New York Rangers hire Mike Sullivan as next head coach as Flyers’ search continues

Flyers general manager Danny Brière has one less interview to schedule now.

Four days ago, Mike Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways after 10 seasons. On Friday, he was heading to Broadway as the New York Rangers’ 38th head coach.

“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said Friday via a team release. “Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career — including two Stanley Cups and leading Team USA at the international level — Mike brings a championship-level presence behind the bench. ... As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”

Sullivan, 57, had long been speculated as a potential heir to John Tortorella once he stepped down at the end of his contract with the Flyers. Of course, Tortorella didn’t step down — he was fired on March 27 — and things have shifted.

» READ MORE: Where do the Flyers stand with their coaching search? And beyond Rick Tocchet, who are the top candidates?

A two-time Stanley Cup champion in Pittsburgh, Sullivan returns to the Rangers after serving as an assistant coach under Tortorella in New York from 2009 to 2013. He also worked with Tortorella in Tampa Bay (2007-08) and Vancouver (2013-14). And, although he never played for the Rangers, he was a fourth-round pick of the team in 1987.

“We’re very different personalities, but the attention to detail and the diligence and the preparation on how to prepare a team and run a team, I think I learned a lot from John in all the years that I that I worked with him,” Sullivan said in Montreal during the 4 Nations Face-Off. “We share a common philosophy on how to run a hockey team.”

But while Sullivan has been scooped up, he was not the only former assistant coach to Tortorella who was in the conversation for the top job in Philly. The Tortorella coaching tree’s roots run deep, and Brad Shaw, who served as the interim coach after Tortorella’s dismissal, remains on the short list of candidates for the job.

Shaw is noted for his calm demeanor and, like Sullivan, is a polar opposite personality-wise to Tortorella. He led the Flyers to a 5-3-1 record in the final nine games, in which they also showed an offensive boost.

But Shaw is just one of several available candidates for the Flyers, one of seven teams — the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, and Pittsburgh are the others — still looking for a new bench boss.

According to a report by ESPN, Pat Ferschweiler has already interviewed for the Flyers job, and sources have told The Inquirer that he and the Flyers brass are separately in Texas scouting at the Under-18 World Championships. Ferschweiler is the head coach at Western Michigan and just led the school to its first NCAA tournament.

» READ MORE: Report: The Flyers interviewed Western Michigan’s Pat Ferschweiler for their head coaching job

Rick Tocchet is also a name that has popped up and, according to a source, is someone the Flyers have been eyeing for months. The Flyers Hall of Famer opted not to return to the Canucks on Tuesday and is now looking for work — reportedly preferring to return to the East Coast.

Elliotte Friedman mentioned on Friday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that former NHL defenseman Jay McKee could be a dark horse candidate for the gig. The 47-year-old McKee, who played with Brière in Buffalo, has spent the last seven seasons coaching in the Ontario Hockey League, where he has had success with both the Kitchener Rangers and Brantford Bulldogs.

But while speculation will swirl and run rampant, a source said the Flyers are not in a rush to hire a new head coach. It’s a big step for Brière — who did not hire Tortorella but inherited the coach from former GM Chuck Fletcher — to find the right guy.

Other additional options are now available with the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs over, including Jeff Halpern (assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning). Marc Savard (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Mitch Love (Washington Capitals) are two assistants who are expected to get a look from several teams, but their teams have advanced.

One more intriguing candidate is taking on Lehigh Valley in the second round of the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup playoffs. Todd Nelson is the head coach of the Hershey Bears, who have a 1-0 lead on Ian Laperrière and the Phantoms (Game 2 is Friday at 7 p.m., FloHockey, SENetworkTV).

A former Flyers forward and assistant coach, Laperrière, has also said that he is interested in the Flyers’ top job, stating, “To be honest, transparent, I would love to have that job. Love to be interviewed for it.”

The Flyers’ search for their next head coach goes on, but we now know it won’t be Sullivan.