The New York Rangers are reportedly looking to replace Peter Laviolette with the second longest tenured coach in the NHL.
The New York Rangers just wrapped up a miserable season in the big apple.
Expectations were high coming into the year but right away things did not go well, and they only got worse as the season went along.
At times it looked like the team would rally back into a playoff position, but at the end of the day they came up short, and it wasn't particularly close.
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the team fired head coach Peter Laviolette yesterday.
Now Rangers general manager Chris Drury is in the market for a new bench boss, and it doesn't seem like it will be someone already in the organization.
In fact, according to the latest report, Drury has his eyes set on the coach that currently has the second longest tenure with his team.
Of course, that would be Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who just completed his tenth season with the team.
NHL reporter Vince Mercogliano revealed today that Sullivan is Drury's top target for the job, even if the Penguins have not explicitly made him available.
'The guy that I believe that Drury is targeting No. 1 on his list is not technically available, that would be Mike Sullivan, the two-time Stanley Cup winning coach from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has two years remaining on his deal with Pittsburgh and said to the media in Pittsburgh on Friday that he plans on continuing to coach the Penguins.I've heard that there could be some wiggle room there. I know the Rangers are waiting to find out if there is any chance of prying him away. I do believe Drury thinks highly of Sullivan. They have connections through USA Hockey.'
Sullivan could very well be a good fit for a veteran Rangers team that is used to being in the playoffs.
Whether or not Kyle Dubas will allow him to leave remains in question though, and so far there are no indications that he will.
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