At least one noteworthy individual is not buying that the New York Rangers have moved on from pursuing Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan this spring.
For a piece published Thursday, Rangers reporter Larry Brooks of the New York Post noted that Rob Rossi of The Athletic recently touched upon how former Penguins general manager Ron Hextall “had issues with how close Sullivan had become to the Fenway Sports Group ownership and how much influence the coach had in personnel matters generally left to the executives.”
Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review previously mentioned Sullivan is “liked by Fenway Sports Group.”
Rossi added that former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, a candidate to replace Hextall in Pittsburgh, “ultimately demanded more power within the organization and a greater measure of autonomy regarding personnel decisions before the Leafs cut the cord.” Thus, Rossi concluded that the Penguins may not “be big enough for both Dubas and Sullivan” and that Pittsburgh hiring Dubas may cause Sullivan to search for a fresh start elsewhere, such as the Rangers.
The Rangers “mutually agreed to part ways” with former coach Gerard Gallant following their first-round collapse against the rival New Jersey Devils that included the Blueshirts blowing a 2-0 series lead. While some quickly linked Sullivan with the Rangers, the two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach told Mollie Walker of the New York Post last week he is “under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins” and “here for the long haul.”
Under Sullivan, the aging Penguins that feature Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang had the longest active playoff streak in North American sports snapped in April. As Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now pointed out, though, the Pens theoretically have enough salary-cap space to build around their “big three” and attempt one last run at a title before the club icons ride off into the sunset of retirement.
As for Sullivan, he is “assisting” during Pittsburgh’s front-office transition, is under contract through the 2026-27 season and realistically could determine he’s happy where he’s at even if the Penguins turn to Dubas before the summer.
More must-reads:
Report: Kyle Dubas met with Sidney Crosby at Penguins practice facility
Former Rangers HC Gerard Gallant linked to notable head-coaching opening
The ‘Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins’ quiz
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