Mike Sullivan's first game as Rangers coach will be against Penguins

The New York Rangers' first major move of the 2025 offseason was the hiring of Mike Sullivan to replace Peter Laviolette, and they will get their first glimpse of his potential behind the bench on Broadway on opening night against his former squad.

The Blueshirts will officially take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, October 7th in a marquee Metropolitan Division matchup. Not only will this mark Sullivan's first game as the new coach of the Rangers, it will be Dan Muse's first game as an NHL head coach.

Muse served on Peter Laviolette's coaching staff for two seasons, and he was hired to coach Sidney Crosby and the Penguins after the job opened up following Sullivan's departure. He was held in high regard during his time with the Blueshirts, and was someone that was expected to make the jump to a top job in the foreseeable future. Muse is only 42, and has been coaching for over 20 years with experience at the NHL level, NCAA, and the USHL. He also was quite successful with Team USA running the National Team Development program.

It is a bit funny that the team essentially traded coaches, and this isn't the first time it has happened. The last time this occurred, interestingly enough, is when Sullivan last left the team following the firing of John Tortorella. That summer the Rangers hired Alain Vigneault who had been fired by Vancouver, and Tortorella made the journey to the Pacific Northwest to lead the Canucks.

Sullivan is the kind of coach the Rangers have been looking for, and it just so happens that he's someone they could have had a lot sooner had they just promoted him following Tortorella's firing. Had they done that, there's no telling if he turns into the coach he is today. They got their guy a lot later than they would have liked, and the hope is that they can take advantage of his experience and capture a Stanley Cup for the first time in over 30 years.