Penguins' Mike Sullivan addresses links to Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan isn't going anywhere as long as he has a say in the matter. 

Sullivan confirmed to Mollie Walker of the New York Post on Wednesday that he is not a candidate to be named the new head coach of the New York Rangers this spring or summer. The Rangers "mutually agreed to part ways" with former coach Gerard Gallant after the Blueshirts blew a 2-0 series lead and fell to the rival New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs. 

"I am under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, here for the long haul," Sullivan told Walker. 

The Penguins promoted Sullivan from serving as head coach of American Hockey League affiliate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in December 2015, and the 55-year-old guided Pittsburgh to Stanley Cup titles the subsequent spring and in 2017. More recently, though, the Penguins failed to win a single postseason series in four tries and then had the longest active playoff streak in North American sports snapped in April. 

Pittsburgh responded to its latest disappointment by relieving general manager Ron Hextall, assistant general manager Chris Pryor and president of hockey operations Brian Burke of their duties. In the official statement released on April 14, John Henry and Tom Werner of Fenway Sports Group said that Sullivan would "assist during the transition."

Sullivan is under contract through the 2026-27 season.

As recently as this past Monday, columnists such as Mark Madden of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggested the Penguins could consider trading Sullivan to the Rangers if a new Pittsburgh front office decided everybody involved needed a fresh start and New York wanted Sullivan. 

"Sullivan is liked by Fenway Sports Group, the Penguins' owner," Madden added. "He’s from Boston. They’re from Boston. That shouldn’t matter, but it does. Sullivan will have more power than whoever the new GM is." 

It appears Sullivan will continue working with Pittsburgh's core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang through at least the start of the 2023-24 campaign.