The Pittsburgh Penguins have no plans of letting their head coach walk to the New Jersey Devils.
PITTSBURGH – It didn’t take long for a widespread rumor about the Pittsburgh Penguins and their head coach to be debunked. Over the weekend, Nick Kypreos wrote that Mike Sullivan might welcome a move to the New Jersey Devils to fill their vacant head coaching role.
Kypreos cited a “lack of confidence” in new Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas as the reason Sullivan might want to jump ship. Sullivan is about to begin a three-year contract that would make a move fairly difficult.
If Sullivan wanted to leave, he and the Devils would need permission from the Penguins. According to Rob Rossi of the Athletic, no such inquiries have occurred.
“There have been no requests and no permissions granted,” Dubas said in a text message to The Athletic.
The Penguins have backed Sullivan since his arrival during the 2015-16 season. Dubas has been in Pittsburgh for a year and has never said anything that would even slightly indicate he doesn’t believe in Sullivan.
Rossi notes that the Devils would be interested in Sullivan if he were available, but again, he’s about to start a three-year contract.
It’s also safe to assume all 31 other NHL teams would be interested in the two-time Stanley Cup champion if he were to be made available.
But he’s not and won’t be anytime soon.
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