Ah, the beginning signs of Spring…The Cherry Blossoms are in bloom, the crack of the baseball bat, and yes, the hiring of another New York Rangers head coach. It seems like we go down this road every two years or so. The Rangers hire a new coach. The Rangers fire a coach. The Rangers hire a new coach, and it keeps going and going and going.
Let’s check recent history, shall we? It was in 2018 that the Blueshirts were looking for a new man to lead the team. They settled on David Quinn, he of no NHL head coaching experience. Tried as he might, Quinn failed to produce and was gone after the 2021 season.
Thinking the team needed an experienced leader the Rangers next turned to Gerard Gallant. gallant had coached two other teams in the NHL and even led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final. Surely he would be the one to bring the Rangers to the promised land. That experiment lasted two whole seasons and Gallant was shown the door.
Let’s move to 2023, the team had its mind on a former Stanley Cup-winning coach with a decent coaching resume. They hired Peter Laviolette, who won a Cup as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. This hiring looked to be the one who could not lose. In his first year, Laviolette coached the team to the Presidents’ Trophy and took them to within 2 games of the Finals. But all good things must come to a quick end if you are a Rangers coach. This past season, the Rangers spiraled out of control, and Laviolette was shown the door.
So here we are again, the Rangers, with one Stanley Cup in the last 85 years looking for a new leader. Who could possibly fix this mess? Well since God is currently unavailable they may have found a good second choice. Just last week the Pittsburgh Penguins and their coach Mike Sullivan parted ways. Sullivan coached the Pens for 10 years and helped lead them to back to back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Sullivan, in fact, had many ties to the Rangers. First off, he was drafted by the team as a player in 1987. He never played for them, but did play almost 800 games in the NHL. In addition, Sullivan was a Rangers assistant coach under John Tortorella from 2009-2013 before being let go. Rangers GM Chris Drury not only went to the same college as Sullivan, but also played for him as a player as well. Most recently, the pair teamed up to lead the USA team in the Four Nations tournament.
When Sullivan was let go, it was only a matter of time before the Rangers were going to make him an offer. They did just that, signing him to a contract as the highest-paid coach in NHL history. He is now the 38th head coach in NY Rangers history. Now that the Rangers have their man behind the bench, there is an even bigger problem: the roster.
The Rangers are a flawed team, with many aging veterans on long-term bad contracts. In addition, they have some younger core players who are simply regressing and not improving. It will be interesting to see if Drury moves on from Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad, two veteran players who are simply on their way to decline.
The young core players need some addressing as well. Alex Lafrenierre was supposed to be their next star, even next captain. After a breakout season in 2023-24, Lafranierre was signed to a long-term term big-money deal midseason this past year. However, as soon as the ink had dried, Lafrenierre suddenly became invisible and was a huge disappointment. If the Rangers can find a trade partner for him, they should make the move in a heartbeat.
Another player from the same draft class as Lafrenierre was K’Andre Miller. Miller was supposed to be a mainstay on defense for years to come, having size and speed. This past season, however, Miller’s game declined severely, and he was a turnover machine on the blueline. Miller is a restricted free agent, and it would not be a shock if the team lets him walk.
The Rangers still have some key components to their roster. With some slight tweaking, they can get back into the mix for a Cup as soon as next year. With Igor Shesterkin in goal and Adam Fox on defense, those are two players to build a foundation around. Young players like Will Cullye, Braden Schneider, Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Gabe Perreault should be their nucleus for the future. If the team gets a little tougher to play against with a bit more bite to their game, they can contend again next year.
This will all fall into the lap of the new coach, Mike Sullivan. Can the new cook make steak out of minced meat? Or will it be another disappointing meal? It all depends on being seen. If all else fails, we can readdress the Rangers’ situation in two years when they will probably be looking for a new coach!
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