After a successful ten-year tenure, Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins reached a mutual agreement to part ways ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season. While the news sent shockwaves throughout the league, General Manager Kyle Dubas firmly commented on Sidney Crosby’s future as the 2-time Stanley Cup winning head coach sets for new horizons.
Sullivan’s stay in Pittsburgh won’t ever be forgotten. Since being named head coach for the Penguins in December 2015, Sullivan led Crosby and company to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Moreover, he secured the most coaching victories in franchise history, setting the bar at almost unreachable heights with 409 wins, per Hockey Reference.
While his story with the franchise is one of great success, and fans will remember him fondly, the decision to part ways feels like the best scenario for both parties. Sullivan will now embark into several coaching interviews, as he is one of the most coveted coaches in the NHL, while Dubas, Crosby, and the Penguins will search for their next head coach, in hopes of reclaiming their place as contenders in the league.
It won’t be easy, though. The Penguins have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past three seasons and look far removed from their glory days in the mid-2010s. Crosby, however, hasn’t aged a day, still posting incredible point-per-game seasons and leading the team in almost every major category. Yet, even he cannot do it all alone.
Head coach Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins talks to his players on the bench during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on March 9, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts.
As he eyes what could be his final chances to hoist the Stanley Cup for a fourth time, Crosby might begin to sense that Pittsburgh is no longer the place where he can realistically compete for Lord Stanley. Kyle Dubas was asked if Sullivan’s departure could accelerate Crosby’s desire to move on from The City of Bridges, but the franchise’s GM had a stern response.
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“No,” Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas said about Crosby’s potential exit during his press conference on Monday.
Came as no surprise
During his press conference, Dubas admitted he informed Crosby of the direction the franchise was heading, prior to meeting with Sullivan.
“I called [Crosby] on Sunday morning to give him a heads up. He’s been through it before, but in terms of how he feels about it: I had a 5 minute conversation with him before about the fact that we were going through this to make a change, and we didn’t get into the ins-and-outs of it,” Dubas admitted, via the Penguins’ official social media account. “I have to do what’s best for organization.”
Kyle Dubas of the Pittsburgh Penguins attends the 2023 NHL Draft at the Bridgestone Arena on June 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Anybody is in consideration
As the Penguins embark on an offseason search for their next head coach, the 23rd in franchise history, Dubas stated they will conduct a thorough process, looking for the best fit, wherever he might be.
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“Long-time head coaches, coaches from Europe, coaches from junior, college, etc. We’ll turn every page to find the best person for the job,” Dubas said, according to Pens Inside Scoop on X.
