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Penguins, Mike Sullivan Part Ways

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The Penguins are moving on from head coach Mike Sullivan, per a team announcement.

“On behalf of Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins organization, I would like to thank Mike Sullivan for his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the team and City of Pittsburgh over the past decade,” said president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas. “Mike is known for his preparation, focus, and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons. He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization.”

It’s not a true firing – rather, a mutual decision for Sullivan to pursue another opportunity and for Pittsburgh to find a new identity behind the bench in the twilight of their core’s careers. Sullivan had two years left on a three-year extension. It’s unclear whether the Penguins will still pay him the money owed on that deal.

“A thorough search for the next head coach of the Penguins will begin immediately,” the team said. The Pens join the Blackhawks, Bruins, Ducks, Flyers, Kraken, and Rangers as teams with active vacancies at head coach.

It was another underwhelming 2024-25 season for Sullivan and the Penguins, who continued their slide down the standings and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. With a 34-36-12 record, Pittsburgh finished under .500 for the first time since going 22-46-14 in Crosby’s rookie season in 2005-06.

Sullivan has been the Pens’ bench boss for essentially the latter half of the Crosby-Malkin-Letang trifecta era. Promoted from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton midway through the 2015-16 season after Pittsburgh fired Mike Johnston, he immediately led the team to back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. But after beating the Flyers in the first round in 2018, Sullivan’s Penguins have yet to win a playoff series.

The 57-year-old was the second-longest tenured head coach in the league behind the Lightning’s Jon Cooper. His illustrious Pittsburgh era concludes with a 409-255-89 record (.602) in 753 regular-season games, holding the franchise wins record by a considerable margin over Dan Bylsma (252). Including his two-year tenure behind the Bruins’ bench in 2003-04 and 2005-06, Sullivan’s 479 career wins as head coach rank 32nd in NHL history. Since Sullivan assumed his duties in Pittsburgh on Dec. 12, 2015, the Pens rank eighth in the league in points percentage.

While Pittsburgh has significantly overhauled its depth ranks over the past few seasons, the vast majority of its core remains in place outside of Jake Guentzel, whom they traded to the Hurricanes at last year’s deadline. This is a more unexpected major change – Dubas told Wes Crosby of NHL.com last week he was expecting Sullivan back behind the bench for 2025-26. Perhaps today’s news is more at Sullivan’s request than the team’s.

Sullivan will be a person of interest in every active head coaching search. The Rangers have pursued him aggressively in the past, especially before he signed his extension in 2022. There’s no firm enough reporting yet to call them a frontrunner, but with Peter Laviolette out the door and Chris Drury still in his post as general manager, it’s nearly a given they’ll be among the most well-equipped teams to land his services.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Ducks Interviewed Joel Quenneville For Head Coach Vacancy

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Longtime NHL head coach Joel Quenneville was interviewed by the Ducks for their vacant head coach position, ESPN’s John Buccigross implied. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirmed the report, adding he’s being considered but isn’t necessarily a finalist yet.

Quenneville has not coached since resigning as the Panthers’ bench boss early in the 2021-22 season. He was subsequently suspended from working in the league “as a result of [his] inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Blackhawks’ Player, Kyle Beach, had been assaulted by the Club’s video coach.” Quenneville, along with former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and VP of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, had their suspensions lifted by the league last July. Bowman quickly returned to work as GM of the Oilers, but MacIsaac and Quenneville have yet to work another job in the league or for one of its member clubs.

Only one coaching vacancy was open last summer by the time Quenneville was reinstated. That was the Blue Jackets, and they never approached him for an interview. Other teams had interest in his services earlier in the 2024 offseason, but were told by the league he was unavailable for hire.

Quenneville, who coached the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, 2015, and won as an assistant with the Avalanche in 1996, is the first name linked to Anaheim’s coaching vacancy. They fired Greg Cronin earlier this month with one season left on his contract. Cronin recently expressed interest in moving cross-country to fill the Bruins’ vacancy.

Greg Cronin Interested In Bruins Head Coaching Job

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Former Ducks head coach Greg Cronin would enthusiastically pick up the phone if considered for the Bruins’ head coaching opening, he told the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont.

“Hey, I’m a coach, right?” Cronin told Dupont. “All these openings, I’ll throw my hat in and see what comes back. I mean, heck, I’d be doing handsprings and jumping over rainbows if I got the Bruins’ job. I’m a Boston guy, and for a Boston guy, that’s hitting the lottery times 10!”

Cronin was one of the finalists for Boston’s vacancy in the 2022 offseason when he was the head coach of the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate. General manager Don Sweeney ended up passing him over for eventual 2023 Jack Adams winner Jim Montgomery, whom the Bruins ended up firing in November. Boston finished the 2024-25 campaign with interim head coach Joe Sacco, who is still a candidate to take over the full-time role, Sweeney said last week.

After not landing the Bruins’ job, Cronin only needed to wait one more year to land his first NHL coaching gig. The Ducks signed him to a three-year deal in the 2023 offseason to replace Dallas Eakins, but fired him earlier this month with one year left on his contract. Cronin had a 67-82-15 (.424) record behind the Anaheim bench, although the Ducks’ finish this season was their best since the 2018-19 campaign.

While Cronin may have an interest in the vacancy, it is unlikely that Boston’s interest will be mutual. When discussing their next coaching hire, Sweeney emphasized an improved offense as their top priority for the offseason. Nothing Cronin did in Anaheim suggests he’ll fit that mold. During Cronin’s tenure, the Ducks’ 2.56 goals per game ranked 31st out of 33 teams (the Coyotes and Utah were counted separately), while their 27.2 shots per game ranked 28th. Their 14.9% success rate on the power play ranked 32nd.

Outside of Sacco, it remains unclear who Boston plans to interview as a full-time hire.

David Carle Withdraws From Consideration For Blackhawks Head Coaching Position

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The Blackhawks are one of a handful of teams looking to find their next head coach.  Among their perceived top candidates was Denver University bench boss David Carle.  However, they’ll have to turn their sights elsewhere as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Carle has withdrawn from consideration for the position, adding that Chicago made an aggressive pursuit for his services.

The 35-year-old has been a mainstay at Denver since his playing days unexpectedly came to an end when he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy just before his draft year.  The school honored his scholarship offer and he worked with the team as a graduate assistant coach for four years before he moved to the USHL, joining Green Bay as an assistant coach.

That only lasted parts of two seasons before Carle rejoined Denver in 2014 where he has been ever since.  He was an assistant with them until the 2018-19 when he took over as their head coach and his stock has been on the rise since then.

During his time with the Pioneers, Carle has three NCHC titles along with a pair of NCAA championships.  Internationally, he led Team USA to gold medals in each of the last two years.  With nothing left to prove at the collegiate level, Carle has been a speculative candidate for pretty much every coaching search thus far.

It’s unclear as to why Carle pulled his name out of the mix with the Blackhawks who would have been an intriguing fit for him as a young team that’s still developing but has plenty of young players including seven who played for him either in college or at the World Juniors, including top youngsters Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and Sam Rinzel.

It’s possible that another team has emerged as a front-runner for Carle, resulting in the withdrawal as he focuses on finalizing a contract.  Alternatively, Carle could have withdrawn after not liking Chicago’s offer or wanting to go through what’s likely to be a couple more years of a rebuild.  It’s also possible that Carle decides to stay at Denver which has become a top program and is likely to add more quality prospects for next season.

In the meantime, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson will have to turn his focus elsewhere in terms of finding his next head coach.  At the moment, there aren’t any candidates who are known to have interviewed with Chicago while interim bench boss Anders Sorensen remains in consideration for the full-time position.

Brandon Hagel Receives One-Game Suspension

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Down 2-0 in their opening-round series to Florida, the Lightning will be without one of their top wingers for Saturday’s game as the league announced late Friday that Brandon Hagel received a one-game suspension for his hit on Aleksander Barkov on Thursday.

The incident occurred just before the midway mark of the third period with Hagel receiving a major penalty for interference on the play but not a game misconduct.  Barkov left the game and did not return; head coach Paul Maurice revealed Friday that the center hasn’t been ruled out or in for tonight’s contest.

In the video explaining the decision, the Department of Player Safety noted that supplemental discipline was warranted because Barkov was never in possession of the puck and therefore was not eligible to be checked.  After the puck was well past the players, Hagel delivered “a high, hard body check that makes some head contact.”

Hagel made the case that he approached the play as if Barkov would eventually play the puck as it came to him, but the ruling stated that “the onus is on Hagel to ensure that the player he is hitting is eligible to be checked” and that he intentionally delivered “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent with sufficient force.”

This is Hagel’s first career suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. However, it’s not his first supplemental discipline for a playoff incident against the Panthers as he was fined for boarding Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen back in May 2022.

Alexander Nikishin’s Camp Unhappy With Delay In Registering Contract

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5:00 PM: Nikishin’s North American-based agent, Ryan Barnes, downplayed Demidov’s comments per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Per Friedman, Barnes shared that Nikishin’s camp continues to work on a deal with the Hurricanes – and chalked Demidov’s comments up to Nikishin’s Russian representation being eager to see him at the top flight. The additional comments may not totally alleviate the tension between Nikishin and a lineup role, but they will ease fans’ worries of a star prospect being traded.

11:30 AM: The relationship between the Hurricanes and star defense prospect Alexander Nikishin is off to a rocky start. While they announced they agreed to terms on an entry-level contract two weeks ago and Nikishin said he was “thrilled” to have the opportunity to join Carolina in the playoffs, general manager Eric Tulsky said Wednesday they’ve yet to register Nikishin’s contract with the league.

There was a fairly simple explanation for that – there’s no rush to insert Nikishin into a lineup that’s dominated through two games against the Devils, and leaving the contract unsigned makes Nikishin eligible to get some AHL postseason action in with their affiliate in Chicago. Nonetheless, the delay in signing has been frustrating to Nikishin and his representation.

“Carolina is behaving incomprehensibly, and not only for us, but for scouts and representatives of other NHL clubs,” agent Alexander Chernykh told Olesya Usova of RB Sport (translated from Russian). “Everyone is shocked and outraged. But, as I was told, this never surprises, because Carolina always behaves like this and with everyone. At the moment, we cannot comment on the situation, because the club’s actions defy common sense. If this continues, Alexander will either go back, or we will ask for a trade.”

That’s certainly a troubling statement regarding the 23-year-old Nikishin, who’s expected to be a key part of Carolina’s defense core next season with Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov slated to become unrestricted free agents. The 6’4″, 216-lb lefty was a third-round pick in 2020 and has been widely regarded as the top defenseman outside of the NHL over the past couple of years. He dominated his native Russia since his breakout 2022-23 campaign, recording 157 points in 193 games with a +70 rating over the last three years for SKA St. Petersburg.

Tulsky said that there wouldn’t be an issue in registering the contract if Nikishin’s services were needed in short order, but waiting to register the deal delays the payout of his $92.5K signing bonus and, obviously, impedes his ability to earn the $1.038MM performance bonus in his deal for winning playoff MVP honors, however unlikely that would have been.

Team USA Announces 2025 World Championship Roster

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Team USA has announced the first 18 players on their World Championship roster. The lineup contains all three goaltenders, six of seven defensemen, and nine of 13 forwards. The roster is led by American stars like Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Brady Skjei. That trio will look to take a mixed group of experience to Team USA’s first gold medal appearance since 1960.

The American roster notably features top young players like Frank Nazar, Mason Lohrei, Cutter Gauthier, Logan Cooley, Jackson LaCombe, and Matty Beniers. Beniers offers the most experience on the Men’s Team, having joined USA at the 2021 World Championship and 2022 Winter Olympics. He scored two points in each tournament. Team USA will also continue their trend of bringing collegiate goaltending by adding Los Angeles Kings prospect Hampton Slukynsky to the roster. Slukynsky led the Fargo Force to a USHL championship last season, then won Western Michigan’s starting role and carried the school to their first NCAA National Championship as a freshman this season.

Team USA will still need to add four forwards and one defenseman. The World Championship will run from May 9th to May 25th in Herning, Denmark – giving the Americans a chance to add some more firepower after playoff exits. Jeff Kealty is serving as USA’s general manager, while San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky heads a coaching staff that also features Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Mike Vellucci, Chciago Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dean, and Michigan State University head coach Adam Nightingale.

The current roster is as follows:

F Tage Thompson (Sabres)
F Drew O’Connor (Canucks)
F Frank Nazar (Blackhawks)
F Michael McCarron (Predators)
F Clayton Keller (Hockey Club)
F Cutter Gauther (Ducks)
F Conor Garland (Canucks)
F Logan Cooley (Hockey Club)
F Matty Beniers (Kraken)

D Alex Vlasic (Blackhawks)
D Brady Skjei (Predators)
D Andrew Peeke (Bruins)
D Mason Lohrei (Bruins)
D Jackson LaCombe (Ducks)
D Michael Kesselring (Hockey Club)

G Joey Daccord (Kraken)
G Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)
G Hampton Slukynsky (Kings)

Kate Madigan To Interview For Islanders GM Vacancy

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The Islanders will interview Devils assistant general manager Kate Madigan as part of their search to replace Lou Lamoriello at the helm of the front office, Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports.

Madigan, the daughter of former Islanders scout Jim Madigan, has been in the Devils’ front office since the 2017-18 season. Initially hired as an analyst, New Jersey promoted Madigan to their director of professional scouting in 2019 and again to executive director of hockey operations in 2020. After two years in that role, they made her the sixth woman to serve as an assistant general manager in NHL history in the 2022 offseason.

She’s now spent three seasons in that role, working alongside Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, and could become the first woman to serve as GM of an NHL club on Long Island. She’s the first candidate to be firmly linked to the vacancy since the Isles announced Tuesday they wouldn’t be renewing Lamoriello’s contract. Since Lamoriello was also the team’s president of hockey operations, minority owner John Collins is the one overseeing the search for a new top hockey decision-maker.

Madigan is likely to face plenty of competition for the role. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet identified Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin and former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen as potential candidates on Wednesday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, although it’s not yet clear if they will be involved in the interview process. If they also opt to hire a separate president of hockey operations – a likely outcome if they choose a first-time NHL GM like Madigan – Friedman speculated that Ken Holland and Eddie Olczyk could be options there.

New York Rangers Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Chris Drury

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The New York Rangers are sticking with the current leader of their front office. The Rangers announced a multi-year extension with General Manager Chris Drury.

In the announcement, MSG Sports Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan wrote, “I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as President and General Manager. Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic, and a tireless pursuit of excellence. While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”

Despite working for New York’s front office since the 2015-16 season, Drury has spent the last four seasons as the team’s General Manager. Although he cannot be fully credited, the Rangers have appeared in two Eastern Conference Finals under Drury, additionally winning the President’s Trophy last season.

Beginning with the draft, Drury has made three selections in the first round, with his first being Brennan Othmann from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds in 2021. Othmann has yet to break out at the NHL level, but has been extremely successful with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Drury’s most impressive selection came two years later, when the Rangers selected Gabriel Perreault with the 23rd overall pick. After an incredible two-year run with Boston College, Perreault projects to be a quality top-six forward for years to come in New York.

Unfortunately, Drury’s tenure as General Manager becomes checkered when analyzing his trade history. Drury is credited with trading away Brett Howden, Pavel Buchnevich, and Nils Lundkvist, while failing to bring back anything of legitimate value in those deals. Still, Drury can be aggressive on the trade market when he needs to be, acquiring Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and J.T. Miller while being able to move the heavy contract of defenseman Jacob Trouba.

He’s been a toss-up when it comes to perusing the free agent market. Drury signed Barclay Goodrow and Patrik Nemeth to burdensome contracts, but also locked up Igor Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniere to long-term deals.

Still, like it is for all of the Original Six organizations, the proof is in the pudding. Although some teams may feel content with two Conference Final appearances in three years, the Rangers faithful are still hungry for their first Stanley Cup banner in 31 years. Despite agreeing to a multi-year extension with the Rangers, the pressure to perform shouldn’t escape Drury.

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement

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Longtime agitator Cal Clutterbuck, who spent 17 years in the NHL, has confirmed the end of his playing career. Clutterbuck published a reel on Instagram today announcing his retirement after going unsigned for the 2024-25 season.

“After 17 years, it’s time to hang up the skates,” Clutterbuck wrote. “I’m beyond grateful for every teammate, coach, fan, and moment along the way. Hockey gave me everything — a purpose, a brotherhood, and a lifetime of memories.”

“To Matt and Casey — it was an honor to go to war with you night in and night out. What we built together means more than words can say. And to the Islanders faithful — your passion, loyalty, and love made Long Island home. Thank you all. On to the next chapter.”

Matt and Casey, of course, refer to longtime linemates Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas on Long Island. The trio has essentially served as the Islanders’ fourth line ever since they acquired Clutterbuck from the Wild in 2013, aside from Martin’s two-year stint with the Maple Leafs from 2016 to 2018. One of the more recognizable and feared checking units of the millennium, Clutterbuck certainly played his part. He retires as the league’s all-time hits leader with 4,029, 93 ahead of the second-place Martin.

While Clutterbuck will be most remembered for his time in Nassau County, his NHL career began as a third-round pick by the Wild in 2006, after he dominated junior hockey with 68 points and 139 penalty minutes in 66 games with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. He returned to Oshawa the following year, but thanks to his November birthday, was able to spend the 2007-08 season in the AHL with Minnesota’s affiliate, the Houston Aeros. He didn’t make much of a splash offensively in his first taste of pro hockey, perhaps a sign of things to come, but still managed to make his NHL debut across a pair of early-season contests.

Despite only managing 24 points in 73 AHL games out of the gate, the Wild liked Clutterbuck’s physicality enough to make him a bottom-six fixture as a 21-year-old in the 2008-09 campaign. His 11-goal, 356-hit rookie season meant he never touched minor-league ice again aside from a conditioning stint in 2019-20. A few years into his Minnesota tenure, Clutterbuck looked like he might be able to stick as a true top-nine power forward when he scored 19 goals and 34 points in the 2010-11 campaign while averaging nearly 16 minutes per night, but those numbers would stand as career-highs. Clutterbuck only hit double-digit goals in a season three more times.

Nonetheless, Clutterbuck still carved out a bottom-six niche and played 1,064 games – 718 of which came after the Isles acquired him for then-struggling top-five pick Nino Niederreiter in the 2013 offseason. Niederreiter blossomed into a legitimate two-way top-six winger in Minnesota. Still, Clutterbuck stuck around far longer with his new team, even earning a five-year, $17.5MM extension from the club in 2016, despite his relatively minimal offensive impact.

An alternate captain in New York for the last decade of his career, Clutterbuck retires at 12th on the Isles’ all-time games played list in the regular season. He also added 11-7–18 and 340 hits in 76 games across seven playoff appearances on the Island. The Ontario native recorded a 143-150–293 scoring line with a -19 rating and 698 PIMs in 1,064 career games. All of us at PHR wish Clutterbuck the best in the next phase of his hockey career.

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.

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