The Chicago Blackhawks must pursue this Stanley Cup-winning coach

This morning, Mike Sullivan’s name hit the NHL coaching market, and the Chicago Blackhawks must attempt to make him the franchise’s 41st head coach.

During his ten-season run with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sullivan accumulated a 409-255-89 record, seven playoff appearances, and back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017.

Additionally, during his career, he has coached for his country, serving as an assistant coach for the US during the 2006 Olympics, 2007 World Championships, and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Most recently, he led Team USA to the 4 Nations Final as head coach. 

Needless to say, Sullivan has the most impressive resume of any of the coaches on the market the Hawks would consider signing, as the team certainly will not be pursuing former coach Joel Quenneville.

Furthermore, Sullivan is an ideal fit for the job. 

The next step in the Hawks’ rebuild is to make the playoffs and become legit Stanley Cup contenders. As can be seen above, Sullivan has a wealth of experience doing just that and knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Sullivan has also coached generational players in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and, most recently, Erik Karlsson. He understands the pressure and expectations those players face and has proven that he can get the most out of them (except for Karlsson) when it matters most. 

Critics of Sullivan will point to the fact that the Penguins have not made it out of the first round since 2018 and that the team missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons. While this is not a good look, context is important. Anyone who has watched the NHL recently knows that the Penguins have not been the same dynastic team they were in their prime for quite a while. 

The Penguins have not received consistent quality starting goaltending for at least the past two seasons, and the overall depth of the roster is weak – the forward group has been remarkably top-heavy, and the defense corps has been middling at best.

It doesn’t help either that management traded away their first-round picks seemingly every year at the deadline and that GM Kyle Dubas has been attempting to extend their Cup window with acquisitions like Karlsson despite the fact that the team was too flawed to seriously contend in the first place. 

So, when you realize that Sullivan has had great players but otherwise inadequate rosters with no young players breaking into the lineup to supplement the aging core, the team’s struggles are understandable. 

The Hawks’ roster is now stocked with young talent teeming with potential and a goaltender of the future in Spencer Knight. If the team can add a premier free agent such as Mitch Marner this summer, all the pieces will be in place for Sullivan to take the helm and guide the franchise back to the playoffs. GM Kyle Davidson must sell this vision to Sullivan and secure the best coach on the market.