If the Rangers make a coaching change, who would be the right replacement?
The topsy-turvy circus that has been the New York Rangers 2024-25 season will come to an end this week, an early end that few could’ve predicted prior to things kicking off in October.
The Rangers entered the year having won the President’s Trophy but were effectively eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention this past weekend. It marks the fourth time in NHL history that a team won the President’s Trophy but missed the postseason the following year. The Blueshirts have suffered the fate twice, missing the playoffs in 1993 after finishing with the league’s best record in 1991-92.
The question now is – what went wrong? Was it a lackluster start to the season that the Rangers were unable to recover from? Was it general manager Chris Drury’s memo saying everyone’s for sale? Or was it mismanagement by head coach Peter Laviolette?
With the team’s huge drop-off, Laviolette has fallen out of favor with fans in New York, which could spell a coaching change this summer.
On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Jonny Lazarus joined Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk to discuss who could take over as bench boss in Manhattan.
Jonny Lazarus: I’d want someone who hasn’t won a Cup elsewhere. It’s actually interesting, though. I think there’s a chance like a Michael Peca, who’s been an assistant coach, could get a look. Someone within the organization that the players seem to really like and has done a good job in his role. That’s a name that stands out. … I don’t want to sound basic here, but depending on what they feel the team can do next year, like Joel Quenneville could probably be in the mix. I don’t know if that’s something that’s totally off the table. Maybe they go the college route, even though I don’t necessarily think they should. … Give a guy like David Carle an interview. Colby [Cohen] said in our show this morning, just based on David Carle’s tone the last time they spoke at the Frozen Four, he thinks that the NHL isn’t totally off the table for him. So, maybe that’s the direction they go in. Those are just three names off the top of my head that I can think of.
Frank Seravalli: I would keep Rick Tocchet toward the top of the Rangers’ list. I think if he becomes a free agent, if the [Vancouver] Canucks don’t get a deal done with him, that I think the Rangers would be really interested in a guy like Rick Tocchet.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…