After a couple of meetings last week — Tuesday in Pittsburgh and Sunday in Boston — Dubas trusted his gut and decided to end the longest, most successful run by any Penguins coach. Dubas described a conversation at Sullivan’s home Sunday as “amicable” and also conceded he expected Sullivan to have a successful next act behind an NHL bench.

There has been a flurry of speculation and rumors flying in the hours since the Pittsburgh Penguins fired head coach Mike Sullivan. One of the most significant