Mike Sullivan understands he is not above the speculation regarding his future that will soon also encircle several of his players.
That the Pittsburgh Penguins have missed the postseason for the third consecutive time on his watch is sure to amplify the chatter.
But on the first day of the Penguins’ offseason Friday, Sullivan made clear his own plans moving forward as it pertains to his current position.
“My intentions are to be the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Sullivan said at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex as his club conducted its annual end-of-season locker cleanout.
Sullivan, 57, has coached the Penguins since December of 2015.
He just completed the first year of a three-year contract extension through 2026-27 that was announced in the summer of 2022.
Injury updates
Sullivan indicated that the Penguins are not anticipating any of their injured players to require offseason surgery.
“We expect that they will all recover in a timely fashion,” he said.
Included on the list of players who began the offseason with various injuries are forwards Tommy Novak, Matt Nieto, Noel Acciari, Boko Imama, Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte and Rutger McGroarty, plus defensemen Kris Letang and P.O Joseph.
Sidelined for the final three games of the season, Acciari told reporters Friday that was dealing with a hip injury.
The 33-year-old, who played his final game of the year April 8, is hopeful that via rehabilitation this summer, he can avoid surgery.
“Just was dealing with multiple tears in the abductor/hip area,” Acciari said. “Just thought at the time of the season, maybe try to shut it down and let it heal and kind of build that back up. And be ready for next year.
“Hoping that with time, we can avoid (surgery). But if it doesn’t heal, it’s something that a little surgery might (be needed) to fix that. Just rehabbing with the training staff right now and just trying to strengthen that up and avoid all that.”
Like Acciari, an ailment ended Lizotte’s campaign in early April.
However, Lizotte, 27, indicated that a return to action could have been in the cards, were the Penguins’ team circumstances different at the moment.
“If we were in the playoffs, starting in a few days, I would be pretty close to returning,” he said. “So, hopefully get fully healthy, get cleared and have a good offseason.”
Regarding McGroarty, Sullivan notably said shortly after the 21-year-old suffered a foot injury April 8 vs. the Chicago Blackhawks that he could be available for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Calder Cup postseason run.
On Friday, the Penguins reassigned six players to the American Hockey League for that purpose (wingers Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Valtteri Puustinen and Joona Koppanen plus defenseman Filip Kral) but McGroarty, still on the mend, was not among them.
McGroarty suiting up again in 2024-25 could be contingent on how deep the AHL Penguins advance into the postseason.
That said, during his end-of-year chat with reporters, McGroarty was notably not wearing a boot cast on his foot.
Whether he is able to rejoin his teammates remains to be seen.
“The doctors have done a great job of setting a plan and I feel like the plan is going well right now,” McGroarty said. “I wouldn’t say I’m further along or set back in any way, but I would say the plan’s going great right now.”
No specific end-of-season update was offered on Novak, who, post-trade from the Nashville Predators on March 5, was limited to only two contests in a Penguins sweater.
Hayes and Nieto also ended the season with unspecified injuries. Joseph missed the team’s final 20 games after suffering an injury March 1 vs. the Boston Bruins.
Imama is recovering from surgery to repair a biceps injury suffered March 29. Letang underwent patent foramen ovale surgery to close a small hole in his heart March 15 and will be recovering for the next four to six weeks.
World Championship participants
The 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships is set for May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark.
With their calendars cleared, several Penguins players expressed interest in the event.
Granted, it was noted that roster construction conversations have not heated up just yet.
And a few players, such as wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell plus goalie Tristan Jarry, are expecting newborn children with their wives this month, definitively (Rust, Rakell) or likely (Jarry) ruling them out.
Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, a native of Parma, Ohio, who represented the United States at the 2024 World Championship, was receptive.
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“I haven’t been contacted or anything like that,” he said. “It’s always a privilege to represent your country at any level. We’ll see. Phone is open. But I haven’t heard anything.”
Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who hails from Charlestown, Mass., expressed similar sentiments.
“I haven’t heard,” he said. “Something I’d be definitely open for. To play on that stage would be amazing.”
Defenseman Erik Karlsson is prioritizing being at full health this offseason, but is keeping the door open to appear in the tournament primarily hosted by his home country.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is in a similar boat.
Crosby, who along with Karlsson partook in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February, is holding off for a bit before relaying a decision to Canada general manager Kyle Dubas.
“I’ll take some time here and see,” Crosby said. “But I told Kyle I’ll try to let him know as soon as possible.”