The New York Rangers are struggling this season, and their head coach Peter Laviolette may come away as the scapegoat for their shortcomings.
Peter Laviolette’s Rangers job security could go either way
Outside of the Buffalo Sabres (0-7-3) and Columbus Blue Jackets (2-6-2), the Rangers (3-7) have been the worst team in the NHL’s Eastern Conference over the last 10 games. Last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners have not lived up to expectations thus far.
With that weighed in the balance, Laviolette’s culpability for New York’s woes could work toward him getting fired. Larry Brooks of the New York Post said this about management’s views on cycling out yet another head coach (h/t Athlon Sports’ Antonio Losada):
“The hierarchy has no stomach to fire Laviolette after firing Gerard Gallant two years ago and David Quinn four years ago,” Brooks wrote. “There is no stomach to affix the blame on yet another coach instead of taking care of the coach-averse core.”
However, per Losada, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple said that “Laviolette’s term might be coming to a premature end.”
Rangers may stick with Laviolette despite HC carousel
The 60-year-old is the third Rangers head coach in the last five seasons. New York has not reached the Stanley Cup Final since 2013-14, though Laviolette led them to the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the fourth time in that span.
Management may justifiably be weary of going through a revolving door of head coaches, which could be just as detrimental to the team as employing patience in the midst of an adverse stretch of the campaign.
Prior to coaching the Rangers, the former Rangers player himself also led the charge for the Washington Capitals, was a one-time Western Conference Champion with the Predators, a one-time Eastern Conference Champion with the Philadelphia Flyers, and a Stanley Cup Champion as a fourth-year head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06 following his first lead gig with the New York Islanders.
Laviolette is not focused on his job security
Per NHL.com’s Robby Stanley, Laviolette most recently touched on his position with the team prior to New York’s Tuesday night matchup against the Nashville Predators, saying:
“Those are things that I can’t control,” Laviolette said about his job security. “I’ve been in this a long time. There are always those conversations wherever you go, especially if you’ve been in it for a long time. My real concern, main concern, is getting a win tonight, getting back on track, getting back into the playoff race.”
The NHL’s third-winningest active head coach will look to galvanize the Rangers out of their cold spell moving forward.
