The Pittsburgh Penguins have not requested or given permission for the New Jersey Devils to speak with head coach Mike Sullivan, Penguins President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas said on Tuesday. I made it.
“No requests or permissions have been granted,” Dubas said in a text message. The Athletic.
Devils officials said New Jersey would be interested in Sullivan if he doesn't sign with the Penguins.
Sullivan's three-year contract extension, reportedly paying him $5.5 million annually, begins with the start of the new NHL season on July 1.
Sullivan has coached the Penguins since December 2015, when he was promoted from AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to replace Mike Johnston in Pittsburgh. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, and since then Sullivan has set a franchise record for most regular season wins.
Since becoming the Penguins coach, Sullivan has not publicly expressed interest in other jobs.
He agreed to his current contract extension under the Penguins' previous management, but is known to be close to executives at Fenway Sports Group, which owns the club.
Dubas succeeded Brian Burke as president of hockey operations in June 2023, then assumed the GM role previously held by Ron Hextall.
Although retaining Sullivan was not a prerequisite for Dubas getting the job, Dubas repeatedly praised Sullivan's work and said Sullivan is the right coach for the Penguins.
“I think we're very lucky to have Mike,” Dubas said in December. “Do you think he's the right person now and in the distant future? Absolutely.”
The Penguins chose not to renew the contracts of two AHL coaches whose contracts were about to expire this week. The status of Sullivan's two most high-profile assistants in the NHL, associate coach Todd Ryarden and assistant coach Mike Bellucci, remains unclear. Ryarden and Vellucci have two-year contracts set to expire in August 2022.
What is the connection between Sullivan and New Jersey?
Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils' president of hockey operations and general manager, is also from the Boston area, as is Sullivan.
Fitzgerald served in various hockey operations roles with the Penguins from 2007 to 2015, including assistant GM, before joining the Devils under former GM Ray Shero, who hired him in Pittsburgh.
Toronto Star contributing columnist Nick Kypreos recently wrote about rumors of Sullivan joining Fitzgerald and the Devils.
“Rumors persist that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is leaving Pittsburgh to join his good friend Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey,” Kypreos wrote.
Devils officials say Fitzgerald is searching for a coach and has already begun interviewing candidates.
How do players feel about Sullivan?
The highly respected Sullivan has the Penguins' most important backing, captain Sidney Crosby.
Crosby will be eligible to sign a new contract on July 1st, so it makes sense that he would want the coach who experienced the team's most success to remain with the team.
However, Sullivan is liked by many more than Crosby. Sullivan has strong relationships with other franchise stalwarts Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, as well as veterans like Bryan Rust and Marcus Pettersson.
The Penguins have qualified for the 16th straight year, but have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. This past season, the promising power play significantly underperformed, and the Penguins once again fell just short of the postseason.
But the Penguins played their best hockey in the final few weeks. The team went 8-2-3 down the stretch, thanks in part to Crosby and Malkin, as well as strong performances from young players like Drew O'Connor and reserve goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.
(Mike Sullivan Photo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
