Peter Laviolette was fired as coach of the New York Rangers on Saturday, ending his tenure after two seasons, the second of which was a massive underachievement of missing the playoffs.
General manager Chris Drury made the move less than 48 hours after the finale of a lost season that followed a trip to the Eastern Conference final last year and set the stage for Stanley Cup-contending aspirations. Instead, the result was inconsistent, uninspired hockey that caused New York to get eliminated from contention, finish six points out and cost Laviolette his job.
Assistant Phil Housley was also fired. Owner James Dolan and Drury are expected to start the search for a full-time head coach soon, and roster changes are all but certain to happen in the coming weeks and months.
“Today I informed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we’re making a coaching change,” Drury said. “I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach.”
Current assistants Michael Peca and Dan Muse are expected to have the opportunity to interview for the head coaching job. It is unclear what kind of style of coach the Rangers are looking for as Laviolette's successor, and Drury's pick from a wide range of experienced options will show the direction of the organization moving forward.
Whoever is in charge will have a lot of work to do after the Rangers fell apart over the past several months.
The collapse was marked by two veteran players being unceremoniously shown the exit: Forward Barclay Goodrow put on waivers and claimed by last-place San Jose in June and captain Jacob Trouba threatened with the same before agreeing to waive his no-trade clause to get shipped off to Anaheim in December. Players who stayed appeared to regress, from top center Mika Zibanejad and defensemen Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller to goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who posted by far his worst save percentage of his career in North America.
Laviolette was in his sixth head-coaching job in the NHL after getting hired in June 2023. He spent the previous three with Washington and also coached Nashville, Philadelphia, Carolina and the Islanders, winning the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.
The Rangers making a change came hours after the Anaheim Ducks fired Greg Cronin, creating the first vacancy of many expected around the league. Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia have interim coaches with searches also expected to get underway soon, and Vancouver could also be launching one if Rick Tocchet does not return.
After David Quinn and Gerard Gallant, Laviolette is the third coach Drury has dismissed since getting the job in May 2021 when Dolan abruptly fired then-president of hockey operations John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton and put him in charge of hockey operations.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
