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Chris Drury finally got his man.
Days after parting ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins, two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan is set to become the 38th head coach in New York Rangers‘ history, the team announced Friday.
The 57-year-old will replace Peter Laviolette, who was let go on Apr. 19 after only two seasons on the job.
The Rangers are hoping for more longevity this time around, with the Sullivan hire ending a multi-year pursuit for Drury. The newly extended team president had him at the top of his wish list in each of the previous two coaching cycles − in 2021 when he hired Gerard Gallant and in 2023 when he landed on Laviolette − but Sullivan was entrenched in Pittsburgh, where he spent 10 seasons while compiling a 409-255-89 record and winning back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017.
“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Drury said in a statement. “Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career – including two Stanley Cups and leading Team USA at the international level – Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench. I’ve gotten to know Mike very well over the years, including as teammates in the 1997 World Championships, when he coached me as a player in New York and through our shared time working together with USA Hockey.
“As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”
The Penguins have fallen off in recent years and missed the playoffs in three straight, but it hasn’t done much to diminish Sullivan’s sparkling reputation around the NHL. An aging core and lackluster pipeline of young talent are considered the primary reasons for Pittsburgh’s slippage, which is why Marshfield, Mass. native remained such a hot commodity once he became available Monday.
Pens general manager Kyle Dubas has outlined a rebuilding plan that will require some patience, which triggered the decision to move in a different direction and allow Sullivan to pursue win-now opportunities elsewhere.
He’ll have his work cut out for him in New York.
The Rangers have a roster filled with questions after missing the playoffs for the first time in four years and ranking as one of the worst defensive teams in the league. They’re in the midst of a makeover that’s expected to continue this summer, but having goalie Igor Shesterkin as the team’s backbone and accomplished talent in front of him was enough to entice Sullivan.
Owner James Dolan’s deep pockets surely didn’t hurt, either, nor did his connections to Drury. They’re both Boston University alumni and have strengthened that bond through their work with USA Hockey, most recently with Sullivan serving as head coach and Drury as assistant GM at this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
It’s possible that other USA Hockey folks could follow. That may include keeping Laviolette assistant Dan Muse on the coaching staff, but even more noteworthy is mutual interest from former Rangers head coach John Tortorella, according to two league sources. Sullivan worked under him as a Blueshirts’ assistant from 2009-13 — the first two seasons with Drury as team captain — with the roles reversed when Tortorella served as an assistant for Team USA at 4 Nations. Now they could reunite as a power duo behind a familiar bench.
How Sullivan’s direct style of play and aggressive forechecking system will mesh with a group of players who’ve had trouble shaking their east-west habits will be a point of intrigue, but he’s viewed as a culture-setter and excellent communicator who can help wash away the stench and quell the drama that seemed to surround the Rangers in 2024-25.
He’s already considered by many to be Drury’s best hire in three tries. Sullivan is a proven leader who shouldn’t carry the same retread label as Gallant and Laviolette after spending a largely successful decade in the same place, but he won’t be able to plug all the holes on this sinking ship single-handedly. The onus falls on the front-office boss to provide his latest coach with the horses to pull off this turnaround.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.