Weeks ago, New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury fired Gerard Gallant as head coach just two years into the job. New York went to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2022 and lost in the first round in the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New Jersey Devils.
The Rangers blew a 2-0 lead in both of those series. Tampa Bay won it in six games and New Jersey won it in seven games. New York has not won a Stanley Cup Title since 1994 and hasn't been to the Stanley Cup Finals since 2014. This felt like a raw deal to fire Gerard Gallant just two years in. Who are some of the possible candidates to replace him?
Peter Laviolette
This hockey club doesn't need a culture change, they just need a coach who can potentially get them over the hump. Peter Laviolette has won a Stanley Cup Title back in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes. He also was in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Nashville Predators back in 2017 and also the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010.
Laviolette and the Washington Capitals recently parted ways. With the New York Rangers in win-now mode, he would be a perfect coach for this hockey team and there is a reason why he is in the lead to land the job.
John Hynes
John Hynes would be a very interesting hire if the New York Rangers went this route. He is a very good head coach. Hynes just got fired from the Nashville Predators and got a very raw deal with them. What he does very well is player development and the kids need to get developed in the worst way in order for them to take that next step.
One of the things that Hynes has always had as a coach is a very good goalie. Igor Shesterkin is the goalie for the Rangers and he also had Juuse Saros with the Nashville Predators. John Hynes is also very good friends with general manager Chris Drury.
Kris Knoblauch
Kris Knoblauch is currently the AHL coach in the New York organization for the Hartford Wolf Pack. During the 2021 COVID-19 shortened season, he coached a game for them against the Philadelphia Flyers and won convincingly. This is something that the Rangers could get behind.
There is also a possibility that Chris Drury wants to keep him in the minor leagues though. It will be interesting to see which route this franchise wants to go in. No matter how you look at it, the New York Rangers need to get this hire right.
Other possibilities: Mike Sullivan, Joel Quenneville, and Mike Babcock.