A few thoughts on coaching

The New Jersey Devils need a new head coach and a couple more notables could soon hit the open market.

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A few thoughts on Mike Sullivan, Sheldon Keefe, and the New Jersey Devils’ search for a new head coach:

Sullivan linked to the Devils

Former player and current analyst Nick Kypreos linked Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to the Devils in his latest for The Toronto Star.

Kypreos noted Sullivan could be interested in reuniting with GM Tom Fitzgerald should he and the Penguins part ways.

Rumours of Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan leaving Pittsburgh to join close friend Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey won’t dissipate. Despite being under contract, it could simply come down to Sullivan’s lack of confidence in GM Dubas’s ability to contend anytime soon.

Sullivan signed a lucrative three-year contract extension with the Penguins that doesn’t begin until 2024-25.

That means he isn’t going anywhere unless a) Kyle Dubas wants to pull the plug on Sullivan; b) he convinces ownership it’s best for the organization and; c) teams will be lining up to give him a big contract that would take ownership off the hook.

I think the latter is important for Fenway Sports Group, which can be known to pinch pennies. At the same time, it shouldn’t be problematic given all the teams looking for a marquee coach.

Should Sullivan become available, I think there would be a ton of mutual interest. There’s the Sullivan-Fitzgerald connection Kypreos alluded to. There’s also the fact the Devils have an awesome core in place and can be competitive right away, which will be important to Sullivan.

He had a lot of great things to say about the Devils when the two sides met towards the end of this past season. It was almost as if he was floating interest in advance of potentially becoming available.

I think Sullivan would be a top-tier hire for the Devils. He is a firm coach who’d bring a lot of structure and stability to the organization. His teams are generally good defensively and excellent at 5v5. They are also much better than you’d think offensively.

From 2021-24, the Penguins ranked 5th in high-danger chance generation, 4th in expected goals, and 4th in shots per 60 minutes.

Sullivan isn’t the kind of coach who’d come in and improve the defense at the expense of offense and have the Devils generating 25 shots a game. They’d likely be quite good at both ends of the ice.

While some will argue Sullivan has his blind spots – particularly when it comes to young players – the same can be said of almost any coach. At the end of the day, good players are going to play.