The Penguins might be in a better spot going into 2025-26 than some might think. The Metro Division is starting to unravel with the coaching carousel beginning to spin.
Last night we got an unfounded rumor that former Flyers head coach, John Tortorella, is in a prime position to become the new coach of the New York Rangers, who recently fired Peter Laviolette after missing the playoffs.
Hearing from a source John Tortorella will be joining the Rangers.
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) April 23, 2025
Right now these are no more than rumors, and I personally think they'll fail to come together. However, that doesn't discount the fact that head coaching madness will lead to some strife for specifically the Rangers and Flyers this coming season.
Stability can be good
I want to be very careful how I approach Mike Sullivan's job security with the Penguins. Stability in any genre can turn into stagnation if it's allowed to.
For instance, the Steelers are in a state of unfounded contentment with Mike Tomlin as their head coach. His success came a while ago, and recent trends would suggest it's time to shake things up and move on.
You could argue the same is true for Mike Sullivan. The success he enjoyed came almost a decade ago, and there's been no success since then.
However, the Penguins actually seem to have an organizational direction - unlike their football counterparts across the river.
Ebbs and flows happen in sports, even within organizations. The Penguins have been in a valley the last three seasons, and you can maybe extrapolate that all the way back to 2018 when they last won a playoff series.
Kyle Dubas' message for fans right now is that the Penguins will build back as quick as possible to ensure the core has another chance at winning a Stanley Cup. The Steelers have zero messaging or direction to enlighten fans with (namely because they don't have any).
Shifting things around behind the benches is not in the cards for the Penguins right now, and that's a luxury. Consistency year-to-year, especially with young bucks like Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, is important at this stage of a rebuild.
The Flyers and Rangers' problem
Direction isn't apparent for the Flyers and Rangers right now. The Flyers are youthful and have promise, but someone is going to need to unlock what's in there, and who's to say their next coach will do that?
The Rangers had an identity, but they lost it this season. Now, they have a lot of money attached to a lot of egos in that locker room, and whoever they choose to curb those egos is going to have their work cut out.
I would deem the Flyers as a team with the possibility of taking a step forward - not a leap, but a step forward this coming season. The Rangers, as poor as they were this season, will either stay how they are or get worse.
Coaching carousels can lead to many forms of danger for an organization. Expectations constantly change, personalities on the ice and behind the benches are jumbled, and philosophies are hard to buy into when coaching changes happen.
To make things even funnier, it seems like there's a real possibility that the Flyers and Rangers will just trade coaches. I wouldn't put money on it, but don't rule it out. If it happens, drama often leads to chaos, and the Penguins might make out like a bandit in the wreckage.
What about the other Metro teams?
Even if the New Jersey Devils get swept by the Hurricanes (which we predicted), Sheldon Keefe isn't going anywhere. It's just his first year coaching the Devils, and he won't be gone after just one disappointing (yet injury riddled) season.
Rod Brind'Amour is one of the winningest coaches in the NHL since he started with the Hurricanes in 2018, but what happens if the Hurricanes can't make it to the Stanley Cup Final in yet another season? Will the seat begin to simmer for the legendary Cane?
The Blue Jackets are trending upward. They won't change anything with first year head coach Dean Evason. They're on the right track. Their stability is a great example of where rebuilds like to get to.
Patrick Roy had a disappointing season with the Islanders, and their continuous mediocrity could prompt them want to change something again. Unlikely, but irrelevant organizations like NYI often pull maneuvers like that.
Lastly, Spencer Carbery's job security with Washington is as sure as Ovechkin from the left dot on the power play.
The Sullivan Advantage
Mike Sullivan is the second longest tenured head coach in the NHL, and that in itself is valuable to an organization.
The Penguins' have had a glaring problem in recent years of playing poorly against Metro opponents. They were 9-13-4 this season within the division this year. That's not going to cut it. In fact, that's the worst inter-divisional record amongst all Metro teams.
The only two teams that were worse within their own division this season were the Blackhawks and Sharks. That's not good company to be in.
If even just a few Metro teams have internal trouble this upcoming season related to coaching, the Penguins will automatically be better than this year.
People want to say the Penguins are in a rebuild. I don't like that word to describe where the Penguins are. They're in a lull, and once they find their way out, their divisional foes will be left in the dust.
Soon, very soon.