Mike Sullivan, the new head coach of the New York Rangers, faces several key priorities as he takes charge of a team that missed the playoffs a season after winning the Presidents` Trophy. His primary focus will be communication.
At his introductory press conference on Thursday, Sullivan stated, “I have spoken to every player on the roster over the last three days. I think there is a fair amount of leadership in that room. There’s a lot of character in that room.”
Sullivan, the 38th coach in franchise history and fifth since 2018, agreed to lead the Rangers on May 2 after leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he secured two Stanley Cup championships. He replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired on April 19 after the Rangers experienced a significant 29-point drop and missed the postseason despite their wealth of talent. Sullivan`s tasks include revitalizing the power play, which plummeted from being among the league`s best to 28th overall, and improving defensive performance in front of elite goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is coming off a challenging season.
Sullivan previously served as a Rangers assistant coach under John Tortorella from 2009 to 2013, a period during which he also coached current Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury. Their collaboration has continued through USA Hockey initiatives, including the 4 Nations Face-Off and planning for the 2026 Milan Olympics.
Having guided stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to Stanley Cup victories in Pittsburgh (2016, 2017), Sullivan now takes the reins of a Rangers roster featuring top players such as Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox.
Sullivan expressed his deep respect for the talent within the Rangers organization, having faced them in a seven-game playoff series loss in 2022. He added, “I look forward to the opportunity to get to know these guys on a more personal level. I look forward to the opportunity to work with them, both on the ice and off the ice, to try to become the most competitive team that we can become.”
A key area for the 57-year-old Sullivan – a player drafted by the Rangers in 1987 who later played 709 NHL games for other franchises – is managing younger players like 22-year-old Brennan Othmann and 20-year-old Gabe Perreault, a 2023 first-round pick who saw limited time with the team late last season. Sullivan described coaching as finding the “daily recipe” best suited for each player, which could involve time in the American Hockey League or carefully managed ice time in the National League. He firmly believes that every player must earn their opportunities and that no one is entitled to ice time.
Sullivan was joined at the press conference by General Manager Chris Drury, who recently signed a contract extension. Drury`s previous two head coaching hires, Peter Laviolette and Gerard Gallant, each lasted two seasons. The 48-year-old executive voiced his significant enthusiasm for bringing in Sullivan, highlighting that he is the only U.S.-born coach with multiple Stanley Cup wins. Drury stated that the team “quickly and aggressively pursued him” once he became available and is “certainly thrilled” with the outcome, while acknowledging that “a lot of work is to be done.”
