As Mike Sullivan heads into his second year behind the Rangers bench, most fans still seem willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
A Forever Blueshirts poll on X and Facebook found that 44.7 percent of respondents said they are confident in Sullivan as coach, while another 18.3 percent said they are very confident. Put together, that gave Sullivan a 63.0 percent approval rating from the fans who took part.
That support comes after a brutal 34-39-9 season for the Rangers, who finished 30th in the NHL and last in the Eastern Conference. Still, plenty of voters pointed to Sullivan’s résumé as the reason they’re not ready to bail on him now. He won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins, and just this past February he coached the United States to a gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Andrew Joseph was among the fans who came down firmly on Sullivan’s side.
“Very confident,” Joseph posted on X. “He had them competing for wins with a team that lacked talent after [Artemi] Panarin was traded and guys were hurt.
I believe in him but not so sure I believe in our bottom six forwards. If the top two lines are getting shut down we are in for a number of shutouts again.”
The Rangers were shut out a League-high 10 times last season and finished 23rd in scoring at 2.87 goals per game.
On Facebook, Peter Tholke also backed the coach, writing, “Last season wasn’t his fault just as the one before it wasn’t [Peter] Laviolette’s,” Peter Tholke offered on Facebook. “We’ve all seen what Sullivan is capable of if he has a motivated and committed team in front of him.”
Not everyone was buying in, though. The second-largest group in the poll, 21.7 percent, said they are not confident in Sullivan, while 15.3 percent selected “unsure.”
Some of the skepticism centered on Sullivan’s recent postseason track record. His teams have not reached the playoffs since 2022, when the Penguins lost in seven games to the Gerard Gallant-coached Rangers. Sullivan’s last time coaching a team past the first round came in 2018, when Pittsburgh got to the second round before losing.
Kevin Enstated simply on Facebook, “How can you not pick C (not confident).” Dan Rowell added, “C. These guys aren’t down with his program it seems.”
Richard Behlmer Jr. went even harder, saying, “How about F. Not good at all.”
Farrelly’s Reilly said he landed somewhere “between C and D.”
“He’s a good defensive coach and showed that last season, but his inability to get more from this group last season is a huge red flag. Also, I don’t think the way he deals with younger players has ever been great. … In my opinion, he’s a better coach for a fully baked team that is ready to compete for a Cup.”
Some fans also took issue with Sullivan bringing David Quinn onto his staff as an assistant coach, especially with Quinn handling the defense. Even so, the Rangers did improve slightly in that area from the previous season, allowing 3.04 goals per game last season after giving up 3.11 in 2023-24 during Laviolette’s final year.
The poll also turned into a referendum on general manager Chris Drury for plenty of fans. One X user, @RandyS888, wrote, “I’m more confident in Sullivan than I am in Drury, which isn’t saying much.”
Anthony Fiorica kept it blunt on Facebook: “A for Mike, F for Chris Drury.” Lawrence Vazac added, “Doesn’t matter, nothing will change with Drury still in charge.”
After two straight playoff misses, three coaching changes in Drury’s five years as GM, no Stanley Cup championship since 1994, and just one Cup in 86 years, the Rangers’ fan base has plenty of scars - and even a coaching hire as respected as Sullivan isn’t enough to erase them.
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