Dubas: ‘Time for a Change’; New Coach Expected Around Late June

Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas on Monday addressed the departure of coach Mike Sullivan and what he will look for in the team’s next coach.

“After very careful consideration, discussion, deliberation, we’ve parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan,” Dubas said during a press conference at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. “What I’d first say is Sully, I think, means a great deal to a lot of the people in the (locker) room, a great deal to the community and will move on from the Penguins having left an incredible mark on the franchise. … Beyond the success on the bench and what it led to on the ice and for the city of Pittsburgh and for the fan base is the mark that he made on the people here, which I’ve got to see and experience first-hand the last two years — the impact on their careers, the impact on their families and what he means to them, and also, in my conversations with him the last week, what the city of Pittsburgh, the franchise and the people mean to him.

“That’s what makes these moments and times very difficult. I’ll let Sully speak to that when he deems the right time to do it.”

The Penguins announced earlier Monday that they were parting ways with Sullivan, who led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 and set the franchise coaching record with 409 wins. However, the Penguins recently missed the playoffs for the third straight spring.

The team faces a huge offseason. Dubas has made it clear that he not only wants to get the Penguins back into the playoffs, but also wants them to return to being a contender. The timetable for that remains up in the air.

“My full intention coming into the job was that I thought it was a great opportunity to work with one of, if not the, best coaches in the league, to continue to give the team a chance to contend and transition it through back to contention. I think what I’ve learned in two years is that there’s a reason why it is essentially impossible and has not been done where a coach has led team to winning and through a transition and all the way back,” Dubas said.

“There’s a number of factors that play in on the relationship side, with the players and staff, that make it very difficult to do so. And I think that two things can be true — that someone can be a great head coach and move on to become a great head coach on their next stop, and it can also be a time for a change here. That was the conclusion that I had come to. It was something on my mind during the season, but I I have great respect for Sully and wanted to see it through until the end of the year and then have a discussion with him at the end of the season.”

Sullivan is still under contract with the Penguins. Dubas said the team will grant permission to any teams that seek to speak with him.

As for a replacement for Sullivan, Dubas said there will be a “very thorough and methodical search,” and that as far as a timeline, he expects there will be virtual interviews over the next month, followed by in-person interviews at the end of May into early June, and then “likely naming a coach at the end of June that will lead the team forward.”

He said any delay would be because a candidate is still coaching.

Dubas said three assistants — Ty Hennes, Mike Vellucci and Andy Chiodo — are at the end of their contracts and will be allowed to leave, with the possibility of interviewing with the Penguins later.

Dubas said any new coach will need to understand that the team is in transition, and that young players will need to be developed.

“We’ll cast a wide net,” Dubas said.