Replacing a coaching staff is always a unique challenge. You want to ensure the next coach and his staff will bring a culture and system that propels your team to the next level. The New York Rangers’ situation proves an even more significant hurdle, as the expectations on this club are Stanley Cup or bust.
Peter Laviolette was hired as the head coach by general manager Chris Drury. They worked together on piecing together a staff that fit the two hockey ages: the old-school gritty approach and the new-school analytic mindset. Former NHL defenseman and Buffalo Sabres head coach Phil Housley was brought in as Laviolette’s associate head coach.
Dan Muse and Michael Peca were hired as assistant coaches to bring the new school approach, and the Rangers officially had their staff. The staff looks to be the most balanced that the Rangers have had in years, with knowledge aplenty and styles that mesh well together.
But for Housley, his coaching and playing experience will significantly benefit the Blueshirts’ blue line, especially Adam Fox. Having a defenseman with a prolific offensive mind during his playing career could propel Fox to the point-per-game mark he has been seeking.
Fox has already won the Norris Trophy for the league’s best defenseman and seems to be a perennial candidate for the foreseeable future. Although Housley never won the Norris, his two-way game was way ahead of his time, and his 1,232 points make him the fourth-highest-scoring defenseman of all time.
Combining their two skill sets and viewpoints could be beautiful for the Rangers.
Housley Can Help Fox Take That Next Step
Housley was an assistant coach with Laviolette, coaching the Nashville Predators from 2013-2017. He got the most out of players like P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis, especially in 2016-17 when they made it to the Stanley Cup Final.
He has a track record of connecting with great players, and a connection with Fox would be incredible to see play out. Fox’s career-high point total is 74 back in 2021-22. Last season, he got to 72 points but has yet to reach the point-per-game mark in his career. Housley’s career-high is 97 points, so he knows a thing or two about scoring at an elite level as a defenseman.
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Fox has an incredible hockey I.Q., but even the brightest are still open to learning new information, and Housley should be able to help Fox have a fresh perspective on certain aspects of his game that may frustrate him. For instance, if Fox is getting shut down in a particular matchup, having Housley’s offensive mind to bounce ideas and adjustments off of will open up possibilities to create a breakthrough.
Having a coach who similarly sees the game to yourself is groundbreaking for a player. The conversation is smoother, and their coaching is easier to digest, allowing you to maximize your understanding and translate it into the game. Fox, who went to Harvard, has the innate ability to digest the game at such an advanced level.
That is why he can seemingly move by everyone at half speed, and seemingly, no one can touch him. But even a player as intelligent as Fox needs someone to bounce ideas off of or point out things in his game that need adjusting. Housley is the perfect guy to do that.
Improving the Defense Overall Helps Boost Fox
One player cannot make a team, and as the rest of the Rangers’ defense improves, so does Fox. There is still the question of whether Fox will be paired with his longtime partner, Ryan Lindgren, or if Laviolette finally gives us Fox paired with K’Andre Miller. Their play will directly impact Fox’s success regardless of who he is paired with.
Housley’s job is to do with the Rangers what he did in Nashville. Teamed up with Laviolette there, he was able to get the most out of an exciting defensive core, turning the Predators into one of the premier defensive teams in the NHL. Headlined by Fox, the Rangers’ defensive core may not be as star-studded defensively as the Predators’ core, but Miller, Lindgren, Jacob Trouba, Braden Schneider, Zac Jones, and Erik Gustafsson should form a group that Housley can usher in that direction.
The Rangers’ issues in their defensive end have stemmed from turnovers and elongated shifts in the defensive zone. Solid structure and decision-making should help alleviate both issues. Turnovers will happen, but a solid structure could be the difference between a puck exiting the zone quickly or you being hemmed in for a minute or more.
The Blueshirts should improve defensively if Housley can bring a culture to the Rangers’ defense that emphasizes quick decision-making, puck movement, and structure. Fox is the type of player who can create and move the puck from his own end just by utilizing his skill and intelligence. The rest of the Rangers would improve greatly from a structure and culture that emphasizes what to do when scrambling around in their own zone.
This change would bring the level of play up around Fox, whose game would only get better. Think about what having a Devon Toews-caliber defenseman does for Cale Makar in Colorado. I am not saying Miller is Toews or that the Rangers have that compliment, but Housley can help mitigate the underlying issues enough where Fox has those safety nets in place.
I look to Housley as the perfect guide for a relatively young defense, one whose wisdom should help Fox continue to evolve, and Miller, Jones, Gustaffson, and Schneider find more levels to their games. Should he succeed at his job, the Rangers’ defense will be a force to be reckoned with in 2023-24.
