Opinion: What's next for Mike Sullivan?

At the end of the season the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they will be parting ways with long-time head coach Mike Sullivan after a lackluster year.

The Penguins finished with a 34-36-12 record for 80 standings points.

They finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division. This would lead to missing out on the playoffs and the firing of Sullivan, after missing the playoffs for the third straight year.

Sullivan finished his nine and a half year tenure with two Stanley Cup wins and making the playoffs in eight of those seasons. He is entering the coaching market as one of the hottest commodities in this cycle.

So where will he go?

Sullivan has worked his way into what will likely be a historic contract for a coach. He is most likely going to a team that could see themselves competing in the coming years.

The Rangers seem like the most likely destination. They are in a big market in New York and have the money to spend on a coach. Their roster is also the strongest of any of the vacancies.

The Rangers just signed Igor Shesterkin to a massive contract to keep him in between the pipes which secures their goalie. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad lead a potent offense for the Rangers and when Adam Fox is at his best, he is a Norris candidate.

They are two years removed from an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and didn’t lose much from that to the following year. Sullivan could have the experience they need to get over that hump.

The Bruins could also be an attractive candidate for the Sullivan sweepstakes. They are in a similar position as the Rangers. They have a lot of talent around the team with David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.

Unlike the Rangers, who are in win-now mode with most of their core on the back end of their careers, the Bruins have a little more to look forward to for their future.

The Bruins aren’t going to blow you away with their young talent, but they have a lot of solid pieces and Sullivan can mold the team he wants to build and aim to build a future in Boston.

Another situation, maybe a little more far-fetched, is the Flyers. The Flyers just parted ways with John Tortorella, who was brought in to fix a fractured room and did exactly that.

The Flyers are on a mission to bring in a new culture with the hiring of Daniel Briere as GM and Keith Jones as the president of hockey operations.

The Flyers are another team with a solid core with Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett and standout rookie Matvei Michkov. They also have seven picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft.

There would be maybe one or two seasons of growing pains, and the Flyers aren’t ready to win the Stanley Cup right now, but with the young talent and the picks they have in drafts, they could be an under-the-radar spot knowing with the right moves.

There are a total of seven coaching vacancies outside of the Penguins this offseason. The Ducks, Blackhawks, Canucks and Kraken round out the landing spots Sullivan could land.

Tristan Kunec is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email tqk5432@psu.edu.