Dan’s Daily: Sullivan in High Demand; Amazing Comebacks

The Pittsburgh Penguins rocked the hockey world Monday when general manager Kyle Dubas cut loose coach Mike Sullivan after 10 seasons with the team. Now, teams are lining up to hire Sullivan, and no less than four media troupes seized on the information to advocate hiring the Penguins’ bench boss. We’ve got full coverage of the event, Kyle Dubas’s candid press conference, as well as pointed analysis. Elsewhere, the Florida Panthers staged a quick strike comeback late in the third. The New York Rangers not only want Sullivan but have some big-name trade chips they are trying to move. And the Ottawa Senators are trying to up the pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs as they try to stage a reverse sweep.

I’m very curious how Sullivan fares in a new city. His greatest strength has always been his hockey brain, but will he be able to start at the beginning with a team, seize control, get buy-in, and elevate the players’ game again?

I’ll have more of that in a coming column, perhaps later this morning. There’s been so much info that I’m trying to space it out instead of writing it all in one day.

Dave Molinari is paying his respects to Ray Shero in the Boston area today. Pittsburgh Hockey Now sends our condolences and respects to Shero, his family, and his many friends who are saying goodbye. It has been a year full of loss in hockey and especially in the Penguins community. Those who knew Shero speak very highly of him as a person, well beyond his substantial hockey legacy.

To the links…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Most coaches would have been fired by now, but the Penguins’ coach was entrenched and trusted by players and management. So, it was a bit surprising that Dubas went ahead with the move. Let’s start with the breaking news story, which I included the snap analysis of the Penguins firing Mike Sullivan.

Shelly Anderson was on the news desk and birddogged the Dubas press conference for the plain-spoken explanation of why Dubas went ahead with the move. Here are the explanations and news items from the Dubas press conference.

And then, I picked up the case. Everything said and unsaid. I think the unsaid reasons for the move were as important. I appreciated the positive comments on the story. With some personal observations, including one behind-the-scenes situation, we dig into the in-depth Penguins analysis.

And our video discussion:

NHL Rumors, News, & Analysis

Which city should we start with? E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E wants Mike Sullivan.

Forever Blueshirts: Bump the Rags to the top of the list. They waited on Sullivan in 2021, and rumors persisted that GM Chris Drury was watching closely last season, and now that he’s available, it’s thought Drury will jump at the chance to hire him as the next Rangers head coach.

The Rangers really need him. Also, that’s the best way to keep me from moving to New York.

Chicago Hockey Now: The folks in Chicago were ready to abscond with Sullivan after the games in April. They were happy to leave a trail of Italian Beef or overly large cake-type pizza and lure Sullivan to the windy city. Our Greg Boysen is all over it, and here’s why Sullivan should be the next Chicago Blackhawks coach.

But wait, there’s more!

Boston Hockey Now: A day after listing the top five coaching hires to avoid, our Andrew Fantucchio wasted absolutely no time in calling for a Boston reunion with Sullivan. According to Andrew, here’s why Sullivan should be the next Bruins coach.

The funny thing is–we didn’t discuss this as a network. It just simultaneously sprang forth.

Donnie and Dhali Video: The grand pubas of the Canucks coverage, Donnie and Dhali want Sullivan in Vancouver and think the Jim Rutherford connection could get it done, but here’s the 12-minute segment with  Elliotte Friedman on that possibility and what Friedman thinks of the rest of the vacancies.

I think that’s all for Sullivan this morning. I’d advise my media colleagues: be careful what you wish for–covering him isn’t always fun.

NY Post: Speaking of those Rangers, Mika Zibanejad is twisting in the wind after a rough season. I think he will be a perfect Sullivan-type center, but there are swirling trade rumors still, and Molly Walker examines all of the possible Rangers roster changes.

Florida Hockey Now: FINALLY! Some on-ice stories. The dirty hits were there, and a couple of Panthers might get calls from the league today, but they managed to win Game 4 with a wild and stunning comeback over Tampa Bay. Thank 11, writes George Richards of the amazing Florida Panthers win.

Ottawa Hockey Now: Reverse Sweep? Those pesky Sens aren’t done yet. Danny McCloskey thinks it’s possible to rally back from 3-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but first, Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens need to come through. The Ottawa Senators need more.