Sullivan’s Surprising Rangers Appointment: What Does Laviolette’s Ousting Spell for the Team’s Future?
If there’s one thing that sticks out about this past NHL season, it’s how the Pittsburgh Penguins keep finding themselves just shy of the postseason door — again. Wrapping up at 34-26-12, they lagged 11 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for that elusive second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Third straight year missing out feels like a bitter pill for a franchise with higher expectations, doesn’t it? Meanwhile, their coach, Sullivan, hasn’t exactly been idle; he led Team USA to a solid second-place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is already gearing up for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. With nearly 480 wins in the regular season and a respectable playoff record spanning Pittsburgh and Boston, Sullivan ranks as the sixth-winningest active NHL coach—a spot that places him just behind some legendary names like Paul Maurice and Lindy Ruff.
Interestingly enough, Sullivan’s roots trace back to the New York Rangers, where he spent four seasons as an assistant under John Tortorella before moving on to build his own legacy. This season, the Rangers stumbled a bit themselves, finishing 39-36-7, a noticeable dip from their previous brilliance when they captured the Presidents’ Trophy and made a deep playoff run. As Rangers’ management made swift changes, frustration clearly bubbled to the surface. General Manager Chris Drury openly acknowledged the pain of falling short, emphasizing it’s on him to turn things around for fans hungry for success.
Now, with coaching vacancies piling up on significant rosters — the Ducks, Penguins, Kraken, and Canucks all looking for fresh sidelines leadership — it’s a period of uncertainty and immense opportunity across the league. Add in the three teams that limped to the finish line with interim coaches, and you’ve got a dizzying whirlwind of tactical shakeups shaping the offseason. For hockey enthusiasts, this landscape beckons with promise and puzzles alike — an unfolding saga no one’s quite ready to close the book on just yet.
This season, Pittsburgh was 34-26-12 and finished 11 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It’s the third straight season the Penguins have missed the postseason. He also coached the United States to a second-place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off and will coach the U.S. at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
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