Maple Leafs bring in 1000-game NHL veteran to replace Marc Savard
The Maple Leafs have hired 1,000-game NHL veteran Steve Sullivan, who will be taking over Marc Savard's assistant coach position behind the bench.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have added Steve Sullivan to their NHL coaching staff as an assistant, the team announced Friday. Sullivan had been working with the Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, before earning the promotion.
The role that Steve Sullivan will be taking on in Toronto
At 51, Sullivan steps into the role left open when Marc Savard was let go on Monday. Savard had overseen the power play, and Sullivan is expected to take on similar responsibilities.
This is a fast rise for Sullivan, who joined the organization just last season. He played more than 1,000 NHL games and took on his first major coaching role with the Marlies ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Why Steve Sullivan has a lot of experience around the game since his retirement
Sullivan hasn't been away from hockey since retiring in 2013. He spent several years with the Arizona Coyotes as a development coach and assistant GM, ran their AHL affiliate from 2017 to 2021, and even served as interim GM during the 2020 COVID bubble playoffs after John Chayka's departure.
At 5'9", Sullivan was known as a steady, reliable two-way forward. Nearly 30% of his 747 career points came on the power play, a stat that will be key as he tries to turn around a Toronto unit that currently sits last in the NHL at 13.0%.
We wish Sullivan the best with his new role in Toronto, and the team's fans are sure hoping he will be the spark needed to get this team back into the playoff picture.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26|310 ANSWERS Maple Leafs bring in 1000-game NHL veteran to replace Marc Savard Will the Leafs be a better team with Steve Sullivan behind the bench? | ||
| Yes | 145 | 46.8 % |
| No | 165 | 53.2 % |
| List of polls | ||