Playoff flops spoiled Sullivan's glorious Penguins tenure
The steep downfall of the Pittsburgh Penguins led to head coach Mike Sullivan's exit Monday. The two parties' agreement to part ways wasn't foreseeable or justified until Pittsburgh slumped to 13th in the Eastern Conference this season. But it was seven years in the making.
The Penguins haven't won a playoff series since 2018, when the archrival Capitals bounced them ahead of Alex Ovechkin's Stanley Cup breakthrough. The Islanders swept them in 2019. Carey Price's brilliance doomed them to a meek showing against the 12th-seeded Canadiens in the 2020 bubbled qualifying round. Sullivan's team blew series leads to the Islanders and Rangers, then missed three straight postseasons by one, three, and 11 points.
However, his peak in Pittsburgh was towering. Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston midway through the 2015-16 season when Sidney Crosby was seven years removed from his only taste of glory. The back-to-back championships that followed made Crosby's legacy unassailable, and the Penguins' competitive window seemed limitless.
Successive general managers (Jim Rutherford, Ron Hextall, and now Kyle Dubas) tried and failed to surround their ageless captain with sufficient help. The power play, catastrophic defensive efforts, and goaltending became major problems. Crosby carried the offense as Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson all lost a step. It's staggering that fans have grown used to not seeing the Penguins in the first round.
2024-25 was a season of change in the NHL. The Bruins entered a tailspin, held a fire sale, and ended their eight-year streak of playoff appearances, which had been tied for the active league lead. The dysfunctional Rangers imploded and fired coach Peter Laviolette at the bitter end of his second season at the helm.
Either Original Six franchise could bring in Sullivan for a second stint. He coached Boston on both sides of the 2005 lockout, and he was John Tortorella's lead assistant with the Rangers in the early 2010s.
The Ducks and Kraken also have vacancies, while the Blackhawks and Flyers need to decide the fate of their interim coaches. Sullivan's record took a hit in recent seasons, but the 57-year-old is in his coaching prime, and he'll be in demand.
The end of Sullivan's Penguins chapter also adds a layer to his rivalry with Jon Cooper. The decorated Lightning and Canada head coach beat Sullivan's United States team at the 4 Nations Face-Off. A rematch in Italy is coming at the 2026 Olympics. As of Monday, Cooper's the only active coach who's been with his NHL franchise for a decade.
Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.