The Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach Mike Sullivan mutually agreed to part ways after a 10-year run that included two Stanley Cup wins, the team announced Monday.
Sullivan departs as the winningest coach in team history — and the NHL’s second-longest tenured coach behind only Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper — amid the expectation he’ll only be out of work for as long as he wants to be.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Head Coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 28, 2025
His departure from the Penguins comes at a time when the organization is in transition. The team has missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, and management is overhauling the roster in a bid to return to competitiveness before franchise legends Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin retire.
In a statement announcing the move, Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas said the decision was not taken lightly, but was one they felt “was the best course forward for all involved.”
Pittsburgh finished this season with a 34-36-12 record and was 11 points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Sullivan was under contract through 2026-27 and will be in high demand with six other NHL teams currently looking to fill a head-coaching vacancy. That list includes the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken.
Why the move was made, and what it means
Sullivan spoke all season long, privately and publicly, about his immense loyalty to the Penguins organization and passionately spoke about his desire to remain the head coach of the franchise that he guided to two championships in 2016 and 2017.
Then came Monday morning, when the Penguins dropped a staggering bombshell, announcing they had parted ways with the longest tenured coach in team history.
What does it mean?
For one, the Penguins need a new coach. Rick Tocchet and David Quinn will be among the candidates.
For another, Sullivan won’t be unemployed for long. The Rangers and Islanders are among teams he’s been linked to in speculation, even though Sullivan always dismissed any such talk.
As for why he left, it has become clear in recent days that Dubas’ rebuilding plans are more methodical than Sullivan would have liked. Dubas admitted at a recent news conference that the Penguins weren’t going to simply attempt to make the playoffs next season, but rather, are focusing on a slow build that can help them be Stanley Cup contenders annually.
In recent years, Sullivan was frustrated by his roster.
It must also be noted that Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang all are extremely close with Sullivan. Letang once said that he never wished to play for another coach. It’s well known that Crosby had a particular preference for playing with Sullivan.
Those days are gone. — Josh Yohe, Penguins beat writer
(Photo: Frederick Breedon / Getty Images)
