It’s been a painfully slow start to the Rangers off-season as the search for a new Head Coach has taken incredibly longer than most fans have hoped. So much so, that the Rangers were the only team in the league to not have a head coach prior to the official announcement of Peter Laviolette being named the 37th Head Coach in New York Rangers history. While this comes as rather unsurprising news, there’s still a fair amount to talk about regarding Laviolette. For starters, why did it take so long for the Rangers to make this decision? What can we expect from Laviolette’s New York era? How will he handle young players like Kakko and Lafreniere? What exactly does a new coach mean for this Rangers team?
It’s fair to assume that part of why this decision took so much time was because of the lackluster crop of available head coaches. Outside of Peter Laviolette, there really weren’t many big names out there and as we all know well enough up to this point, the NHL isn’t the most open to new ideas (or coaches). There is also speculation that the Rangers were holding out to see if either Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh) or Shelden Keefe (Toronto) were going to become available and as it turned out, that didn’t appear to be the case. The only other name that really seemed to be in consideration for the position was John Hynes who was recently relieved of his duties in Nashville. When it came down to it, Peter Laviolette, as he has been all along, was likely the safest bet for the Rangers given their current position, thus resulting in him landing the gig.
So what do the Rangers get in Laviolette? Well, his big selling point is the fact that he has a Stanley Cup under his belt with the Carolina Hurricanes. Granted, that’s a championship that’s almost two decades old at this point but a championship nevertheless. Alongside that, Laviolette has been in the Cup Final twice before. Once with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and again with the Nashville Predators in 2016. Additionally, Laviolette has coached with the New York Islanders in the early parts of his career as well as most recently with the Washington Capitals. He will coach his 1500th NHL game with the Rangers this season and in his 21 years as an NHL coach, has collected 752 wins in the process. Statistically speaking, he’s a fine coach and has a respectable resume to back him. The question will be how he handles a Rangers team that is equal parts in win now mode as well as needing to get the most out of their younger players.
The big thing Laviolette should bring to this group is a more structured system and a less relaxed attitude. Gerard Gallant is highly coveted as a players coach, meaning the guys on the team tend to have a good relationship with him which at the time of his hiring, was a good thing. However, this team is a much different team two seasons later. They need a guy who’s going to be less of a “it is what it is” kind of coach and have more of a demand for success. Emotion and a little fire are among the traits Laviolette will bring with him to this team and that in itself could be just what the doctor ordered. Between the talent this group has and the winning ability Laviolette has proven, I’m not super worried with how this team is going to be affected with a new coach on a nightly basis. The main concern is how he handles the young players and how he can be a difference maker in the postseason.
The downside to the Laviolette singing is he doesn't have the best track record when it comes to playing young guys and helping in the development process. He had tendencies to push younger guys down to the fourth line but at the same time, Chytil, Kakko and Lafreniere are starting to fall out of the “young kids” category. Besides, it’s not like the Rangers have the cap space to bring in a bunch of big name players so unless we run into situations reminiscent of second liners Dryden Hunt and Colin Blackwell, it hopefully won’t become too much of an issue. The bigger concern will be how Brennan Othmann’s transition to the NHL goes, assuming this is the year they start that process.
Nevertheless, Laviolette was the safe bet all along, so at this point in time, there really isn’t much else Rangers fans could do aside from welcome him aboard. Laviollete also spent some time in a Blueshirt once upon a time ago so hopefully it’ll be a nice homecoming and an all around ideal situation for the veteran coach. A welcome press conference will be held in the coming weeks so once that takes place, there will be plenty more to analyze and breakdown. At this time, Laviolette does not have any assistant coaches or much of a staff aside from Benoit Allaire and Mark Ciaccio. Potential candidates to slot in alongside Laviolette will be something to keep an eye but isn’t necessarily a pressing matter.
Chris Feldman
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