NHL Coach Rankings: At No. 6, Stanley Cup Champion Faces Different Challenge With Rangers
A two-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic gold medallist couldn't help his new squad bounce back from a freefall in the standings. Can Mike Sullivan do it in 2026-27?
New York Rangers bench boss Mike Sullivan is one of hockey's most accomplished coaches.
He's won championships with star-studded squads, but his job with the Rangers is a bit different.
Although he's being tasked with turning around an Original Six team with many holes, Sullivan's competitive pedigree gives him and the squad the confidence needed to take on the challenge.
TheHockeyNews.com continues to rank NHL coaches in reverse order. The criteria include each coach's reputation, expectations, and short- and long-term impact.
Check out the full ranking to date below. But first, it's time to spotlight Sullivan.
6. Mike Sullivan, New York Rangers
Sullivan is a two-time Stanley Cup champion dating back to his time coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's led his teams to eight playoff appearances since 2003-04, when he was in his first year coaching the Boston Bruins.
He'd be higher on this list, but in recent years, he's had a difficult time getting his team into the post-season.
Sullivan last made the post-season in 2021-22 with the Penguins, which missed the playoffs in three straight years before the coach departed for the Rangers. In his first year with the Blueshirts, the team failed to climb the standings and began a retool.
While Sullivan deserves some criticism for the struggles of the Penguins and Rangers, he is one of the most respected coaches in the game.
With 999 career regular-season games coached, Sullivan ranks 33rd in NHL history in that category. He's expected to rise to 27th if he makes it through the 2026-27 season.
Sullivan also ranks 28th all-time and ninth among active coaches for most career wins, with 513. His staying power is a factor in Sullivan's place on this list.
The American's role on the international squad also grew over the past couple of years. He led Team USA to second place in the 4 Nations Face-Off and, much more importantly, first place in the 2026 Olympics.
In 2026-27, Sullivan will be challenged to steer the Blueshirts back into a playoff spot, even while the squad retools.
Rangers GM Chris Drury has made multiple additions, including left winger Pavel Dorofeyev, veteran Oliver Bjorkstrand and defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson. Despite trading center Vincent Trocheck in the process, there's every reason to believe the Rangers will push for a playoff spot in the relatively weak Metropolitan Division rather than hope for a high draft pick.
Sullivan isn't in any imminent danger of losing his job, unless the Rangers' season gets real ugly and Drury is fired, leaving his replacement to possibly change coaches. But you'd better believe Sullivan would almost instantly be snapped up by a team that wants his playoff pedigree on their team.
The Rangers are trying to transition out of the Artemi Panarin Era, and they're entrusting their players to Sullivan.
As we saw in the Olympics, Sullivan can have high-stakes success if his group is talented enough. The Rangers, unfortunately, don't have that type of skill and depth. That's not a reflection on Sullivan, but if he can unlock a new level from his players, he can gain even more respect.
The ‘26-27 campaign will be very important for Sullivan and the Rangers. The Metro has a top team in the Carolina Hurricanes, but after that, there's no guarantee any Metro team will make the playoffs. So the Rangers must take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
It's already been more than a decade since Sullivan won his first Cup. And while shepherding the Rangers to a championship is a tall task for Sullivan, he currently has the job security necessary to push his players as far as they'll allow.
NHL Coach Rankings
6. Mike Sullivan, NY Rangers
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
