Some shocking news this morning coming out of Pittsburgh. Mike Sullivan, yes that Mike Sullivan, is no longer going to be coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Head Coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways.

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— Pittsburgh Penguins (@pittsburghpenguins.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 9:13 AM

Sullivan guided the Penguins to two consecutive Stanley Cups cementing the Crosby/Malkin era as one of the more successful runs the league has seen. He is the Penguins all-time winningest coach and was highly respected by the Penguins core players. It is also true the Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since 2018 and haven’t made the playoffs in the last three years.

From Kyle Dubas:

“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” said Dubas. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”

On merit I think Sullivan earned his walking papers. The team success hasn’t been where it needed to be for a while. The timing of the decision is a little weird. I think this choice would have had more of an impact around 2020ish rather than now. They kinda are who they are now. The coach is almost a moot point. They weren’t really trying to win this past season and I’m not totally convinced they are trying to win next year, either. It puts the new coach in a really strange spot. Because of this I think it was more Sullivan's decision to move on than it was the Penguins. A coach who wants to win coaching a team not trying to win was not palatable anymore.

As for his replacement, I suppose the one avenue that makes sense is if they brought in a coach who has recent experience in coaching players in their young 20’s while also coming in with a solid resume. One option that would make sense on this front would be Denver Pioneers coach, David Carle. Carle is a two-time national champion coach and if you’re looking for a Sidney Crosby link, he attended Shattucks St. Mary a few years after Crosby was there. It’s not a strong link, but hey it’s there.

Other candidates could be familiar faces like David Quinn or a Rick Tocchet return.

For Sullivan, my money is on him joining the New York Rangers to try and give them some stability. It is a high profile job looking for a high profile applicant.

It was quite a run for Mike Sullivan and given how often other teams rotate through coaches it felt like he was with Pittsburgh for a lifetime. As time passes he will be remembered for getting the Penguins back on the championship track and will be looked upon fondly. It was quite a run.

We’ll see where it goes from here.

Thanks for reading!

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