Devils News
Devils Attempted to Hire New Rangers Coach | Report
Before there was Sheldon Keefe, the New Jersey Devils intended to hire Mike Sullivan, who is now the New York Rangers head coach for the next five seasons.
Before there was Sheldon Keefe, the New Jersey Devils had their eye on another candidate to be their new head coach. According to a report, the Devils attempted to hire Mike Sullivan to fill their coaching vacancy last summer.
Sullivan was fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the week and quickly found a new home with the Devils’ rival, the New York Rangers.
The Rangers announced on Friday, Sullivan has been named the 38th head coach in their franchise’s history, leaving Sullivan unemployed for just five days. Reports suggest Sullivan received a five-year contract and is now the richest coach in NHL history.
According to Pierre LeBrun, the Devils wanted Sullivan to be their bench boss before turning to Sheldon Keefe.
“A year ago, the Devils made a play for Mike Sullivan but he wasn’t ready to leave Pittsburgh yet. Timing is everything, as the rival Rangers get him a year later. Devils are happy with Sheldon Keefe, don’t get me wrong, but it’s still interesting how it played out,” Pierre LeBrun posted via 𝕏.
Sullivan wasn’t ready to give up on the franchise he coached in for 10 seasons, guiding them to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in his first two seasons in 2016 and 2017.
However, a 34-36-12 record in 2024-25 saw them miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, thus leading to the divorce.
Tom Fitzgerald‘s lust for Sullivan tracks. He and the new Rangers head coach worked for the Penguins together for five seasons when Fitzgerald was the assistant GM in Pittsburgh.
Now, Sullivan is working for the enemy as of Friday.
As LeBrun stated, the Devils are happy with Keefe. Despite their recent elimination, the Devils head coach led them back to the playoffs in 2025, after missing the postseason in 2024.
He even squeezed a career year out of Jesper Bratt, garnered a new career-high in goals for Nico Hischier, and implemented a structure that saw the Devils allow far fewer goals.
However, there’s no denying that Sullivan’s resume is a step above Keefe’s with two Stanley Cups, international coaching experience with Team USA, and a championship caliber presence.
The Devils certainly hope Keefe can reach the heights Sullivan has in his storied career thus far.
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