Former Rangers coach rumored to be among candidates to join Mike Sullivan’s staff
Is there really a chance that David Quinn could return to the New York Rangers coaching staff?
According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the Rangers are considering a reunion with Quinn, who coached them from 2018-21. If he returned to Broadway, it would be to work under new coach Mike Sullivan as an assistant, the same exact role he had with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season.
Staple also reported that Joe Sacco, who is rumored to be out of the running to fill the Boston Bruins coaching vacancy after serving as their interim coach in 2024-25, is under consideration to be one of Sullivan’s assistant’s next season.
Quinn was part of a front office shake-up after the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2020-21. Team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton were dismissed first, with Chris Drury assuming both roles. It was Drury who fired Quinn in his first major move as GM.
Quinn didn’t leave on the best of terms, later opening up about how things played out on the Cam and Strick Podcast.
“In my conversations with the Rangers before I got let go I asked one question, ‘Did we overachieve, underachieve, or do what we should’ve done this year,’ and the answer I got was, ‘We probably overachieved a little bit,'” Quinn shared.
“Then I said, ‘What the f*** are we talking about!’”
Quinn was hired before the 2018-19 at the start of the Rangers rebuild and coached three seasons, two during the coronavirus pandemic. He exited New York with a 96-87-25 record and one post-season appearance — a brief showing in the 2020 bubble when the Rangers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in three straight games during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
Related: David Quinn dishes on what transpired with Rangers and his final season
David Quinn would be intriguing hire by Rangers as Mike Sullivan assistant
Despite how things ended in New York, Quinn’s coaching resume and NHL ties remain strong — especially his connection with Sullivan. The two were teammates at Boston University in the 1980s and coached together last season after Quinn was named to Sullivan’s staff in Pittsburgh on June 11th, 2024.
With the Penguins, Quinn played a key role in improving the team’s power play, which saw noticeable progress over the course of the season. The Penguins had a 25.8 percent success rate are on the power play in 2024-25 — the third-highest in franchise history and sixth best in the League.
Beyond his connection to Sullivan, Quinn still has ties within the Rangers organization. A handful of players spent the early stages of their NHL careers playing for Quinn during his coaching tenure in New York.
Adam Fox turned into a top-pair defensemen under Quinn and won the Norris Trophy in 2019-20, just his second season in the NHL. Igor Shesterkin made his NHL debut during Quinn’s final season and showed glimpse’s of what would become a future Vezina Trophy winner.
Artemi Panarin also posted the best season of his career to that point, finishing with 95 points in just 69 games during the 2019-20 campaign. And K’Andre Miller developed into a reliable option on the blue line during Quinn’s time as well.
After getting fired from the Rangers, Quinn was hired by the San Jose Sharks in July 2022. Tasked with another rebuild, Quinn had little to work with in San Jose. In two seasons behind the Sharks bench, Quinn led them to a 41-98-25 record, including a League worst 19-54-9 finish in the 2023-24 season. That helped them land Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick in that year’s NHL Draft.
The Sharks were terrible, struggling at both ends of the ice, finishing last in goals for and near the bottom in goals against. While the record didn’t reflect it, Quinn developed young players. Top prospects like Thomas Bordeleau and William Eklund credited Quinn for giving them confidence and opportunity.
Veteran players also spoke highly of his communication and leadership during a down season.
Following Sullivan’s departure from Pittsburgh on April 28, Quinn became a candidate for the head coaching vacancy. League insiders indicated that the 58-year-old had a “fairly strong” chance at landing the role, especially after spending the past season as an assistant behind the Penguins bench.
However, former Rangers assistant Dan Muse was hired as Penguins coach Wednesday. So, with that opportunity off the table, perhaps Quinn’s next best coaching gig is a return to New York, this time as an assistant.
It’d be strange, for sure, and Drury might have to do some fence-mending. But the bond between Sullivan and Quinn is strong, and that may trump any issues with Drury, who is also a Boston University product, for what it’s worth.
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