Penguins GM Kyle Dubas gets 100% honest on 'disagreements' with Mike Sullivan ahead of departure

Kyle Dubas has made plenty of unpopular decisions over the last two years as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. On Monday, he came to the conclusion that it was time to part ways with head coach Mike Sullivan.

Sullivan had spent the last 10 years behind the bench in Pittsburgh, which began with back-to-back Stanley Cups (2016, 2017) and ended with the failure to win a playoff series in his final seven seasons.

While many believed it was long overdue for the Penguins to bring in a new voice, that doesn't make it easy to let go of such a decorated and respected coach like Mike Sullivan.

Dubas detailed whether there were any disagreements in his final conversation with Sullivan during his press conference on Monday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Penguins shared the full video on YouTube.

"Sully and I spoke about a lot of the same stuff we've talked about the whole year, and it just became clear to me that it was, it was probably time for a change and to move on. And I went yesterday and met with Sully, and, you know, sat down with him in Boston, and I just kind of went through that with him," Dubas said (20:56).

"And there was; sometimes there's disagreement when you have those conversations, and at other times, there's agreement. I don't want to speak for him and how he views it, but I would say it was very amicable, and the conversations with them have continued to stay that way," Dubas added.

Mike Sullivan had another two years remaining on the three-year contract extension he signed to remain in Pittsburgh in 2022.

Kyle Dubas laid out the timeline for hiring the next HC of the Penguins

With the offseason in full swing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas must quickly shift his focus to finding the team's next head coach.

He was asked about his plan and timeline for the hiring process during his press conference. Reporter Jenna Harner broke down his response on X (formerly Twitter).

It's clear that Kyle Dubas will be casting a wide search to determine who is the right fit to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins moving forward.

Penguins reporter Josh Yohe listed some early candidates that stand out, including Rick Tocchet, Kirk MacDonald, David Carle, Todd Nelson, David Quinn, and Mike Velluci. It certainly will be an interesting story to follow in the coming months.