Sullivan is out after almost 10 years on the job
Last week at his end of season press conference, Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Kyle Dubas didn’t mince words about his coach.
“I think with a coach like Sully, he’s an elite-level coach as he’s shown through his time here and as well as for Team USA,” Dubas said. “There’s always the point that very few coaches who are in that realm often want to see a team through this, but he’s been very open about this is what he wants to do. So, we’ll just continue to reaffirm that, and as long as he’s on that side of it, then we’ll roll with that.”
As it turns out, that roll abruptly ended a week later with the announcement that the Pens and Sullivan had “have agreed to part ways”. Dubas’ statement had this line:
“This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”
93.7 The Fan’s Adam Crowley had a little more information:
Received word yesterday that Sullivan and the #Penguins would be parting ways. @scorindorin and I were on the same text.
Team met w/ Sullivan yesterday. Sullivan had a list of non-negotiable demands. Dubas and FSG said “thanks, but no thanks.”
— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) April 28, 2025
“Non-negotiable demands” sounds spicy, perhaps more will come of that later on. The Athletic had a similar angle:
As for why he left, it has become clear in recent days that Dubas’ rebuilding plans are more methodical than Sullivan would have liked. In recent years, Sullivan was frustrated by his roster. Dubas said at a recent news conference that the Penguins weren’t going to simply attempt to make the playoffs next season, but rather are focusing on a slow build that can help them be Stanley Cup contenders annually.
At this point it seems obvious that Sullivan was unhappy that the team has slipped with short chances of being competitive in the near future. Sullivan, 57, only has so many years of NHL coaching ahead of him and ticking off the games and years with a bottom-end team with little ambition or ability to get back towards the top in the near future had to have been a factor of how he ended up walking.
In the end, sometimes differences of opinions happen. By all accounts, Dubas and Sullivan have no personal animus or any negative, dark room dealings to explain what happened. Dubas will speak later today but probably won’t have fireworks or give as much palace intrigue like the soap opera of his own dismissal from Toronto. In this instant it’s a classic scenario where a coach prioritizes a short-term perspective and management has to make calls at a broader view and the two visions weren’t aligned to the point where a split became the right call. In the end, that led to Sullivan and the Penguins parting ways after a very successful and long relationship.