My theory is that this team - when executing - is still pretty solid and can compete with anyone.
But when their execution is off at all, they lack the team speed to make up for it. So you get games where the execution looks great and they can hang with anyone and you get games where the execution is off which exposes their lack of team speed.
A coach could make up for the foot speed issues by implementing a different style of play but Sullivan is stuck in 2015 thinking it's the same Pens team it has ever been.
I simply do not see how the assistant coaches make it through the off-season. Reirden is offensively inept and the PP is becoming a legendary joke. But the defensive system is just as bad. When teams are coming in on the rush and getting to a quick cycle, you can watch five Penguins players staring at the puck and puck handler while the 4 other players move into a position to score. We lose so f***ing many guys in the cycle that it's comical.
There's countless times where players in the d-zone watch a pass, turn their head, and are like "OH SHIT! Another player! Fuuuuuuuuuuuu!" as they watch them score with ease.
So yeah, when you don't have the foot speed, your system should make up for it. When you don't have the system set up, your foot speed should make up for it. When you have neither, you're always going to be caught with your pants down.
That said, I find it nearly inconceivable how frequently I watch 5 NHL players, who by all counts are better hockey players than me, get caught staring at the puck and the puck holder. I mean, that's Squirt and Peewee-level shit right there. I love being center in the D-zone when I don't have the puck, especially down low. I just say "where's the motherf***er that's getting a cross-check int the back in front of the net!?" I seek it out. Pittsburgh Penguins players? Not so much.