Sullivan pumped for ‘new challenge,’ opportunity to build with Rangers

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Mike Sullivan is a coach who responds to one sentence questions with paragraphs of quotes, so his admission Wednesday to finding it hard to articulate what his new opportunity with the New York Rangers means on a personal level was somewhat startling.

It was also honest insight into how the Rangers coach was feeling on Day 1 of training camp, and what Day 2 on Thursday represents for him and his new team -- a fresh start, a new opportunity, a chance to put what happened last season behind everyone for good.

"This is a new challenge for me, and I so look forward to the opportunity to be on the ice with these guys," Sullivan said in his camp-opening press conference sitting alongside Rangers general manager Chris Drury. "I've gotten to know some of the leadership group here in the offseason. We've had a lot of conversations leading up to this training camp. There's been a lot of preparation going into this process leading up to (Thursday) and I'm glad it's finally here and we can go on the ice and start to execute the gameplan."

Sullivan and the Rangers might have found each other at the right time as both look to climb back toward the top of the NHL mountain.

Sullivan has a chance to prove himself in a different market and get a team back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out in his last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He is Pittsburgh's all-time leader in wins among coaches (409). The Penguins won the Stanley Cup twice under him, in 2016 and 2017. But they regressed in each of Sullivan's last three seasons, from 91 points in 2022-23 to 88 in 2023-24 and finally to 80 last season.

The change in direction to more of a youth movement led to Sullivan's departure on April 28.

Sullivan's arrival represents New York's latest move in a culture shift that started last season.

The Rangers were supposed to contend for the Stanley Cup last season, but instead went through a 4-15-0 stretch, traded their captain, Jacob Trouba, acquired forward J.T. Miller, who on Tuesday was named their new captain, and finished six points out of a playoff spot, leading to former coach Peter Laviolette's departure.

But now both Sullivan and his new team have a chance to build something together. It officially began Wednesday, but the foundation was laid in the offseason.

"I've had a number of conversations with a lot of the leaders on the team since I was hired throughout the course of the summer," Sullivan said. "It gave those guys an opportunity to get to know me a little bit. It gave me a chance to get to know them a little bit, which I think is an important element of getting off on the right foot here. Those relationships are important, especially amongst the leaders of this group."

Those conversations, including a meeting with forward Mika Zibanejad in Sweden, helped to create Sullivan's vision for the Rangers, giving him knowledge about the players he's inheriting, an understanding of their personal and team goals, and where they think they fit best.

"Quite honestly, the conversation a lot of time revolved around building a partnership," Sullivan said. "We all want the same thing; we want to win and we have to work together to make that happen. We all have a role associated with that and we have to work together if we're going to give ourselves the best chance to ultimately get to where we want to go."

The journey begins in earnest Thursday.

Zibanejad, who has been the Rangers' No. 1 center for years, will be at right wing on a line with Miller. That decision was made after Sullivan met with Zibanejad in Sweden and talked about the chemistry he felt he was building with Miller at the end of last season.

Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is expected to be paired with Adam Fox, the Rangers' longtime No. 1 defenseman. That decision was made after many conversations between Sullivan, Drury and likely Fox too before signing Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract on July 1.

Miller will be the captain because the Rangers felt it was the right move to have one and Sullivan thinks he "represents in so many ways what we hope Rangers hockey is going to look like with the way he plays the game."

Artemi Panarin should be fueled with confidence after Sullivan told him how often he was a focal point of the Penguins' pre-scout, a point the coach said he made to the forward with the intention to inspire him.

"It starts with communication, the time and effort that he's put in to get to know these players…just giving the group, including himself and his staff, a chance to figure out relationship-building throughout the summer," Drury said of Sullivan. "As he said, it was time well spent, and I think it's going to give us a chance to get off to a good start in training camp."

And to put the past behind them.

"It's hard for me to express in words how excited I am about this challenge and about this opportunity," Sullivan said. "As I said to the players, nothing is inevitable in this game. We're going to have to go out and earn it every day and I look forward to that opportunity with this group."