sure.

It doesn’t matter who coaches the power play. Sidney Crosby needs to take charge. Crosby is what counts.

Crosby should set up on the right half-wall. The puck should re-set to him constantly. He should be the de facto quarterback, making most of the decisions.

There doesn’t need to be constant rotation. That just gives Evgeni Malkin the chance to switch into that spot, as he likes. Crosby needs to stay there and run things. Keep it simple. Mario Lemieux rarely moved off the left half-wall and still did OK on the power play.

If the other egos involved can’t handle that, put them on the second unit.

Then don’t use the second unit.

Crosby’s deflecting skills and work down low would be minimized. But the Penguins need what he provides on the right half wall more.

The power play would be better. Crosby would get more touches. He organically would get 10 more points per year.

This is likely what Crosby wants and always has. But he defers.

If Sullivan and whoever runs the power play next season decide differently and don’t have Crosby in that spot, they’re wrong. How many times does the preferred approach have to fail?

But here’s betting the power play doesn’t change appreciably and isn’t much better. That will be Reirden’s vindication.

He’ll still be fired.