The NHL is one of those sports that continues to see the same head coaches but on different teams. It’s a term known across the league as “retread,” whether you want to talk about culture changers like John Tortorella or more bland options such as John Hynes.
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The New York Rangers have followed this trend for the most part over the last couple of decades, aside from the David Quinn hiring during the rebuild. And even now, newly appointed head coach Mike Sullivan technically fits the retread category. That said, the 57-year-old isn’t your typical bench boss, and the Rangers haven’t had one like him.
Sticking Around for a Decade
For one, and most importantly, Sullivan is coming off 10 straight seasons with the same organization – the Pittsburgh Penguins. The run included two Stanley Cups in his first two seasons and seven playoff appearances.
The last time a Rangers coach lasted that long, you would have to go all the way back to the 1960s and 1970s when Emile Francis was leading the team.
Peter Laviolette, when he was hired by the Rangers in June 2023, previously spent three seasons with the Washington Capitals before parting ways. Plus, before those tenures, Laviolette served as the head coach of four other NHL organizations.
Sullivan, meanwhile, was only a head coach one other time in the NHL before his legacy run with the Penguins. That was with the Boston Bruins from 2003-06. So it’s obviously a very different situation compared to two years ago, from the Rangers’ point of view.
Tactics Make Sullivan Stand Out
And there’s good reason why Sullivan stuck around with the Penguins for a decade. While coaching three of the game’s best players helped (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang), Sullivan’s tactics took the Penguins to another level.
For the most part, the Penguins have ranked inside the top 10 in expected goals for percentage over the past decade at five-on-five, according to data from Natural Stat Trick. Sullivan finds success by running an aggressive 1-2-2 forecheck in the offensive zone, designed to force the opposition into turnovers. In the defensive zone, his strategy focuses on zone coverage. Laviolette, meanwhile, used a mix of man-to-man and zone coverage in the defensive zone.
The system has worked for Sullivan, even to some degree during the last three seasons, as the Penguins missed the playoffs in each of them. Over that span, his teams have averaged an xGF share of 51.79 percent. While Sullivan isn’t entirely blameless for the Penguins’ struggles, his goaltending did him no favors. In 2024-25 alone, Sullivan used two goaltenders for the majority of the season: Alex Nedeljkovic and Tristan Jarry, who registered a combined minus-5.7 goals allowed above expected, according to MoneyPuck. The number for the tandem last season was minus-0.7. And in 2022-23, Jarry, who played 47 games, posted minus-2.8 goals allowed above expected.
When Sullivan is given star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to work with, who saved 21.6 goals above expected last season, the result will be different, and there will be a greater chance of success.
That said, don’t overlook the mess the Rangers find themselves in. Sullivan, along with president and general manager Chris Drury, will have their work cut out this offseason in figuring out the roster and the personnel. Plus, the two will need to address the off-ice and cultural issues that plagued the Rangers in all of 2024-25, which will not be easy.
But the Sullivan hiring could offer the players who stay on board a clean slate and fresh ideas. There’s reason for excitement and hope that the ship can be righted now – it’s just going to be a long journey until then. The Rangers will have a prime opportunity to get one of the league’s best coaches and pair it with stout goaltending – a combo fans can only dream will meet full expectations.
