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Penguins Lose Out on Top Coaching Candidate as He Signs With Divisional Rival
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Hockey Now
The Penguins appear to have lost out on a good coaching candidate, as David Quinn had been rumored to be a fit in Pittsburgh, but chose to sign with the Rangers.
The New York Rangers have officially announced their new hires, according to a team statement. The team has brought back David Quinn to the organization as an assistant coach under new bench boss Mike Sullivan, Elliotte Friedman reported.
They've also added former Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco to Sullivan's staff after Boston declined to remove his interim tag and ended up hiring Marco Sturm instead.
"There was a lot of interest around the league in Joe Sacco (TOR) and David Quinn (SEA/PIT). Sullivan and the Rangers assembled a heck of a staff, it'll be really good for them."
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
Sullivan's third and final assistant will be Ty Hennes, who had been on Sullivan's staff with the Penguins for the last several years, Friedman stated.
Quinn was one of the Rangers past coaches until 2021
Quinn, whose first NHL head coaching job was in New York from 2018 to 2021, spent last year as an assistant under Sullivan in Pittsburgh. He also worked with Sullivan as an assistant for the US team at the recent 4 Nations Face-Off.
It's becoming rarer to see a coach return to a team so quickly after he'd been let go, especially in a reduced capacity, but he'll relish the chance to continue working with Sullivan once again.
The Kraken and Penguins both reportedly interviewed Quinn for their vacancies this offseason, so his going to the Rangers is yet another blow to Kyle Dubas and newly appointed head coach Dan Muse.
Quinn will presumably work with a Rangers power play that had its fair share of problems this year.
After clicking at a 26.4% rate in their Presidents' Trophy-winning 2023-24 season, their man-advantage units converted at just a 17.6% rate this year, which was fifth-worst in the league.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 6 | 116 ANSWERS Penguins Lose Out on Top Coaching Candidate as He Signs With Divisional Rival Are you disappointed that the Penguins didn't sign David Quinn? | ||
| Yes | 42 | 36.2 % |
| No | 74 | 63.8 % |
| List of polls | ||