The decision Kyle Dubas made to move on from Mike Sullivan wasn't rash, and wasn't any one singular reason for the change. But over the course of the season, it became clear to Dubas that Sullivan was no longer the man for the Penguins' head coaching job.

"I think that two things can be true," Dubas said in his media availability at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Monday afternoon. "Someone could be a great head coach, and that they'll move on to become a great head coach on their next stop. And it could also be time for change here."

The Penguins described the change in coach as a "mutual decision," but this was a firing. Dubas said that after conversations with Sullivan throughout the season and then again upon the conclusion of the season, he contemplated the matter over the last week or so and came to the conclusion that it was time to move on. 

Dubas flew to Boston to deliver the news to Sullivan in-person on Sunday, but not first before giving Sidney Crosby advance notice that a change was coming at head coach. After sitting down with Sullivan, Dubas said that he "didn't think there's a massive disagreement" from Sullivan regarding the notion that change is needed.

And so as the Penguins enter the offseason, a search for a new head coach is underway. Dubas spoke of casting a "wide net" of potential candidates -- long-time coaches, coaches from the minors, junior, college and Europe. Virtual interviews will begin shortly, and the team hope to have a coach hired by early June, though Dubas noted that the process could take longer because some potential candidates are currently active in the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup playoffs.

A priority in the search, Dubas said, is someone with any form of experience with a development role, given the current stage the Penguins are in. But beyond that, there aren't a ton of specifics on the wishlist. There's nothing specific in term of style. They're just looking for "a great head coach."

"Someone that could come in, continue to partner with us on all that we're undertaking," Dubas said. "Understands that the job ahead is going to be a time of transition. It's going to be continuing to maximize the prime or the ends of careers of some of the players that we have, and it's going to be expeditiously developing some of the young players that have already come onto the roster, are about to come onto the roster, continue to make tweaks and changes around the system and the way that we integrate players, put their own stamp on the organization."

That hire could come from the inside, too. Dubas noted that assistant coach David Quinn, who remains under contract, has "deep, deep experience at this level." Of the current coaching staff, assistant coaches Mike Vellucci and Ty Hennes and goaltending coach Andy Chiodo are all on expiring contracts. Dubas said that all are now free to seek employment elsewhere, but in the event they're still unemployed and want to be back with the Penguins once a new coach is hired, they've been promised the opportunity to at least have an audience with the new coach. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk MacDonald was ruled out by Dubas as a potential option, citing his very limited body of work so far at the AHL level.

The most important thing, it seems, is just that it's someone new.

"I think if you look at the coaches who've gone to places and spurred very positive reaction in similar settings, they've generally been coaches in their first chance at it," Dubas said,

He cited the success of Spencer Carberry in Washington, who worked his way up from the minors. He spoke of Jim Hiller, who worked his way up to coach the Kings after various assistant coaching positions. And he also noted the success of Marty St. Louis, who briefly coached youth hockey after his Hall of Fame career as a player, then transitioned right into coaching the Canadiens.

What became increasingly clear, Dubas said, is that there just weren't examples of a coach leading a team to a championship, through a transition of a retool, and back up to being a contender.

"To ask a coach of Sully's capability to find a way to go from contender to transition back to contender, there's no proof that exists, and I see why now and then," Dubas said. "On the other end, there's coaches who've come into situations similar to this, and this is its own unique situation a number of ways, but they've come from different very different places to have success. So we'll turn every page and find the right person for the job and and bring them in and get rolling with them."

The Penguins are optimistic about the path they're on. There's an established core still here, and the Penguins have taken steps towad surrounding that core with a wave of young players who eventually help carry the Penguins back to contention and become the next era of Penguins hockey. 

For those reasons, Dubas thinks, the Penguins' coaching vacancy presents a "great opportunity" for whoever takes it.

"You're coming in to a group of players that have accomplished a lot," Dubas said. "They've accomplished a lot together, and they still have -- as you see on the ice during the year -- they still have a lot to give to the game in combination with younger players that are going to come along. So I view it as a great opportunity."