The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that the team and head coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways.
After back-to-back Stanley Cups and nearly a full decade at the post, the #pens and head coach Mike Sullivan announced they have "agreed to part ways."
Sullivan was the #NHL's second-longest tenured coach, hired on Dec. 12, 2015.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 28, 2025
The timing might be a little odd for some, but this move was coming. You could see from the play on the ice that Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ current roster no longer meshed. Many thought the Penguins would make the change last season.
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The problem was money. Sullivan’s three extension had yet to kick in. So, to pay a coach three years to go away did not make sense from a Pittsburgh perspective.
Sullivan was one year into a 3-year extension. That contract pays him the second highest salary (around $5.5M) behind only Jon Cooper.
He will be in high demand. Rangers and Bruins especially jump out as possibilities. But how the teams figure out the rest of his contract with… https://t.co/R32DcFPUdE— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 28, 2025
Not to mention his commitment to be Team USA’s coach at the Four Nations Faceoff, it was probably best to keep him through the season. Will that still be the case at the 2026 Olympics if he does not get a coaching job in the NHL?
There have been stretches where the Penguins looked competitive. Still, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season in the Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang era. The team’s last playoff series victory came in the first round of 2018 against the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a stretch where the Penguins won nine straight playoff series, including back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
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Kyle Dubas in a press release:
“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.”
Sullivan took over for Mike Johnston in December 2015 and did a fabulous job coaching a team that did not have Kris Letang for the majority of the season. The Penguins were able to play a defensive style of game, which allowed them to win two more titles. Sullivan was able to adapt his style from the American Hockey League (AHL) to the NHL. The Penguins were still one of the best in the NHL, but had an issue winning in the playoffs.
NHL Rumors: Could the Pittsburgh Penguins Move on From Mike Sullivan?
There were opportunities for the Penguins to advance more under Mike Sullivan. Still, they fell to the New York Islanders in 2019 and 2021, failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2020, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the bubble, and were defeated in seven games in the first round by the New York Rangers in 2022.
Many of those losses came down to the Penguins being unable to hold leads in the third period. That was a trend that continued throughout the rest of his tenure in Pittsburgh. It was a big reason why the Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs in 2023, along with losing to bad teams.
It was hard for the Penguins to go through a rebuild rightfully, given the edict from ownership to still win with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang. New GM Kyle Dubas did his best to field a competitive team, but the Penguins were just not good enough to win.
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So Mike Sullivan, with two years left on his deal, will be a coveted man. There are numerous job openings in the NHL, including the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, and Chicago Blackhawks.
With Sullivan moving on, current #NHL head coaching vacancies:#NHLBruins#NYR #Flyers#Blackhawks#NHLDucks#SeaKraken#LetsGoPens
Certainly would not be surprised to see Sullivan land in one of the first two – he's worked in both organizations.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 28, 2025
The most likely outcome is Sullivan to the New York Rangers, which has been rumoured for years. But could Boston be in the mix as well?
We will see where Mike Sullivan lands after a decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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