Coaching Carousel: 5 Teams Chasing Mike Sullivan; Tocchet Leaves Vancouver
Five teams are already pursuing Mike Sullivan, but that number might rise to six soon. Conversely, former Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet has left the Vancouver Canucks after a tumultuous season.
Counting the Penguins, who parted with Sullivan Monday, there are eight vacant coaching jobs, and according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, five teams have already called Sullivan.
Read More:Â Kingerski: Credit Dubas, Reasons Said & Unsaid Why Sullivan Had to Go
One potential candidate for the Penguins job came available Tuesday, when reports surfaced that Tocchet would leave the Canucks. Tocchet not only won the 1992 Stanley Cup as a player with the Penguins, but was also a Penguins assistant coach, first under Mike Johnston, then Mike Sullivan, from 2014-2017.
Tocchet, 61, has just one playoff series win in nine seasons as a head coach, and after distractions and trades, including dealing J.T. Miller to New York, Vancouver missed the playoffs this season. A statement from Tocchet is expected later Tuesday.
Five teams have already inquired about free-agent coach Mike Sullivan. No surprise there given his stature in the coaching world. My sense is some called tire kicking, curious, others very much with serious interest. He won’t be out of work for too long.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 29, 2025
While Tocchet may be tied to the Penguins, Sullivan had ties to the Vancouver front office. Former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is the president of hockey operations, and long-time Penguins scout and executive Patrik Allvin is the general manager.
LeBrun didn’t name the five teams that have contacted Sullivan, but the New York Rangers have long been rumored to be interested. At the time of LeBrun’s report earlier Tuesday, there were six openings aside from the Penguins, which means that, according to LeBrun, five of six teams called Sullivan.
The eight teams with openings are:
- Anaheim Ducks
- Boston Bruins
- Chicago Blackhawks
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Seattle Kraken
- Vancouver Canucks
Categorized:NHL News Penguins Penguins News
I’d say Boston would have the inside track.
No. Rangers. Boston is void of talent. No real top centers.
Yes but his son-in-law (McAvoy), daughter, and grandson are all in Boston
Nice to be Sully but if I was him at his age location would paramount. If the family comes first then he’ll go to Boston. If he can talk the family in to an awesome move, politics aside, he should go Northwest. Such a beautiful place and with his money he’d be living the dream out there. His last choice should be NY. What a horrible place for a family or anyone over 30 same with Southern Cal.
Travel from the PacNW is tough. No state income tax in WA is nice.
?
his granddaughter’s dad plays for the bruins.
He will go to Boston. I’d bet my massive hawg on it.
Boston is in a similar situation as the Penguins. Besides working close to home it would make me think there was more to it than what was. I would bet NY or Vancouver pay up.
I would want Tocchet or a completely new face
Dan, from an organization standpoint when it comes to front office, players, prospects how would rank the teams in order of most desirable to least?
Gotta think teams in the metro contacted Sully. Boston (family), NYR (good fit), Philly (already in PA), then maybe Seattle (they love ex Penguin coaches) and Chicago (they need all the help they can get)