It’s been just over two weeks (18 days) since the Rangers disappointed in their Game 7 loss to the Devils and frankly, there hasn’t been much going on since the Rangers let the majority of their coaching staff go. In relation to situations with individual players, specifically regarding contract extensions, there hasn’t been a ton of noise making its way through the airwaves. However, conversation has picked up on the search for a Head Coach, albeit mostly in terms of narrowing down who the Rangers might be interested in. Very shortly after the Rangers let Gallant and company go, I wrote a piece on the decision and mentioned several different names that should or shouldn’t be considered for the gig. With plenty of time to reflect on those thoughts and some new information coming to fruition, I’m going to revisit the topic with what we now know in mind.
At this point, it’s hard to say who the front runner really is if anyone but what we do know is the Toronto Maple Leafs have given the Rangers permission to speak with and or interview their current Assistant Coach, Spencer Carbery. (As reported by Elliotte Friedman among others) Not the Maple Leafs Assistant I was most interested in, (we want Manny!) but an intriguing option nonetheless. With the Leafs nearly getting swept by Florida, they are facing many of the similar questions and concerns that the Rangers are. The more it was looking like the Leafs were going to be eliminated, the more the name Sheldon Keefe, current Head Coach of Toronto, circled through discussions and thoughts of Rangers fans. I will say, after listening to one of the more recent episodes of the Steve Dangle Podcast, any interest I may have had in Keefe is now gone as a lot of the things they critiqued him for were the same things Rangers fans critiqued Gerard Gallant for.
That being said, I wouldn’t get any tails wagging about the Rangers targeting Keefe if the Leafs decide to let him go. Mentions of his inability to adapt in game and getting out coached by opponents were quite similar to a lot of the big issues with Gallant. Now what about Spencer Carbery? Carbery is a younger candidate and one of the rising coaching prospects around the league. After playing in various leagues just under the AHL, he started coaching with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL where he served as an Assistant Coach, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. From there, he moved on to the OHL where he served as HC of the Saginaw Spirit before taking another AC gig in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. After one year there, he became the HC of the Hershey Bears where he spent several seasons before landing his current gig in the NHL with Toronto.
This isn’t the first time Carbery has been in consideration for a Head Coach vacancy at the NHL level as he was next in line for the San Jose Sharks gig last season behind David Quinn and was also considered in Boston before they went with Jim Montgomery. In addition to New York, the Leafs also gave Anaheim and Washington permission to interview him so this doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a good chance he’s the next coach of the Rangers. I don’t know a ton about what Carbery brings to the table aside from the fact that he ran the Leafs power play which has been fairly strong over the last couple seasons. If anything, I’m glad to see the Rangers considering a fresh face which is hopefully a good sign they’ll avoid cycling through the same names the league has exhausted the last couple decades.
That being said, there has been some mention of some recycled names. If the Rangers opt to play it safe in their quest to win a championship, Peter Laviolette still appears to be the best bet in that regard. There hasn’t been much chatter about his next destination but he did say he intends to continue coaching and I’m sure if not the Rangers, someone will want him around. Andrew Brunette who is currently an Assistant Coach in New Jersey is a name that others have mentioned but there isn’t much belief the Devils, who are one of the Rangers big rivals, would allow New York to speak with Brunette. Mike Babcock, who was one of the big names on my no fly list, has been mentioned in the early parts of the search. Apparently, there was some interest out of the organization but there was a lot of disinterest as well. Which poses a serious question of who is really going to be calling the shots in this process, as well as most of the decisions moving forward.
Obviously Chris Drury is at the helm of the decisions as President and General Manager but we can’t forget about the two names above him who are capable of calling some of the shots, most commonly the rash ones. Glen Sather, who yes after all these years is still around, serves as Senior Advisor and Governor to the Owner (James Dolan) and Alternate Governor (Chris Drury). Based on that alone you have to think any interest in Babcock likely came from Grandpa Sather and Whacky Uncle Jim Dolan. I stand by the take that Mike Babcock would be an awful direction for the Rangers to take and hopefully the ultimate decision will come down to Chris Drury. However, as long as Sather and Dolan are still around, you can never be sure of what is going to happen. Lastly, Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan spoke out in saying that he plans to be in Pittsburgh for the long haul, nixing any pipe dreams Rangers fans have of him coming to the Big Apple.
Chris Feldman
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