Is Mike Sullivan a hot commodity for NHL coaching vacancies?

Penguins fans at large have polarizing views on head coach Mike Sullivan. Some want him gone, others are okay with him, citing his pedigree.

Right now it doesn't seem like Sully is going anywhere, especially based on Kyle Dubas' end of season press conference. But that's not to say that there aren't openings that could entice one of the most decorated American-born coaches in NHL history.

We'll take a look at the current vacancies and see if it would make sense for Sullivan to leave the Penguins for an alleged greener pasture.

Boston Bruins

Some Penguins fans might not know that Boston was actually the franchise where Mike Sullivan got his coaching start in 2003-04. Very shortly after his playing career ended, Sully led the Bruins to a 41-19-15 record and an Northeast Division title in his first season as a head coach.

The Bruins were defeated in the First Round that year by the Montreal Canadiens. The NHL suffered the lockout the next season, and it certainly hurt the Bruins, who went just 29-37-16 in 2005-06, missing the playoffs.

That was the end of Sullivan's coaching career to that point, as he was let go after the season.

Now, in 2025, Boston could be an intriguing place for Sully. He's from Marshfield, Massachusetts, so Boston is essentially home for him.

Boston's Charlie McAvoy, who is under contract for another five years, is Sullivan's son in law, and both were on the same bench for the Four Nations Faceoff representing the United States.

The Bruins are in limbo right now, but Mike Sullivan could be a sneaky option for them to fill their vacancy. The biggest question mark is how he would deal with a lack of talent. Boston has been dried up, and their future is grim. Hometown bias might help, but their murky future might turn him away.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are a young team that desperately needs development. Their window is still down the road, but Sullivan's personality could be a good fit for them.

You have to remember, though, that coaches with tenure often don't run off to rough situations. The Blackhawks strangely have a brighter outlook than Boston, but that's not to say they are all sunshine and rainbows.

This one would make sense for the Blackhawks, but not as much for Sullivan at this very moment.

Philadelphia Flyers

I know one thing for certain: if the two time Stanley Cup champion head coach for the city of Pittsburgh went east, Penguins fans would be in a fury no matter if they like Sullivan or not.

This one doesn't make a lot of sense. Philadelphia is the second youngest team in the NHL, and they've got a lot of personalities that John Tortarella didn't mesh with.

Sullivan and Tortarella are somewhat comparable in style, though Tortarella is much more radical in his ideals. This doesn't seem like a good fit for either side (unless he pulls a *cough* Ron Hextall *cough* and just goes over there to sabotage them).

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are trending upward, but at about a 0.1% grade incline. There isn't much to suggest they're going to be much better than they actually are - or have been for three years.

Another young team, the Ducks are in need of a personality like Sullivan behind the benches, but again, I don't know if Sullivan would want to go to a relatively undesirable situation.

Anaheim is a bit more irrelevant than the last vacancy, which lots of analysts seem to think Sullivan might up and leave for.

New York Rangers

While we said that there's a possibility the Penguins could poach Alexis Lafreniere from the Rangers this offseason, it would be quite the spectacle if they managed to poach Mike Sullivan from the Penguins.

The attractiveness of the Rangers comes in several things. They're a large market team, they play in a historic arena, and they seem to be just a victim of a season-long rut.

The Rangers missing the playoffs this season was quite the changeup after they won the President's Trophy last season. Naturally, they had to move on from Peter Laviolette. They had no choice.

But New York is far better off than any of the aforementioned options if Mike Sullivan were to move on from Pittsburgh. It's a tantalizing idea. There are bad contracts NYR is dealing with, sure, but the bright lights of the big city just might coax Sully to look for quick success.

The talent pool is mostly still there, it's just a matter if coaching malpractice was what caused them to regress so far from 2023-24.

Closing Thoughts

Remember, Mike Sullivan will still likely be the Penguins head coach this upcoming season. Sully moving on to a coaching vacancy would be a pretty big surprise regardless of where he goes to. But it's worth looking at the possibility so we aren't caught off guard if it does happen.

While the Rangers might have the best situation of the teams with vacancies, the Penguins have the best situation out of all of these teams. They have living legends, young stars in the making, copious amounts of draft capital, and a GM with the desire to break the playoff drought.

I personally think Sullivan is the right coach for the Penguins right now, and drastically changing the coaching at this stage could stunt the Penguins' progress and squander the final years of the core.

Moreover, what better options are there? Sullivan has pedigree. It's been a lull the last three years, but get back to the promised land and suddenly life begins to feel like 2016-2017 all over again. The possibilities are endless.

Do you think Mike Sullivan will leave? Do you like him in Pittsburgh right now? Let us know on Twitter/X @PensLabyrinthFS!