According to a piece from the New York Post‘s Larry Brooks and Mollie Walker, the New York Rangers have agreed to name Peter Laviolette their new head coach (from ‘Rangers hire Peter Laviolette as new head coach after a lengthy search, New York Post, 6/13/23).
Rangers Name Peter Laviolette as Their New Head Coach
Laviolette had been rumored as one of the finalists for the Rangers’ head coaching vacancy for the last few weeks. He and the Washington Capitals agreed to part ways on April 14 following the conclusion of their regular season on April 13. His contract was due to expire on June 30, and the club wanted to go in a different direction following missing the postseason this year for the first time since 2013-14.
Laviolette has been the head coach for the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, and Washington Capitals. He won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006 and coached the runner-up in the 2010 (Flyers) and 2017 (Predators) Playoffs. He has numerous postseason appearances since his first head coaching job in 2001-02 with the Islanders.
According to Brooks and Walker, Laviolette’s coaching style highlights an aggressive forecheck and an emphasis on defense. The coach is known for making in-game adjustments well, which was not a strength of the Rangers’ previous head coach, Gerard Gallant.
Brooks and Walker wrote the other candidates that the Rangers president/general manager (GM) considered for the head coaching vacancy were John Hynes, Spencer Carbery, Mike Babcock, Jay Leach and current Hartford Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch. Carbery accepted the head coaching job with the Capitals on May 30, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to hire Babcock as their next head coach following the expiration of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Laviolette has a career coaching record of 717-466-25. He coached the Capitals last season, one of the oldest teams in the league. His experience coaching veterans will benefit him in coaching some of the Rangers’ veteran players in Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and captain Jacob Trouba.
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According to a piece for The Hockey Writers by former contributor Gabriel Guindi, Laviolette is described as a coach that holds his players responsible and does not have an issue with developing young players. Previous Rangers’ head coaches, David Quinn and Gallant did not always develop young forwards on the roster properly.
Laviolette has an opportunity to get the most out of young players such as Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere, assuming the club and the restricted free agent agree on an extension during the offseason. The former number one overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft found himself on the bench if he was struggling during games under Quinn and Gallant’s tenures as head coach of the Rangers.
Guindi writes that Laviolette gives opportunities to young players while being impartial to the veterans on the roster. The head coach has a proven track record of winning in the playoffs. Aside from the three years when he was fired mid-season, the Franklin, Massachusetts native has made the Stanley Cup playoffs during 13 of the 18 years he has finished as the head coach of an organization.
The question that will linger in the minds of Rangers fans is can Laviolette lead the club to its first Stanley Cup championship since the 1994 Playoffs? Laviolette’s hiring represents the club’s third head coach since Quinn accepted the role on May 23, 2018.
Laviolette has previous experience as the head coach in tough sports markets during his time with the Islanders and Flyers. His time as a head coach for those franchises will help him in his transition to coaching in Manhattan with the Rangers.
The organization has a reputation for making hasty decisions regarding front office and coaching firings. GM Drury needs his latest coaching hire in Laviolette to lead the Rangers to a championship. The president/GM will likely find himself out of a job if New York continues to fall short of winning a Stanley Cup over the next few seasons.
