The Chicago Blackhawks are in the process of looking for a head coach. Anders Sorensen took over on an interim basis when they fired Luke Richardson mid-season, but Sorensen is not expected to remain the coach. 

Coming out of the regular season, it was well known that University of Denver head coach David Carle was at the top of Kyle Davidson’s list. Over the weekend, however, Carle dropped out of this potential opportunity. 

Now, the Blackhawks have to pivot and look in a different direction. Recent NHL news has presented them with a new option. 

On Monday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan. He leaves behind the team with which he established himself as a top-flight coach. 

Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) on XThe Pittsburgh Penguins and Head Coach Mike Sullivan have agreed to part ways. Details: https://t.co/9AB8bPOijI

Sullivan, since becoming the head coach of the Penguins, has won the Stanley Cup twice. He was Team USA’s coach in their second-place effort at the 4-Nations Face-Off. Everywhere Sullivan has been, success has followed. 

The Blackhawks must try to pursue Sullivan in their search. A guy like David Carle has much potential as an NHL head coach, but Sullivan has proven it at the highest level more than once. 

Not only has Sullivan gotten the most out of NHL depth players, but he has also led stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to great playoff success. That experience, if hired, may help him get Connor Bedard and other young stars in Chicago going. 

Pittsburgh has also had some tactical advantages under Mike Sullivan during his tenure there. One example came when he found a way to fit in Phil Kessel by taking him away from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Getting Kessel on the third line with Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino got him going and gave the Penguins three scoring lines. It became a matchup nightmare for the opposition because Pittsburgh had an Olympian driving play on every line.

He also perfectly handled the Marc-Andre Fleury & Matt Murray duo in 2016 and 2017. The right buttons were pushed to get each of them to do what was necessary to win back-to-back championships. 

One final example is how he handled Justin Schultz in those championship days. Whether Kris Letang was healthy or not, Sullivan knew how to get Schultz to execute whatever role was needed from him on the blue line. 

If he is on the radar for Chicago, they will have some competition. They aren’t even the only Original Six team with upside looking for a new coach. 

The Boston Bruins have a legit number one defenseman in Charlie McAvoy. He can lead a team from the back end in every offensive and defensive situation. He’s also married to Mike Sullivan's daughter. Having a star goalie and elite forward locked in to rebuild around doesn’t hurt their case either. 

The New York Rangers are also on the search for a great head coach. They had a horrific season following a deep playoff run one year prior. Will they try to reload with a veteran coach? Sullivan would be a great candidate for that role. 

Other younger teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken are looking for a new bench boss as well. Chicago will be far from alone regarding teams that make sense for Mike Sullivan. 

Undoubtedly, he would be a great fit for this organization, looking to take a step. All Kyle can do is pursue him to the best of his ability. From there, it's on the coach to make a decision. 

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