Top Candidates Emerge to Replace Mike Sullivan as Penguins Head Coach

For some, it was a long time coming, and for others it was a complete shock, but on Monday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins sent shockwaves through the NHL world when they announced that they have officially parted ways with Head Coach Mike Sullivan.

Now, the organization must look to the future as they look to build a winner around Sidney Crosby one last time, but to also build for sustainable success beyond that, and all of that now starts with the hiring of a new Head Coach.

According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, there are many candidates that could be the next man behind the bench in Pittsburgh, with four names in particular standing out in a big way:

Perhaps the most exciting of that group would be Tocchet, who has had an up-and-down run in his time in Vancouver, and if he joined the Penguins on the back of a career 286-265-87 coaching record, he'd be reinvigorated with a superstar and a leader like Sidney Crosby.

The next most interesting name would be David Carle, the current Head Coach at the University of Denver, and after winning the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024, he's drawing immense interest from NHL teams.

Then there's Todd Nelson, who coached the Edmonton Oilers for half a season back in 2014-15, but with great success as the man behind the back-to-back Calder Cup wins in Hershey, he's now potentially looking at an NHL return.

Last but not least is Mike Vellucci, who has been an assistant in Pittsburgh since 2020, and with the most familiarity with the team along with the team ruling out Kirk MacDonald, their current AHL Head Coach, he makes perfect sense.

Ultimately, the Penguins need to nail this pick if they are to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Sidney Crosby era, and if they can do just that, don't underestimate a major bounce back in 2025/26.