Bowman provides insights

your name on the Cup, you gotta work on the next one right away.”

Bowman knew Sullivan from the year Sully spent in the Chicago Blackhawks organization (2014-15). Bowman’s son, Stan (full name: Stanley, named after the Cup) is Chicago’s general manager, and Scotty remains the club’s senior adviser to hockey operations.

Sullivan worked with prospects and pre-scouted playoff opponents, helping the Blackhawks win their third Cup in six years.

“I knew he knew what he was doing,” Bowman said. “He’s done a great job, and he has good people around him.

“Jacques Martin is an underrated guy. My god, he’s been coaching since what, the mid-’80s? He’s been a good addition, and [Rick] Tocchet was always a smart player. They’re a well-coached team.”

At that point, I figured I would prompt Bowman with a few more questions and get out of the way …

• Did Evgeni Malkin belong among the NHL’s Top 100 players? Bowman was among the 58 voters, and though he says he was “sworn to secrecy,” it certainly sounds as if he voted for Malkin and firmly believes he is a player who belonged.

“Oh, yes. He has all the credentials,” Bowman said. “They missed guys. It was good and bad. They missed Pierre Pilote. He won three Norris trophies in the 1960s — go ahead and check that out.

“Those ballots, to me, I don’t put a lot of stock in them.”

• Which other Penguins have caught his eye? I asked because I’ll never forget Bowman telling me Kris Letang would be a star way before Letang was a star.

“Olli Maatta’s a really good young player, under the radar. He doesn’t shoot the puck in a lot, and that’s a key [in the final]. Nashville forced Chicago to shoot the puck in — Chicago’s puck-possession game was not good — and they weren’t prepared for that.”

• What might be other keys against the Predators?

First, Bowman said he believes the battered Penguins will benefit from the extra day off each time the series switches venues.

Then, he whipped out the figurative eraser board for a lesson …

“[Goaltender] Pekka Rinne likes to play the puck; he’s good at it. I noticed if you shoot the puck in, you better shoot in a way Rinne can’t set it up. If you look at the last game [of the Western Conference final], Anaheim just started to lug the puck. They had a helluva push. They got Nashville back on their heels.

“But Nashville has four D-men — [Roman] Josi, [Ryan] Ellis, [Mattias] Ekholm and [P.K.] Subban — who can carry the puck. They hurt Chicago. [Coach Peter] Laviolette and [assistants] Phil Housley and Kevin McCarthy, they like to push the offense, but I’m not sure how they’ll play. Against Chicago, they clogged the middle like Ottawa did. Against other teams, like St. Louis, they really started to carry the puck.

“Laviolette, I don’t know what he’ll do with Pittsburgh: Is he going to clog up the middle or forecheck?”

I could have listened all day. But Bowman suddenly had to run. “Have to get my car fixed,” he said.