BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 01: Head coach Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins walks to the ice to practice for the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 01, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

With the Bruins’ fate long-decided and on the postseason sidelines for the first time in nine years after rolling with Joe Sacco as their interim head coach for the final 62 games of the season, Don Sweeney has already started the process of compiling their list of head coaching candidates.

And on Monday, that list may have added another name, with Mike Sullivan and the Penguins officially parting ways after 10 years together. The announcement was made in a statement shared by the Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas on Monday morning.

“Mike is known for his preparation, focus and fierce competitiveness. I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons,” Dubas said in the statement. “He will forever be an enormous part of Penguins history, not only for the impressive back-to-back Cups, his impact on the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, but more importantly, for his love and loyalty to the organization. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but as we continue to navigate the Penguins through this transitional period, we felt it was the best course forward for all involved.”

In his 10 years on the job in Pittsburgh, Sullivan compiled a 409-255-89 record (.602 points percentage), and coached the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. But with the Penguins a different team now than they were back then, as noted by Dubas, the success had dried up for Sullivan and the Pens, with three straight playoff misses. And even before the misses came, the Penguins had four straight seasons of failing to get out of the opening round of postseason play.

And beyond his Pittsburgh success, Sullivan most recently served as the head coach of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, is from the Boston area (and had nothing but praise for the area during the 4 Nations Face-Off), and is even the father in law of Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Sullivan also has experience coaching in Boston, as his first head coaching gig was with the Bruins from 2003 to 2006, and it’s worth mentioning that his dismissal came under a different administration, and predates the time of both Sweeney and team president Cam Neely.

Again, these all seem like plusses in the eyes of the Bruins.

But the Bruins are not the only team with previous connections to Sullivan, as the Rangers also have a coaching vacancy, and Sullivan had served as John Tortorella’s top assistant during Torts’ New York run.

As for names involved in the coaching search for the Bruins, Sacco is the only known name as of right now, with the Bruins admitting that Sacco will receive some consideration for the full-time coaching job this spring.