Elliotte Friedman shares details around Mike Sullivan's 8-figure contract with Rangers - "North of Babcock's number"

The New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan as their new coach on Friday. The move was expected, as Chris Drury, the team's general manager, had been hoping to land Sullivan for years.

Sullivan recently parted ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins after 10 seasons, leading the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups. Although the Penguins struggled in recent years, Sullivan remained a top coach in the league. The Rangers are hoping he can bring stability to their coaching staff, which has seen several changes in recent seasons.

Sullivan’s new contract is also a major financial commitment. In a recent episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, Elliotte Friedman shared details about it. Sullivan signed a five-year contract, but the total value is unclear. Friedman said that his average annual value is higher than Mike Babcock’s record deal.

“Mike Babcock had the largest contract ever signed by a coach. It was eight years and approximately $50 million front-loaded, 6.25 DHT, AAV, the number is north of that,” Friedman said on Sunday. “Sullivan did sign the richest AAV of any head coach. So it's north of Babcock's number, which was in the 6.25 range.”

Friedman also pointed out that Sullivan’s contract is shorter than Babcock’s, but it sets a new standard for coaching salaries.

"Sullivan may not be the highest-paid coach in the history of the actual largest contract, but he is the highest-paid coach in terms of average annual value paid coach. So he definitely moved the bar," Friedman said.

New York is looking for a huge turnaround with Sullivan in charge.

Mike Sullivan brings accountability and clear expectations, say former players

Mike Sullivan’s hiring as the Rangers' coach brings new hope for the team. Brian Boyle, who played for Sullivan, spoke highly about him.

"'Sully' is still unbelievable of making sure everybody knows exactly what is expected of you," Boyle said on Saturday, via NHL.com.

Boyle also mentioned that Sullivan is demanding but fair.

"He's an extremely fair coach, a very respectful coach of the players, but also still very demanding," Boyle said.

Former NHL forward Mike Rupp believes Sullivan is the right fit with the Rangers.

"I think there's a lot of guys not playing with confidence and I feel like there's been a lack of accountability," Rupp said on Saturday, via NHL.com. "Those are pretty major things and I think he's one of the most perfect guys for the job because of those things."

For Sullivan to succeed, New York needs to commit and improve, especially players like Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad.