Dan Muse has been named the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, officially replacing Mike Sullivan, who took over behind the bench for the New York Rangers back in May. Several candidates had been in the mix for the Penguins job, including former Rangers head coach David Quinn. Now that Muse has secured the role Quinn reportedly had interest in, it raises the question of whether Quinn might explore other opportunities—perhaps even reuniting with Sullivan in New York.
Although fans might have mixed feelings about bringing Quinn back, it’s worth acknowledging that he could be a valuable asset in a supporting role.
Quinn previously coached the Rangers from 2018 to 2021, compiling a 96-87-25 record and a .522 win percentage over 208 games before being dismissed. While his tenure ended on a sour note, that kind of résumé is still enviable by coaching standards.
Couple names I’ve heard are in the mix for coaching spots under Mike Sullivan with #NYR:
Joe Sacco, recently Bruins interim HC, and David Quinn, former #NYR HC who was with Sullivan in Pittsburgh last season. Quinn is a candidate for the Penguins coaching spot.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 4, 2025
After sitting out the 2021–22 NHL season, Quinn coached Team USA at both the Olympics and World Championships before being hired as head coach of the San Jose Sharks in 2022. He was let go after two seasons and served this past year as an assistant under Sullivan in Pittsburgh.
Quinn oversaw the Penguins’ power play, which finished fifth in the NHL with a 25.8% success rate and 57 goals. Notably, during his time in New York, Quinn played a major role in shaping the Rangers’ current top power play unit, which was among the league’s best until this past season. From 2018 to 2021, the Rangers’ power play under Quinn had a 21% success rate and 133 total goals, ranking 11th and 7th league-wide in those years.
Most recently, the Rangers’ power play was overseen by Michael Peca, but he has since joined the Blackhawks under Jeff Blashill. In 2023-24, the Rangers’ power play dropped significantly—from 26.4% the previous year to just 17.6%—despite having mostly the same personnel.
While Quinn wasn’t officially the power play coach in San Jose, the Sharks did show modest improvements under his leadership. The season before he arrived, the team scored 41 power play goals at a 19.0% clip. In his first year, they scored 42 goals at 18.4%, and in 2023–24, they maintained 42 power play goals while improving slightly to 20.2%.
David Quinn is officially the penguins’ power-play coach. A look at the numbers:
2022/23 — 18.4% (25th)
2023/24 — 20.2% (T-20th)Couple notes:
– In March the Sharks’ pp ran at 28.9% for 7th league-wide
– Erik Karlsson had 27 pp points last year, 17 this year.Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/YMfSPpzA5y
— ChelPenguins (@ChelPenguins) June 28, 2024
Taken together, Quinn has shown he can guide successful power play units across various rosters. More importantly, he’s coming off a strong season working with Sullivan and already has familiarity with Rangers GM Chris Drury and the broader organization. Amidst broader changes, retaining someone with institutional knowledge might provide some needed stability.
New York is expected to cast a wide net to fill the vacant spots on Sullivan’s coaching staff—left open by Muse’s move to Pittsburgh, Peca’s departure to Chicago, and Phil Housley’s dismissal. But Quinn could be a solid, experienced option to bring back in one of those roles, while the team looks in new directions for the rest.
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