By Peter Valentino
Earlier this month, the Rangers decided to fire head coach Alain Vigneault, ending a five- year reign behind the bench. His time as head coach was a slow and steady decline from his run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2014 to being eliminated from the playoffs in 2018. Now, the Rangers have a job opening, with the new coach taking control of a very young and underdeveloped team with quite a few holes. So who should they pick? Well, there are a few options.
1. Darryl Sutter: Although he was surprisingly fired for missing the playoffs in 2017, he is by far the most decorated coach on the market. His teams play a tough, physical style of hockey, as the Rangers saw first hand in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs (the name Alec Martinez is banned in my household). The problem with Sutter is that he is, for the most part, more of a finished product coach, rather than a coach for the rebuild. When he was hired by both Calgary and Los Angeles, the teams were starting to come into their own before their Stanley Cup runs. His name will be mentioned, but probably not considered.
2. Dave Tippett: This is the most viable option if you want someone to take over from the former NHL head coaching sphere. This man gave the Coyotes their best season ever, but he was caught in the throes of incompetent ownership. He was one of the shining points of the Arizona hockey experiment. He deserves a second chance, but probably not with the Rangers (Dallas, maybe?). The Rangers are looking for fresh blood for a team that anyone would love to be the coach for. So who are the young guys?
3. Jim Montgomery: An NCAA champion in 2017, Montgomery has a decorated record at the University of Denver. At 48, he played for a few years in the NHL before turning to coaching. The injection of youth and experience would be something that the Rangers could appreciate, especially since the team probably will not be competitive next year.
4. Sheldon Keefe: At 37, the Toronto Marlies coach has made the playoffs two out of the three seasons he has been at the helm. More importantly, he has overseen the development of the Toronto Maple Leafs players who helped make the playoffs for the past two years. He’d be a very interesting pick for the Rangers.
5. Rand Pecknold: The longtime head coach of Quinnipiac has been on many people’s list for many years. He has overseen the building of their program and has gotten a lot out of the team for what they have. If there is one man who deserves to have an NHL job, it’s him. Maybe it is his time with the Rangers.
The wild card is Dan Bylsma–not for really any good reason–because he is a big name coach who may help with the star power on the team, as seen with what he did with Pittsburgh. The head coaching search will take time, but they hopefully can find a new face to help with developing the young players.
