The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Monday morning that the organization and Head Coach Mike Sullivan have mutually agreed to part ways:

The decision comes after the Penguins failed to make the playoffs with a 34-36-2 record in the 2024-2025 season, finishing seventh in the Metropolitan Division. This marks the third consecutive season in which the club has missed the postseason, after securing a spot in Sullivan’s first seven seasons.

During his 10 years in Pittsburgh, the Penguins compiled a 409-255-89 record, with two Stanley Cups in his first two seasons as head coach.

Sullivan has also enjoyed representing his country as Team USA’s head coach on various occasions. He served as assistant coach for the USA Olympic team in 2006 and the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. More recently, he was appointed head coach of the 4 Nations Face-Off and will be the USA’s head coach at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

In the media announcement, Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas released this statement regarding their 10-year head coach:

“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 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. 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.”

While the Penguins will begin their search for the next head coach, this is an interesting situation for the Vancouver Canucks.

Rick Tocchet has yet to sign his contract extension with the Canucks. It was reported that a decision was to be made quickly after the season, but we are still awaiting a decision. Earlier on Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman joined Donnie and Dhali and shared what he’s hearing regarding Tocchet:

“I think we’re going to know soon. As of Friday, nobody had been given permission to talk to Tocchet. There were some meetings between the Canucks and Tocchet on Friday and at the end of last weekend to talk about things. I really do think, if he’s coaching next year, the most likely outcomes are Vancouver and Philadelphia.

“I think in Vancouver, part of it is contract, a practice facility, Quinn Hughes’ future and team direction.”

With Tocchet’s uncertainty, the Canucks should at least be looking elsewhere in the event that he does decide to move on. And with now seven other head coaching vacancies, there are plenty of options for Tocchet to choose from as well.

That’s where Sullivan becomes an intriguing option in Vancouver.

One doesn’t have to look far to see the connections between Sullivan and the Canucks.

The Canucks front office of Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford directly came from the Penguins organization. Both Allvin and Rutherford were in upper management in Pittsburgh during their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, with Sullivan behind the bench.

Outside of the connection to the current to Canucks management, there are even more ties to Sullivan and Vancouver. In 2013, Sullivan served as the assistant coach of the Canucks under John Tortorella. After just one season, both coaches were relieved of their duties, having failed to make the playoffs for the first time in five seasons with a 36-35-11 record.

There are more dominoes to fall in the coaching carousel around the league. Sullivan could be an interesting option with several ties to Vancouver if Tocchet does not re-sign.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Would you welcome Sullivan as the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks if Tocchet moves on? Let us know in the comments below!