Mike Sullivan, who guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 2015-16 and 2016-17, is reportedly in advanced contract talks to become the next head coach of the New York Rangers, according to several media outlets on Thursday.
The Penguins parted ways with Sullivan on April 28 after ten seasons, just over a week after the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette. Both teams failed to qualify for the playoffs, with Pittsburgh now having missed the postseason three straight years.
Despite entering the season as a top contender in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers did not make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. Their next head coach will be the 38th in team history.
Sullivan previously spent four seasons (2009–2013) as an assistant coach with the Rangers under John Tortorella. The two may reunite, as Tortorella stepped down as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers late in the season. They recently worked together on Team USA’s coaching staff at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
A native of Marshfield, Massachusetts, Sullivan was also head coach of the Boston Bruins during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons. He took over the Penguins midway through the 2015-16 season and led them to back-to-back Cups after second-place finishes in the Metropolitan Division, defeating the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators in the finals.
Sullivan has a career coaching record of 479-311-112, just 21 wins away from 500. He holds the record for most coaching victories in Penguins history with 409.
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