There’s been a lot of issues with the New York Rangers this season. Sure, head coach Peter Laviolette deserves some fault – but this time the organization should direct the blame at the players first before even thinking about the 60-year-old.
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The core led by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, amongst others, have gotten away with too much.
Revolving Door of Head Coaches on Broadway
Since Zibanejad was acquired by the Blueshirts in 2016, the Swede has played for four different head coaches.
And it’s really gotten ridiculous, particularly over the past few seasons. Since 2021, the Rangers have had three different head coaches (David Quinn, Gerard Gallant, and now Laviolette). It’s not to say that some of these coaches didn’t deserve to get canned; Gallant certainly had it coming after getting badly out-coached in the first round of the playoffs in 2023 against the New Jersey Devils with what many considered the most talented roster the Rangers had since the 1994 Stanley Cup-winning team.
I have my issues with Laviolette (which includes his handling of Zac Jones) – but enough is enough already. It’s time to stop changing coaches so frequently.
Laviolette Asked to Work Miracles With Flawed Roster
When Laviolette first took the job to become the bench boss in 2023, he was asked to do what he could with a roster that just massively underperformed by getting bounced by the Devils in seven games. Don’t forget, the organization was in salary cap hell and many players had either no-move or no-trade clauses, which made changes to the roster difficult.
Laviolette got a few pieces from general manager Chris Drury including Erik Gustafsson, Jack Roslovic, and Alex Wennberg. He also helped develop Will Cuylle, who should be a staple inside the Rangers’ top nine for years to come. But it’s not like the Franklin, Massachusetts native got Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, and the team flamed out. No, Laviolette maximized everything out of his group before running into the eventual Stanely Cup champions in the Eastern Conference Final, the Florida Panthers.
Fast forward several months later, and Laviolette finds himself on the hot seat. In terms of total points, the Rangers rank seventh-worst in the league. It’s been a mentally challenging season full of off-ice drama, which led to former captain Jacob Trouba getting traded.
The easy move is to fire Laviolette and rely on the hope that things turn around. At some point, the mindset needs to change and the constant revolving door of head coaches needs to end. Continuity is a necessity – you can’t sustain success by firing coaches every one or two years. If Drury decides again in less than two years that it’s time for another change, what does that say about the executive? How can owner James Dolan allow him to hire another coach? Eventually, you need to take a hard look at the person that’s running the operations. Dolan just may have to intervene and hire a new hockey executive. You can’t sell the fanbase on another retread or a failed NHL bench boss. The problem goes beyond the coaches. The group needs a retool.
The Only Reason Laviolette Should Get Fired
While it would be absurd to fire yet another coach, it does make sense in one scenario. That’s if someone like Mike Sullivan becomes available. But that does not seem likely any time soon, as the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the playoff hunt after a slow start to the season.
However, Sullivan will be a name to watch, if the Penguins flame out and miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season. But that’s not an option right now. Should Drury be allowed to save 2024-25 by firing Laviolette for an experienced NHL head coach or give the interim title to someone on the staff like Dan Muse? No way. Not again. That should be the answer from Dolan.
Drury should not get to hire a third coach midway through his fourth season as president and GM. The 48-year-old’s job should be completing the makeover of a flawed roster. Drury will have the next several months to make trades and move some more core pieces, whether that be Ryan Lindgren, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July, or somebody with term like Kreider.
If the Rangers get off to a disastrous start again in 2025-26, you have to think not only will Dolan be looking for a new coach, but a new GM as well. Unless Sullivan becomes available, Laviolette deserves to at least go down with the entire ship, if that winds up being the case.
