Fansided

NHL Power Rankings: Who is the best head coach in the league?

By Dave Stevenson

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
19 of 31
Next
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

#13: Mike Sullivan

The secret behind the Pittsburgh Penguins success this season has been the man behind the bench – Mike Sullivan. Sullivan is responsible for the Penguins recent surge, fixing what incumbent head coach Mike Johnston did. Johnston had the Penguins playing extremely conservative. Not ideal for a team like the Penguins who have two elite NHL centers (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) and an elite defenseman (Kris Letang). Sullivan got the Penguins back to being aggressive, which is when they have been most deadly.

Part of Sullivan’s aggressive system is due to his faith in Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is one of the best goalies in the NHL at stopping odd man rushes and breakaways. He’s virtually unstoppable in shootouts due to his positioning and quickness. Pittsburgh is a team that can afford to give up a few more chances to get a lot more. Credit Sullivan for realizing that. That’s what great coaches do.

The Penguins aren’t a team that need a genius head coach. All they need is a coach who lets them be themselves and create scoring chances. That’s precisely what Sullivan is.

Sullivan’s ability to make adjustments in game has the Penguins as dark horse Stanley Cup favorites. He’s already proven he’s one of the best coaches in the NHL and has a ton of similarities to Dan Bylsma.

Next: #12: Alain Vigneault

Home/Anaheim Ducks