Dubas: Devils haven't requested permission to speak with Sullivan
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The New Jersey Devils have not asked for permission to speak to Mike Sullivan about their head coaching vacancy, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas tells The Athletic's Rob Rossi.
Sullivan, 56, just completed his ninth season behind the Pens' bench.
“There have been no requests and no permissions granted,” Dubas told Rossi.
A three-year extension with the club, worth a reported $5.5 million per season, that was signed in the summer of 2022 is set to kick in for Sullivan this fall.
Sullivan is the winningest coach in Penguins franchise history with 375 wins and his 671 games behind the bench mark the longest coaching tenure in team history. During his time with the team, Sullivan has posted a record of 375-219-77 (.616).
A native of Marshfield, MA, Sullivan led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in his first two seasons with the team in 2016 and 2017. Sullivan is the only American-born coach to have won the Stanley Cup more than once.
Prior to joining the Penguins, Sullivan spent two seasons as head coach of the Boston Bruins from 2003 to 2006. Sullivan’s 445 career victories put him third all-time among American-born coaches.
As a player, Sullivan appeared in 709 NHL games over 11 seasons from 1991 to 2002 with the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes. A centre, Sullivan had 54 career goals and 82 assists.
The Devils are looking for a full-time head coach following the firing of Lindy Ruff in March. Travis Green took the reins of the team on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.