The New York Rangers hired Mike Sullivan as their new head coach. New York is attempting to move on from a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign that saw them miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mika Zibanejad is one player looking to put last season in the rearview mirror. And he looking forward to the future with Sullivan at the helm.

Zibanejad represented Sweden at the 2025 IIHF World Championship this month. The New York forward took some time to discuss his new bench boss. He expressed optimism for the road ahead on Broadway for the 2025-26 campaign and beyond.

“Obviously excited with a coach like that,” Zibanejad said, via NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. “He's had a lot of success. I had a quick phone call with him and I'm sure we'll have more calls and more conversations during the summer, obviously getting to know him.”

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Sullivan is an accomplished coach in the NHL. He has won two Stanley Cups while leading the Pittsburgh Penguins. His experience leading superstars such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is also valuable. And New York's players are ready to learn from Sullivan. Especially the team's emerging stars.

“It's good,” said Rangers forward Will Cuylle, via Vickers, while playing for Canada at the IIHF World Championship. “Obviously he's won. Veteran coach, been around for a while so he should be pretty smart and have a lot to teach us. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to meeting him and seeing what he can do.”

Many viewed the Rangers among the Stanley Cup favorites entering the 2024-25 campaign. New York failed catastrophically to live up to that potential in 2024-25. Sullivan is tasked with getting this group to the next level. He has the players behind him, so now it's up to the veteran bench boss to put these players in a position to succeed in 2025-26.