A day after ESPN’s Emily Kaplan broke the story, the Rangers made it official by naming Mike Sullivan the new head coach. He becomes the 38th coach in franchise history.

A former assistant who served under John Tortorella, Sullivan returns to the organization a decade later as the leading man in charge. His greatest success came with the Penguins who he guided to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. After getting eliminated by the Capitals in the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Pens never made it out of the first round again. That included blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Rangers in 2022.

Despite having future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Sullivan couldn’t get the Pens back to the postseason the past three years. Even though Crosby continues to defy logic by playing at a high level, the Pens have been in decline over that period. Malkin and Kris Letang aren’t the same players anymore. Neither is Erik Karlsson, who can still produce offensively but isn’t good defensively.

When Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas decided to part ways with Sullivan, it was the end of an era. After taking over for Mike Johnston and becoming the sixth coach in NHL history to be hired during mid-season and win the Stanley Cup, Sullivan lasted a decade in the Steel City. In 753 games as Penguins coach, he went 409-255-89 for a .602 win percentage, with two Stanley Cups and seven playoff appearances. Well respected by his peers including Crosby, who he has a strong relationship with, Sullivan moves on to a new challenge in the Big Apple.

Drury Gets His Guy

When Peter Laviolette was relieved of his duties following two seasons, it was no secret that Sullivan was at the top of Chris Drury’s list. Once he became available, the Rangers team president and general manager got his guy in quick fashion.

In a press release, Drury extolled the virtues of what made Sullivan the best choice for the job. “Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier coaches in the NHL.

“Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career – including two Stanley Cups and leading 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 at 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.”

It would seem that Drury wasn’t interested in anyone else. He could’ve waited for the Lightning season to end and see if assistant Jeff Halpern was available. The Lightning were eliminated by the Panthers on Wednesday night. Rather than find out about Halpern or any other top assistants who could be ready, Drury had to have Sullivan. At least he was their first choice.

Summer Plans

Sullivan will take over a team that’s coming off one of its worst seasons in recent memory. The Rangers went from winning the Presidents’ Trophy to failing to qualify for the postseason – dropping from a league best 114 points to 85 in one colossal failure.

Given the nature of breakup day, there’s no way it’ll be the same roster when they break training camp in September. The good news is that’s a long way off. Maybe some of the players can book tee times with the Devils now that they’re on summer vacation. All kidding aside, neither team can be satisified with how their seasons went.

While the Rangers and Devils watch from a nice location on a beach, the Hurricanes and Capitals will be doing battle to see which team advances to the Eastern Conference Finals. If you followed the first round, there’s only one way to root. Here’s hoping Tom Wilson sends noted diver Sebastian Aho overboard. It would be nice to see Alex Ovechkin make another run at the Cup. Since breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal scoring record, he’s shown no signs of slowing down.

The winner between the Hurricanes and Caps will take on the winner of the Panthers and Maple Leafs. The Western Conference is all but decided except for one matchup. The Avalanche and Stars will meet in a deciding Game 7 on Saturday night. The Jets look to put away the Blues in Game 6 later tonight. The Golden Knights will meet the Oilers in the second round. I should’ve known better than to pick the Kings. Their coach really cost them big-time in that first round meltdown with that ridiculous coach’s challenge in Game 3. That swung the whole series.

Parssinen Extended Two Years

In a little business, aside from hiring Sullivan, the Rangers announced a two-year extension for Juuso Parssinen. Set to become a restricted free agent, he re-signed for a $1.25 million cap hit through 2027.

Originally acquired from the Avalanche as part of the Ryan Lindgren deal on Mar. 1, Parssinen recorded two goals and three assists for five points in 11 games with the Rangers. We’ll see if the 24-year-old center can find a home in New York City. He’s best suited in a checking role.

Moving Forward

Unlike the last time they replaced a coach, which was Gerard Gallant following a seven-game first round ouster to the Devils, the Rangers have moved forward very quickly.

What can another experienced coach with a championship pedigree accomplish with the roster? We know it won’t be entirely intact. Both Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad could be moving pieces this off-season. Kreider doesn’t hold all the chips like Zibanejad, who indicated that he wants to be here. He has a full no-movement clause. On the other hand, Kreider can be moved to any team that isn’t on his 16-team no-trade list.

For now, a lot will remain the same. The real drama won’t unfold until around the NHL Draft and July 1.

No Torts

Despite some reports indicating that Tortorella might also be rejoining the organization, that turned out not to be true. Indeed, there will be no Torts when Sullivan takes over behind the bench. Despite them having close ties, he won’t be part of Sullivan’s coaching staff.

Personally, I’d like to see Tortorella move upstairs for an organization. He’s a bright mind who knows the game inside out. If that doesn’t pan out, we could see Tortorella back on camera. He certainly doesn’t lack personality. His gig with ESPN was entertaining. What about a shot in the dark? Imagine Torts on MSG between periods. They’d never go for it.