The New York Rangers struggled this season, missing the playoffs after winning the Presidents’ Trophy just last season and making it to the Eastern Conference Final. They recently decided to relieve Peter Laviolette of his duties as head coach and have begun searching for a new bench boss, while deciding to sign general manager Chris Drury to a multi-year contract extension to remain in the front office. While the search for a new coach continues, there were some rumblings on social media on Wednesday (Apr. 23) about the Rangers potentially having found their new head coach.
The source claimed that a “source” had revealed to her that John Tortorella, who was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, was going to be joining the Rangers in some capacity, insinuating he would be taking over as the new head coach.
Hearing from a source John Tortorella will be joining the Rangers.
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) April 23, 2025
The tweet circulated on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday night for a while before it was put to rest by several other sources, including Arthur Staple. Despite being called out for being wrong, the pundit doubled down on the fact that her source had informed her of this news, leading to fans speculating even more, which has led to even more confusion.
Related: New York Rangers’ Management Benched the Wrong Players This Season
At this time, there is no genuine report that the Rangers will be hiring Tortorella. Trusted insiders like Darren Dreger and Elliotte Friedman have yet to comment on the potential hiring, but Rangers representatives had previously stated they were going to interview some candidates and make a decision before the start of the 2025-26 regular season, but there was no way they were going to have this process completed so quickly.
Right now, we can confirm, this “report” is false and can be shot down as simple speculation.
Now, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Tortorella’s name in terms of coaches the Rangers will interview for the open position, but no official decisions will be made for a while. With the playoffs just getting underway, there is potential for even more firings that could make even more enticing candidates available after the first round. On top of that, nobody in the NHL knows what the future holds for current Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchet, and I am sure the Rangers would love a chance to check in with him, if he chooses to search for a new gig.
What Other Options Could Be Available?
The Rangers could look at Mike Sullivan if the Pittsburgh Penguins choose to let him go, and that would likely be their number one target if he is forced to search for a new gig. Former Edmonton Oilers’ head coach Jay Woodcroft could be another option, since he has had some success at the NHL level and has some strong experience behind a professional bench. Some assistant coaches around the league could earn an interview, too, including Marc Savard of the Toronto Maple Leafs, D.J. Smith of the Los Angeles Kings, and Jessica Campbell of the Seattle Kraken.
At the end of the day, this will be a long process that the Rangers will want to take their time in terms of choosing the next person who takes the reins, and the rumor that they have already completed that process is completely false.
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