Pittsburgh Penguins general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas announced on April 28 that the organization will move forward without long-time head coach Mike Sullivan. Sullivan spent the last ten seasons as the lead man behind the Penguins’ bench, racking up 409 regular-season wins, 44 playoff wins, and two Stanley Cups. The move was semi-expected, given how the past few seasons have worked out, but who could Dubas and the Penguins have their eyes on to take over for Sullivan?
David Carle
One of the hottest commodities regarding potential head coaching possibilities across the NHL, David Carle has built a strong resume at the college and international level. In his time at Denver, he has built one of the country’s most consistent programs. He has won two national championships (2022 and 2024) and has compiled 179 wins. At the international level, he has coached some of the best young players that the United States has to offer at the Under-20 World Junior Championship, winning back-to-back gold medals with the US team.
Carle will surely be selective in taking an NHL job, and rightfully so. He has already withdrawn his name for consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks job. The Blackhawks possess a strong young core of players, led by Connor Bedard, Artyom Levshunov, and Frank Nazar, among others. They are a team coaches would consider a strong opportunity to help take to the next level. With the Penguins, the core group of older players is already looking to make a late-career push for another Stanley Cup, with a handful of prospects waiting in the wings to make an impact at the NHL level. Carle would be a great option for the Penguins, but it would ultimately come down to whether he wants to work with the older players on the roster and go through a bit of a longer rebuild.
Jay Leach
Earlier in the season, I touched on potential candidates if the Penguins were to move on from Sullivan, and Jay Leach was on that list. He has ties to the Penguins, having been part of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ (American Hockey League) coaching staff with Sullivan and the team’s interim coach when Sullivan was promoted to the Penguins’ lead spot during the 2015-16 season. He has since traveled to the Providence Bruins (AHL), Seattle Kraken, and Boston Bruins.
Kyle Dubas will have an important decision to make on who is his next head coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Known more for his defensive coaching, Leach would be a strong option for a Penguins team that saw their overall defensive play be spotty at best this season. He is another name that will come up with other teams’ openings, but could be an under-the-radar option and candidate for Dubas and the Penguins.
Kirk MacDonald
While under a new regime, the Penguins have a history of promoting from within with their coaches. Kirk MacDonald could be another one who does just that, having been brought in by Dubas this last offseason to lead the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team. MacDonald has helped develop many of the Penguins’ top prospects in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season and saw his team finish the AHL regular season as one of the league’s best with plenty of talent on display.
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With Dubas having his hand in the pot on MacDonald’s hiring into the organization, there is a chance that he does look to him as the next head coach for the NHL team, especially after the strong work he has done at the AHL level with some of the organization’s top prospects, who are pushing for an NHL spot as soon as next season (i.e. Rutger McGroarty, Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen).
Rick Tocchet
Yet another familiar name within the Penguins’ circle, this is entirely dependent on what happens with the Vancouver Canucks. Rick Tocchet has built a strong resume as a head coach, winning the 2024 Jack Adams Award (NHL’s best head coach), and has plenty of coaching experience to go along with it (nine total seasons in the NHL as a head coach). The former Penguins player and assistant coach will be in high demand if he does part ways with the Canucks, but coming back to Pittsburgh to coach players like Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin as well as ushering in a new era of youth could be something that lures him back. On the flip side, he may be more inclined to take a job with a team closer to Stanley Cup contention than the Penguins. Either way, there is a strong chance that he at least gets an interview from Dubas and the Penguins if his services do become available.
Mike Van Ryn
A dark horse candidate for the head coaching position, Mike Van Ryn has ties to Dubas from his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The current Maple Leafs’ assistant coach cut his teeth for years, working his way through the coaching ranks at different levels to get to the NHL. He has built a strong resume and reputation in the coaching world with his work at multiple levels and stops along the way. The familiarity between him and Dubas could be enough to get him in for an interview.
Having a winning pedigree tagged to his name from his time with the St. Louis Blues (he was on the coaching staff for the 2019 Stanley Cup win), and with the Maple Leafs, Van Ryn could be an option if Dubas decides to go with someone he is familiar with and trusts from past experience.
Biggest Offseason Move Could Be Behind the Bench
In an offseason where no one really knows what to expect from Dubas and the Penguins, the most significant move could very easily be who is behind the bench for the organization. The hiring of the next head coach will be a big one for the future of the Penguins and will set the tone for what the rest of the offseason will look like.
