Rangers, Mike Sullivan Coaching Speculation Gets Major Update on Thursday

The New York Rangers fired head coach Peter Laviolette after a disappointing season and are now reportedly close to naming his replacement.

On Thursday, Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported, "The New York Rangers are in advanced contract talks to name Mike Sullivan head coach, sources told @KevinWeekes & me. It is expected to be one of the richest coaching contracts in NHL history."

Sullivan was fired on Monday after 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won two Stanley Cups in his first two years with the franchise.

Once the news broke that Pittsburgh was moving on from him, talks amongst the media began swirling about a potential match between Sullivan and the Rangers. 

"I cannot imagine [the New York Rangers] allowing anyone to outdo themselves in the pursuit of Sullivan," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said one day after the Sullivan firing.

Friedman also noted that Rangers general manager Chris Drury had an interest in Sullivan in 2021, when Drury was first hired.

"In 2021, when Chris Drury was hired as GM, he didn't hire [Gerard] Gallant until he knew Sullivan was staying [in PIT]," Friedman added.

Former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan walks off the ice after losing to the Rangers.

© Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Drury isn’t messing around—he wants to bring Stanley Cups back to New York, and it appears he feels Sullivan is the right guy to do it. Laviolette led the Rangers to a Presidents’ Trophy and an Eastern Conference Final appearance in his first season (2023–24), but failed to make the playoffs in Year 2.

Drury then pulled the plug on Laviolette just two days after the end of this regular season.

According to NHL Network's David Pagnotta, former Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella, "who worked w/ Sully on Team USA‘s 4 Nations bench, may also be returning to the Rangers."