On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they are parting ways with longtime head coach Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan, who spent almost a full decade with Pittsburgh, automatically becomes the top candidate for not only every team with a head coaching vacancy but also for teams that have head coach questions.
The New York Islanders, as of now, have not relieved head coach Patrick Roy of his duties. The focus is on searching for a general manager who may or may not retain the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who just completed his first season as head coach.
Sullivan's availability certainly puts Roy's coaching future on the island in jeopardy.
Currently, there are four teams with head coaching vacancies: the New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Penguins.
This past season, when the Boston Bruins mistakenly relieved Jim Montgomery as head coach, we saw the St. Louis Blues fire Drew Bannister to bring in their former assistant.
So, there's certainly a possibility we see teams do that to get Sullivan in the door.
The Rangers do feel like a perfect fit.
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