Rangers coaching carousel has to end with Mike Sullivan

The New York Rangers have found their new coach, and it is a reunion. Mike Sullivan is the 38th coach to serve behind the bench for this historic franchise's centennial season.

This would make three head coaches since the infamous "letter" was released and David Quinn was charged to lead the rebuild. Now, there is another instance of the unknown, with an atrocious season causing a complicated future. Sullivan is walking into a dumpster fire, and he better be ready to take full responsibility for a team that doesn't know the meaning of the word.

The number one thing that has to come away from bringing on a coach that has won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and had the greatest hockey player of our generation, Sidney Crosby, is that this coaching carousel the Rangers have been on for the last six seasons needs to end with Sullivan.

Can Sullivan break the cycle?

This remains to be seen. He is walking into a vulnerable locker room, an oversharing President and General Manager, and one of the most loyal fan bases in all of hockey.

No pressure.

There is no room for error, and the Rangers must hit the 2025-26 season on the ground running. It has to start with the upcoming draft lottery and then the draft. Follow that up with a positive free agency period, and this uncertainty can change on a dime. The Rangers have wanted Sullivan for a while, so you'd have to think that even if he gets off to a bumpy start, the team is committed to keep him around all while everything else changes around him.

Replacing the right man for the job?

The Rangers have had various coaches pass through Madison Square Garden over the last few seasons. David Quinn matured the younger generation, Gerard Gallant shaped their identity, and Peter Laviolette executed this extended plan to a Presidents' Trophy. Laviolette's success was short-lived due to the result of the 2024-25 debacle, and he lived up to his track record of getting superior results during his first year on the job with diminishing returns following.

So, did the Rangers front office get it right by replacing the right man for the job, Laviolette? Or did they replace the right guy for the job when they replaced Gallant? And on and on and on.

Sullivan is under a lot of pressure, and he has to end this coaching carousel. This is the only way that the Rangers can move forward. Consistency is a word that comes to mind, that and stability. What happens next will require patience, and while there's no guarantee for early results, there should be confidence that a plan is in place with an end goal in mind.