“He’s just day to day with the lower-body injury,” Sullivan said. “It’s more precautionary than anything. It’s so early in training camp. We just want to make sure … we get ahead of anything that could potentially be on the radar.”

Panarin likely will miss the preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon. In his absence, Alexis Lafreniere moved on to a line centered by Vincent Trocheck at practice Saturday. Sullivan’s been pairing key forwards early in camp, but not loading three-forward combinations just yet. Lafreniere’s been a staple on a line with Panarin and Lafreniere the past two seasons.

Artemi Panarin sets up Carey Terrance. #NYR pic.twitter.com/YCqXZQHz12

— Remy Mastey (@MasteyRemy) September 19, 2025

To say that losing Panarin for any length of time in the regular season would be a disaster is an understatement. The soon-to-be 34-year-old left wing led the Rangers with 37 goals and 89 points in 2024-25, though those numbers were a big drop from the 49 goals and 120 points he piled up in 2023-24. He’s also entering the final season of his seven-year contract; general manager Chris Drury said earlier this week that he wasn’t divulging anything about talks concerning a new contract.

Panarin was idled by the same kind of injury near the end of camp last season but piled up 15 points in the Rangers’ first eight regular-season games. He’s missed just two games during the past three seasons.

Other news from the second day of Ranger training camp:

Mike Sullivan outlines roles for his assistants

Much of Sullivan’s post-practice media scrum consisted of detailing what roles assistant coaches David Quinn, Joe Sacco and Ty Hennes will play this season.

Quinn, who worked with Sullivan in Pittsburgh last season after spending two seasons coaching the San Jose Sharks following his firing by the Rangers in 2021, will handle the defensemen and the power play. Sacco, who wasn’t retained after serving as interim coach for the Boston Bruins last season, is in charge of the forwards and the penalty kill.

All three have one thing in common: They played at Boston University, as did Rangers GM Chris Drury.

Hennes’ ties with Sullivan go back to 2018-19, when he started as a skating and skills coach. He mostly led skills drills and injured players’ rehab skates for four seasons before being promoted to an assistant role in 2022-23.

“Ty is going to wear a lot of hats,” Sullvan said. “He’ll be very involved with skill development and player development, but also he does some tracking of statistical things for us manually that we value.”

Sullivan said his new group is already working well together.

“I really like our staff,” he said. “I think there’s a chemistry that’s so important among the coaching staff, just like a group of players. I like the group that we’ve assembled. I think everyone, they get along pretty well. We have some laughs, but when it’s time to go to work, we go to work.”

Will Cuylle likely to start season in top six

One of the few positives from last season was the development of second-year forward Will Cuylle, who reached the 20-goal mark and set a Rangers record for hits in a season with 301. He began the season on the third line but spent much of the second half of the season in the top six – and Sullivan said that’s where he’s likely to begin the new season.

“He’s big, he’s strong, he’s powerful,” Sullivan said. “He plays a solid, straight-ahead game. He goes to the net. He’s physical. Every team in the League loves to have those type of players.

“As far as the role he’s going to play on the team, I think he’s going to play a similar role to the one he played last year. I think he’s a power forward (who) we can use around the lineup. I would envision him playing in the top six, at least to start, and see where it goes.”

Mike Sullivan talks coaching role with Team USA

The new Rangers coach will be handling two jobs this season: He’s also been named as coach of Team USA at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics — repeating the role he played in February at the 4 Nations Face-Off, when the United States lost the gold medal game to Canada in overtime.

He was asked if being coach of Team USA would add another layer to the coach/player dynamic.

“It’s something I’m definitely aware of, but I’m not sure what that dynamic means to our relationships,” he said. “I can speak for myself — I’m going into this now and my main focus is on the New York Rangers, and I can assure you that everything we’re doing is on the New York Rangers. We’re going to do everything we can to try to bring what we can to the table every day to help move this team forward.”

Sullivan said Team USA general manager Bill Guerin, the GM of the Minnesota Wild, “also has a group of managers that I think are very experienced and knowledgeable in building these types of teams; they will have voices in those decisions also. So although I will have some influence, ultimately those decisions will primarily be Billy Guerin’s. I don’t foresee the relationship between the players we have that are challenging for those roster spots having a huge impact.”

Dave Starman to succeed Dave Maloney as Rangers radio analyst

If you watch the NHL Network’s coverage of the World Junior Championship, you’re undoubtedly familiar with Dave Starman, who’s excelled for years in his role as analyst for Team USA’s games. He’s also worked for CBS Sports, among other media outlets, and covered the WJC for NHL.com. Now you’ll hear him on a regular basis; he will take over as the Rangers radio analyst, working alongside play-by-play announcer Alex Faust.

I'm not quite sure I have the words to describe how special this is. Sal and JD were two of my most important mentors when I started as an analyst in 1991. #whosaysyoucantgoback? Nice being home! https://t.co/ckV8Df8mhu

— Dave Starman (@DStarmanHockey) September 19, 2025

Starman is succeeding Dave Maloney and Faust will do the same for Kenny Albert; the longtime radio pair are taking over the TV side after the retirements of Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti following the 2024-25 season.

Dave has also been an NHL scout, is a member of USA Hockey Player Development staff in New York State and has spent  25 years as an instructor with the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program. He knows the game inside and out and should prove to be a worthy successor to Maloney.

Mike Sullivan and David Quinn returned in new roles to the organization this offseason. Sullivan, a Rangers assistant under John Tortorella from 2009-14, replaces Peter Laviolette as Blueshirts bench boss. Quinn, who was Rangers coach for three seasons from 2018-21, is back as Sullivan’s assistant, the same role he had last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

So there’s both a freshness and a familiarity with Sullivan running the show in New York, with Quinn as his sidekick.

“Let alone about Mike Sullivan’s maturation after being an assistant coach here and to go on and coach two Stanley Cup winners and elite players,” Maloney told Forever Blueshirts on a RINK RAP podcast in July. “I think it’s beneficial that he and David Quinn have been in the market. There’s no kind of learning period. OK, how do I get from Westchester to the rink on game day? Where am I going to live? … I just think that’s a first step in the right direction.”

Maloney does seem to be on to something. It’s not just the literal lay of the land here in New York. It’s the collective knowledge for Sullivan and Quinn of working in the Rangers organization, including with team owner James Dolan. It’s understanding the media and the heavy scrutiny that comes with coaching under the glare of New York’s Original Six franchise.

That’s not even mentioning the 31-year Stanley Cup drought or the fact that the Rangers have won one championship in 85 years. That’s some serious pressure.

“It’s even harder to win in New York,” Maloney simply stated.

Related: Matt Rempe ‘still learning’ as he prepares for training camp, Rangers reporter says

Mike Sullivan could fill leadership ‘vacuum’ as Rangers coach, MSGN analyst believes

After the dismal 2024-25 season, when the Rangers missed the playoffs one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, Maloney firmly believed the organization needed to shake things up. That starts with the coaching staff, even though Maloney had respect for the previous regime.

But things were so rotten that drastic measures needed to be taken. The fact that Sullivan and Quinn bring a a clean slate — along with championship gravitas in the head coach’s case — and respective Rangers backgrounds, is all the better for Maloney.

“Coaching elite players — and Sidney Crosby will go down today as one of the greatest players in the game, and you throw [Evgeni] Malkin into the mix, you throw [Kris] Letang into the mix — I just think that experience, when we look back on last season, there was just a little bit of a vacuum when it came to leadership, particularly when things went wrong,” Maloney said. “Between the experience of Quinn and Sullivan, and the rearranging of the core, I think it’s a step that had to be taken.

“Last year’s done, it’s over, finished. Time to move on. Then you say, what are you going to do about it.”

General manager Chris Drury was aggressive, firing Laviolette almost immediately. And he landed his dream coach, Sullivan, in short order after he mutually parted ways with the Penguins after 10 years.

Then, Drury traded forward Chris Kreider and defenseman K’Andre Miller, and signed free-agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to continue the roster makeover.

“I think Chris deserves credit for moving contracts without holding money,” Maloney offered. “It’s a fresh start. I like what’s been happening in the offseason.”

The changes included one that couldn’t have been easy for those involved. Quinn returned to be an assistant, a step back from his previous role here. That took swallowing some pride and ego. And it couldn’t have been easy for Drury either, since his first major move after being named Rangers general manager in 2021 was to fire Quinn.

David Quinn making Rangers return on Mike Sullivan’s coaching staff https://t.co/kq5lqoBeMB pic.twitter.com/NvigBt04yV

— New York Post (@nypost) June 5, 2025

But yet, here we are today.

“I give credit to both of them for being [leaders],” Maloney said. “I give David Quinn an awful lot of credit. To me, I know it was tough when he got let go, that hurt. But you know what? …. You roll over, you continue to fight. If you take that event as a learning step along the way and make it work. So, I give David Quinn a lot of credit, and also my understanding is that Chris right away reached out when Mike had presented it. Both of them are stand up.”

And with that, Maloney believes the Rangers are in a better spot heading into the 2025-26 season with Sullivan and Quinn back on the coaching staff. A fresh yet familiar re-start for the Blueshirts.

Mind you, it wasn’t the Rangers doing, at least not in a direct sense.

Instead, Brad Marchand, one of greatest agitators in NHL history, decided to troll the Rangers on social media. Marchand posted a photo of former Rangers defenseman Niko Mikkola holding up two fingers at what appears to be a team dinner with “THANKS @NYRANGERS” splashed over the picture.

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Niko Mikkola 🤣 pic.twitter.com/YGfQ0HdKdE

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) June 20, 2025

Of course, no Rangers fan needs to be reminded that Mikkola redefined his career when he left New York after the 2022-23 season and signed with Florida as a free agent. In what seems like a flash, Mikkola transformed into a tough — physically and mentally — brute on the back end, a lineup staple during consecutive championship runs.

Give credit to both the Panthers staff and the player himself for the transformation that took place after he left the Rangers. Though, it should be noted that Mikkola was somewhat of a pleasant surprise on Broadway when the Rangers acquired him along with Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline.

But really, it’d be a stretch to say anyone saw what was coming in Florida. Right time. Right place.

Bringing it full circle, Marchand’s earned the right to do all the chirping and trolling he wants these days after the 37-year-old finished third on the Panthers with 10 goals in the postseason, including five in the six-game Stanley Cup Final win against the Edmonton Oilers.

That wasn’t Mikkola trolling his former team. Just Marchand doing what Marchand does.

And lest you believe the Rangers were his only target, Marchand called out one of New York’s biggest rivals, as well.

Brad Marchand sent his thanks to the #NJDevils for Vitek Vanecek, Jesper Boqvist & Tomas Nosek via IG story. pic.twitter.com/8v8dj3AtJK

— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) June 20, 2025

TUNE IN to the latest RINK RAP podcast with special guest Pierre McGuire! Watch at the Forever Blueshirts YouTube page and Listen Here to the audio-only version.

New York Rangers news

Pierre McGuire firmly believes the Rangers defense corps will improve dramatically next season with assistant David Quinn in charge.

Though their roster is far from that of the rugged Panthers, the Rangers do have the makings of an emerging and impactful identity line with Matt Rempe, Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom.

The Rangers re-signed Matthew Robertson to a two-year contract Friday, another piece of offseason business taken care of.

If you somehow missed it, Rempe signed a two-year contract to stay with the Rangers the other day, as well.

Speaking of Rempe, it says here that the Rangers have a budding identity line potentially with him, Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom.

So what exactly was it Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist said on TNT that makes him “miss the game so much”?

Our Eric Charles looked ahead to the second round of the NHL Draft and two unique talents the Rangers may consider when they select at No. 43 overall. Charles also broke down the games of rugged forward prospects Mason West and Jack Murtagh as possible second-round picks.

NHL news and rumors

Daily Faceoff: It might’ve been a bit alcohol fueled, but Conn Smythe Trophy winner and pending UFA Sam Bennett told a raucous crowd in South Florida that “I ain’t f—ing leaving” the Panthers.

Sportsnaut: Connor McDavid helped fuel the NHL rumors mill by telling the media there’s “no rush” to decide his future with the Edmonton Oilers as he enters the final season of his contract and could become a UFA at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

TSN: McDavid also broke — no pun intended — the news that teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played with a broken hand in the Stanley Cup Final.

Daily Faceoff: Restricted free agent Evan Bouchard made it clear that he wishes to re-sign with the Oilers, saying “I want to be here” on Thursday.

Sportsnet: Reportedly, Jonathan Toews is on the verge of agreeing to a contract with his hometown Winnipeg Jets to return to the NHL after two years away.

NHL.com: The Seattle Kraken acquired forward Mason Marchment in a trade with the Dallas Stars for two mid-round draft picks.

TSN: The Stars moved Marchment after they re-signed pending UFA Matt Duchene to a four-year, $18 million contract.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: (Briefly) former Rangers forward Nick Bonino announced his retirement from the NHL and then was named an assistant under Dan Muse on the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching staff.

NYI Hockey Now: Did Noah Dobson really ask for $11 million annually in contract negotiations with the New York Islanders?

The Athletic ($$): A breakdown of which teams should have interest in RFA defenseman Bowen Byram if he’s traded by the Buffalo Sabres. Yes, the Rangers are included.

Semantics aside, NHL insider Pierre McGuire believes Quinn’s return in a support role behind the bench will be a great benefit to the Rangers, when they try and rebound from a dismal showing this past season.

In particular, McGuire sees the Rangers defense corps benefitting greatly under Quinn’s supervision next season.

“David teaches defense really well. David teaches puck movement very well. David’s really good at communicating with players,” McGuire told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast. “Sometimes when you’re the head coach stuff gets lost in the wash because of stuff you say to the media or the way you discipline a player, the way you sort out ice time. He doesn’t have to worry about that any more. He doesn’t need to talk to the media any more. He doesn’t need to worry about the ice time he’s doling out to the forwards because his expertise level is working with defensemen.

“So, he’s going to be much more comfortable there. I think David is going to fit in really well.”

As he did last season working under Sullivan as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Quinn will be in charge of the defensemen with the Rangers. That’s his sweet spot and comfort zone, being a former defenseman himself.

Quinn is well respected for his ability to teach and should be able to do more of that in this role as opposed to when he was the Rangers head coach from 2018-21 — though it should be noted that he did help bring along many young players during that time when the Rangers were in the thick of a rebuild. Adam Fox, for one, won the Norris Trophy as top NHL defenseman in 2020-21, his second season in the League, under Quinn’s watch.

To be blunt, the Rangers defense was a complete mess this past season. The mind-numbing turnovers and mistakes and blown coverages were too numerous to count and a major reason why the Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years.

Perhaps it was the man-to-man defensive system. Perhaps there was a disconnect between coach Peter Laviolette, assistant Phil Housley and the players themselves. Either way, McGuire sees Quinn as one who can help fix what ails the Rangers defensively.

“Something happened in New York last year where guys didn’t get better,” McGuire said. “K’Andre Miller didn’t get better. Braden Schneider didn’t get better. Adam Fox, for Adam Fox, had a pretty pedestrian year. … Something happened and the Rangers need to fix that. And I think David Quinn can be that guy.

“But I do know one thing, guys are going to get better with David Quinn coaching the defense.”

Related: Rangers not built like champion Panthers, but do have emerging identity line led by Matt Rempe

Pierre McGuire believes David Quinn will be ‘great assistant coach for the New York Rangers’

Of course, there’s that small detail that Chris Drury fired Quinn in his first major move after he was named general manager in the spring of 2021. And Quinn was not shy about going public with how pissed he was by the decision.

“That was a crazy year, there was so many things going on behind the scenes,” Quinn revealed at the time on the Cam and Strick Podcast. “That being said, in my conversations with the Rangers before I got let go I asked one question, ‘Did we overachieve, underachieve, or do what we should’ve done this year,’ and the answer I got was, ‘We probably overachieved a little bit.’”

“Then I said, ‘What the f*** are we talking about!’”

Clearly, Sullivan is the buffer here. He wanted Quinn, his college teammate at Boston University, on his Rangers staff and Drury, another BU alum, didn’t stand in his way.

“Mike’s got a lot of power there,” McGuire noted.

As for the Quinn – Drury relationship? Who knows where it stands. And perhaps it doesn’t matter in the big picture. Everyone’s got the same goal here. Though, from the outside, it does feel a bit uncomfortable. But, as stated, that’s from the outside.

“It’s going to be a difficult line for David to walk, but if you take stuff personally in the National Hockey League, you’re not going to last very long ,” McGuire explained. “You have to have a pretty strong mind and be resilient, and if you are strong of mind and resilient, you can flip the switch and be a very competent person at the position they’ve given you.

“I’ve known David 40 years, he’s as mentally strong as anyone I know. He’s an amazing hockey resource … He was a phenomenal coach wherever he went. I think he’ll be a great assistant coach for the New York Rangers, I really do.”

At first blush, this seems like an odd decision. You may remember that Chris Drury’s first move after being named general manager in the spring of 2021 was to fire Quinn. And Quinn didn’t exactly internalize his anger afterward, speaking out publicly before moving on and becoming coach of the San Jose Sharks in 2022.

But clearly his relationship with Sullivan trumps whatever ill will Quinn has, or had, against Drury and/or the Rangers organization. He and Sullivan were teammates at Boston University in 1986-87; and Quinn was an assistant under Sullivan with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season.

#NYR have named David Quinn, Joe Sacco, and Ty Hennes Assistant Coaches.

Full details: https://t.co/cA8wqb8Mvt pic.twitter.com/7oLZVKXglB

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 5, 2025

Quinn interviewed for several coaching jobs this offseason, including to be Sullivan’s replacement with the Penguins. However, in a somewhat ironic twist, the Penguins hired former Rangers assistant Dan Muse to be their new coach Wednesday. That freed Quinn to rejoin the Rangers and continue working with Sullivan.

The 58-year-old was 96-87-25 as Rangers coach, guiding them through a rebuild and two seasons shortened by the coronavirus pandemic. The Rangers played three postseason games in 2020, swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, and didn’t make the playoffs in Quinn’s two other seasons behind the bench.

Quinn coached Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Alexis Lafreniere and Igor Shesterkin during his run as Rangers coach and will be reunited with each in New York as of today.

In two seasons with the Sharks, Quinn was 41-98-25 while coaching one of the worst rosters in the League. He also coached the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, was an assistant under Sullivan with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, and coached BU from 2013-18.

Related: ‘Rangers will be better off when this becomes J.T. Miller’s team,’ so blockbuster trade needed: Don Lagreca

Joe Sacco, Ty Hennes join David Quinn on Mike Sullivan’s staff with Rangers

Sacco was teammates with Sullivan and Quinn at Boston University, and went on to play 738 games for five NHL teams. He was an assistant for 10 years with the Boston Bruins and finished last season as their interim coach after Jim Montgomery was fired in November. The Bruins were 24-30-6 under Sacco and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They hired Marco Sturm as coach Thursday.

The 56-year-old also coached the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-13, making the playoffs his first season. Sacco was 130-134-30 with the Avalanche and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 2009-10.

Hennes has worked under Sullivan for his entire coaching career, beginning as Penguins skills coach in 2018-19. The 44-year-old was promoted to an assistant role under Sullivan ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Sullivan retained Jeff Malcolm as goalie coach. Associate coach Phil Housley was relieved of his duties when the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette as coach in April.

Michael Peca, a Rangers assistant under Laviolette, joined Jeff Blashill’s staff with the Chicago Blackhawks last week.

According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the Rangers are considering a reunion with Quinn, who coached them from 2018-21. If he returned to Broadway, it would be to work under new coach Mike Sullivan as an assistant, the same exact role he had with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season.

Staple also reported that Joe Sacco, who is rumored to be out of the running to fill the Boston Bruins coaching vacancy after serving as their interim coach in 2024-25, is under consideration to be one of Sullivan’s assistant’s next season.

Couple names I’ve heard are in the mix for coaching spots under Mike Sullivan with #NYR:

Joe Sacco, recently Bruins interim HC, and David Quinn, former #NYR HC who was with Sullivan in Pittsburgh last season. Quinn is a candidate for the Penguins coaching spot.

— Arthur Staple (@StapeNHL) June 4, 2025

Quinn was part of a front office shake-up after the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2020-21. Team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton were dismissed first, with Chris Drury assuming both roles. It was Drury who fired Quinn in his first major move as GM.

Quinn didn’t leave on the best of terms, later opening up about how things played out on the Cam and Strick Podcast.

“In my conversations with the Rangers before I got let go I asked one question, ‘Did we overachieve, underachieve, or do what we should’ve done this year,’ and the answer I got was, ‘We probably overachieved a little bit,'” Quinn shared.

“Then I said, ‘What the f*** are we talking about!’”

Quinn was hired before the 2018-19 at the start of the Rangers rebuild and coached three seasons, two during the coronavirus pandemic. He exited New York with a 96-87-25 record and one post-season appearance — a brief showing in the 2020 bubble when the Rangers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in three straight games during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

Related: David Quinn dishes on what transpired with Rangers and his final season

David Quinn would be intriguing hire by Rangers as Mike Sullivan assistant

Despite how things ended in New York, Quinn’s coaching resume and NHL ties remain strong — especially his connection with Sullivan. The two were teammates at Boston University in the 1980s and coached together last season after Quinn was named to Sullivan’s staff in Pittsburgh on June 11th, 2024.

With the Penguins, Quinn played a key role in improving the team’s power play, which saw noticeable progress over the course of the season. The Penguins had a 25.8 percent success rate are on the power play in 2024-25 — the third-highest in franchise history and sixth best in the League.

Beyond his connection to Sullivan, Quinn still has ties within the Rangers organization. A handful of players spent the early stages of their NHL careers playing for Quinn during his coaching tenure in New York.

Adam Fox turned into a top-pair defensemen under Quinn and won the Norris Trophy in 2019-20, just his second season in the NHL. Igor Shesterkin made his NHL debut during Quinn’s final season and showed glimpse’s of what would become a future Vezina Trophy winner.

David Quinn on what impressed him the most about Igor Shesterkin's debut:

"To be mentally tough enough to pull himself together" pic.twitter.com/bimPNpwjIF

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 8, 2020

Artemi Panarin also posted the best season of his career to that point, finishing with 95 points in just 69 games during the 2019-20 campaign. And K’Andre Miller developed into a reliable option on the blue line during Quinn’s time as well.

After getting fired from the Rangers, Quinn was hired by the San Jose Sharks in July 2022. Tasked with another rebuild, Quinn had little to work with in San Jose. In two seasons behind the Sharks bench, Quinn led them to a 41-98-25 record, including a League worst 19-54-9 finish in the 2023-24 season. That helped them land Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 pick in that year’s NHL Draft.

The Sharks were terrible, struggling at both ends of the ice, finishing last in goals for and near the bottom in goals against. While the record didn’t reflect it, Quinn developed young players. Top prospects like Thomas Bordeleau and William Eklund credited Quinn for giving them confidence and opportunity.

Veteran players also spoke highly of his communication and leadership during a down season.

Following Sullivan’s departure from Pittsburgh on April 28, Quinn became a candidate for the head coaching vacancy. League insiders indicated that the 58-year-old had a “fairly strong” chance at landing the role, especially after spending the past season as an assistant behind the Penguins bench.

However, former Rangers assistant Dan Muse was hired as Penguins coach Wednesday. So, with that opportunity off the table, perhaps Quinn’s next best coaching gig is a return to New York, this time as an assistant.

It’d be strange, for sure, and Drury might have to do some fence-mending. But the bond between Sullivan and Quinn is strong, and that may trump any issues with Drury, who is also a Boston University product, for what it’s worth.

The answers have become increasingly terse and clipped. The recently-turned 60-year-old’s patience with repetitive questions, something he expected and handled with aplomb last season when his club rolled to the Presidents’ Trophy, appears to be waning.

Of course, it’s difficult to blame the veteran coach for exhibiting signs of stress. With his team in a stunning freefall that was at least temporarily interrupted by a 3-2 victory over the sinking Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, Laviolette is in a bad spot: a Rangers coach who experienced significant success early in his tenure, only to have his roster seemingly tune him out quickly thereafter.

The Rangers look to be following the trend that claimed the job of Gerard Gallant, who was in charge just before Laviolette, and David Quinn, who preceded Gallant. Neither of those coaches lasted more than three seasons; Gallant was fired after two 100-point campaigns that included an Eastern Conference Final appearance in his first season.

Related: Why Rangers GM shouldn’t stop reshaping roster after Jacob Trouba trade

Rangers appear to have lost interest in yet another coach

In both cases, it was the players — many of whom remain on the roster as core pieces — who drove the dismissals.

Quinn, by the end, was seen as too “hands on” by the Rangers, who viewed him as a college coach overly involved in their business. That was despite his guiding of the rebuilding Blueshirts to an unexpected 37-28-5 mark in his second season and a berth in the NHL qualifying tournament that was held during the coronavirus pandemic. Quinn was fired after a 27-23-6 effort in the shortened 2020-21 season, one in which the players appeared to be blatantly ignoring the coach’s desire to play a more straight-ahead game and instead engaged in extended passing sequences in the offensive zone.

To be transparent, Quinn was always seen as a bridge to a more successful veteran coach once the rebuild appeared at its end. But the points are still valid.

Gallant, hired before the 2021-22 season, was viewed as a “players coach” who allowed professionals to police themselves in the dressing room and on the ice. That approach apparently wore thin in just two seasons, with the Rangers asking management in 2023 exit interviews for more structure and teaching following a first-round playoff loss to the New Jersey Devils — one in which the Rangers appeared to be outcoached when blowing a 2-0 series lead.

Theme alert: In his news conference following a loss in that series, Gallant expressed frustration over his inability to get the Rangers to play a north-south game instead of trying to make passing plays across the neutral zone that led to turnovers.

Laviolette, who led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006, installed a 1-3-1 defensive system and cranked up the intensity in practices in order to make his team better-prepared for the grind of the regular season and playoffs when hired before the 2023-24 season. At the same time, he worked to foster an atmosphere of togetherness and fun that included players’ families. The result was a 55-23-4 record in his first season that set franchise records for wins and points (114).

The extent of their dropoff in 2024-25, though, has dwarfed what happened under Quinn and Gallant. These Rangers, who played with tenacity, confidence and edge last season, have utterly abandoned the coaching for which they supposedly yearned. They barely defend, play with little to no emotion, neither hit nor battle for pucks hard enough and seem generally disinterested in being on the ice.

Laviolette’s mood has followed. Almost always supportive of his players and loathe to criticize them publicly, he questioned their effort and commitment after a 2-1 loss to the woeful Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. He was curt and snappy with reporters who kept asking about a momentum switch following the blowing of a 3-1 lead in a 7-5 defeat to the Seattle Kraken one day earlier.

Frustration was clearly bubbling below the surface when he addressed the media after a 5-1 loss to the Devils on Dec. 2, with similar ire being directed at reporters who asked questions that never seemed to faze him in 2023-24.

Laviolette’s angst undoubtedly stems in part from the same source that is generating major frustration from the fan base: confusion. The coach is understandably as perplexed as everyone else over what has gone so wrong for his talented team, one that many expected to take the next step and reach the Stanley Cup Final this season.

No one expected the Rangers to be fourth in the Metropolitan Division at this point of the season, nor to be going through a 3-8-0 stretch of extended poor play.

Related: Larry Brooks breaks down Mika Zibanejad’s issues on podcast: ‘I think he’s very sensitive’

Firing Peter Laviolette isn’t best Rangers solution

The Jacob Trouba Saga is finally over, but the messy situation lingered and took a much bigger toll on the Rangers than expected. General manager Chris Drury is likely going to make more changes to the roster, but new personnel might not change the shockingly dark mood around the Rangers.

Could Laviolette’s job be on the line? It’s absurd to think so after what happened with the past two coaches, and this group shouldn’t be taken seriously if it attempts yet another uprising. Mark Messier isn’t in their dressing room, Roger Neilson is not the coach and it’s not 1993.

Laviolette’s track record should, in theory, make him immune to even the possibility of being let go quickly by the Rangers. With a career mark of 821-538-155 with 25 ties, a Stanley Cup championship and the distinction of having taken three different teams to the Final, the coach is vastly more accomplished than any of his players in that department. The success of his first season on Broadway only burnishes those credentials.

Still … the collapse has been so thorough, it’s difficult to believe that Drury would rule out anything at this point. The Rangers have stopped responding to Laviolette more emphatically than they did Quinn or Gallant, once again conducting what amounts to an on-ice rebellion. What has happened to cause the precipitous descent from Stanley Cup contender to a dysfunctional, detached team that resembles their New York NFL brethren in one offseason?

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Drury is right to make almost anyone on his roster available. Much of the core has been consistent from Quinn through Laviolette, and an organization can’t continue to allow players to keep firing the coach — a practice that actually traces back to the end of Tortorella’s tenure.

There seems little question at this point that this is a difficult roster to coach. Talented but temperamental and alarmingly short on mental resilience and physical grit, the problem unquestionably runs deeper than who’s behind the bench.

Yet the old adage that it’s easier to change the coach than the players certainly applies here. Drury’s coup in moving out Trouba and his $8 million annual cap hit through 2025-26 aside, the highly paid veterans on the roster might prove next to impossible to trade. In the case of Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, there are also no-move clauses to deal with.

The idea that Laviolette could be on the hot seat would be ridiculous under regular circumstances; when it’s an organization that fired a coach immediately after he presided over 110- and 107-point seasons, it seems much more normal.

Drury, though, would be making a mistake to again take the path of least resistance here. Judging from his trade of Trouba and continued interest in remaking his roster, it appears the GM knows it.

It should come as no surprise that when asked about his favorite defensemen to watch in the NHL on Morning Cuppa Hockey this Wednesday, former teammate Adam Fox was one of the first names out of his mouth.

“‘Foxy’s’ hockey IQ, if he’s not top three, he’s gotta be right there,” DeAngelo said. “It was impressive to watch him from when he was a rookie, too, which was the crazy part — he did it right away. Patient, calm, he wasn’t in a hurry as a rookie. He’s just got that demeanor to him, and obviously he’s turned into a Norris Trophy guy.”

“His hockey IQ is on another level……he thinks the game at a legitimately different level than 99% of defensemen.” –@ryanwhitney6

Adam Fox is the Norris winner and the future of the Rangers franchise.

🎙: https://t.co/G6Iit3v3lK pic.twitter.com/tV57UaoHbT

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) July 7, 2021

After finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting as NHL rookie of the year in 2019-20, Fox won the Norris Trophy as the League’s top defenseman, leading all players at the position with 47 points in 55 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

He’s since posted three straight seasons with 10-plus goals and 70-plus points, finishing top five in Norris Trophy voting in each of the past four seasons.

Fox wasn’t the only defenseman DeAngelo gave credit to. The eight-year NHL veteran first mentioned Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, who he praised as being “in a class of his own,” before also highlighting blueliners like Quinn Hughes, Roman Josi, Victor Hedman, and Charlie McAvoy.

But DeAngelo made an important distinction between Fox and the other elite defensemen mentioned.

“Foxy does it a total different way. Foxy does it more with just smarts and patience and skill, and he’ll just hold you out and then boom, perfect pass,” DeAngelo explained. “And he’s got the stick position and head movement, and that’s almost even more impressive than some of the guys with speed and skating can do. Because speed and skating, you can create that time for yourself, right?”

Former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen and Jonny Lazarus, the latter of whom covers the Rangers for Daily Faceoff, both noted that Fox doesn’t boast elite size or speed, yet manages to consistently be one of the top-producing defensemen in the NHL and a nightmare for the opposition.

“He’s smooth,” added DeAngelo. “I’m not gonna say he’s faster than Quinn or Makar or [Miro] Heiskanen. Them other guys float — they get a step on you, they’re gone. Foxy will just get a step on you mentally and you got no chance. He’ll put it right through your stick, he can do anything he wants with it, which is probably even more impressive in a sense.”

Related: Controversial former Rangers defenseman clears air about Broadway tenure

Tony DeAngelo praises former Rangers coach

Fox wasn’t the only former colleague that DeAngelo praised when he reflected on his four-year stint with the Rangers.

In a surprising twist, he showed some love toward the often-criticized David Quinn, who was Rangers coach for three of DeAngelo’s four seasons in New York.

“It was pretty public knowledge that we went back and forth a little bit, but I actually really liked him,” DeAngelo said. “I think people thought we hated each other.”

DeAngelo mentioned that he was one of the first people who reached out to Quinn after he was fired by the Rangers. Ironically, the 2020-21 season would mark the end of both DeAngelo and Quinn’s tenures in New York, with DeAngelo placed on waivers after an altercation with Alexander Georgiev and Quinn’s contract terminated after failing to build off an appearance in the play-in round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the season prior.

“There were some things that I didn’t agree with that he did as a coach or how we went back and forth with each other about it, but one of the things I liked most about him was how much he cared. We could be down in a game 4-0 in the third period, if we scored, you could hear him behind you,” he said. “I like that cause it just showed how much passion he had for the team winning and wanting to win. Whether you liked some of the things he did or not, it meant nothing.”

Quinn was named San Jose Sharks coach in 2022-23, but managed a measly 41-98-25 record across two seasons with a roster that didn’t have much in the way of talent. After finishing the 2023-24 season with a League-worst 47 points, Quinn was let go by San Jose and has since rejoined the Metropolitan Division as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins under coach Mike Sullivan.

“The more chances he gets, I think the better and better and better he’ll get,” DeAngelo said confidently. “I” still think ‘Quinnie’s’ got a future again as a head coach.”

The former New York Rangers coach has been hired as an assistant by the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he will work under coach Mike Sullivan. The Penguins confirmed the hiring on Wednesday.

Quinn coached the Rangers for three seasons from 2018-21, handling the difficult job of a team in transition during a rebuild. In 2019-20, when the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the season and created a play-in tournament for the postseason, Quinn’s Rangers lost in three straight games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

New York did not make the playoffs in Quinn’s other two seasons. He finished 96-87-25 as Rangers coach. Following his departure at the end of the 2020-21 season, the Blueshirts won 52 games in the regular season under Gerard Gallant and reached the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

So, his fingerprints are on the current Rangers roster. Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Lindgren are just some of the players he coached earlier in their respective careers in New York.

Fox won the Norris Trophy in 2021-21 with Quinn as his coach.

“David Quinn brings a wealth of coaching and developmental experience across the highest levels of professional and international hockey,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said. “Quinn has a long track record of helping elite defensemen reach their full potential, and we look forward to the impact he can make on our defensive group and our entire program. Coach Quinn’s experience, character, energy and enthusiasm make him a great fit for Coach Sullivan’s coaching staff.”

Related: Former Rangers defenseman scores shocking goal in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final

David Quinn back in Rangers division, joins Penguins coaching staff

Quinn coached the San Jose Sharks the past two seasons but was fired after finishing last in the NHL this season with a 19-54-9 record. The San Jose situation was even more of a dire rebuild than the one in New York, a near impossible situation for Quinn to have much success.

By leaving the Sharks, Quinn misses out on the chance to coach Macklin Celebrini, whom they are expected to select with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Like Quinn, Celebrini attended Boston University.

ESPN broadcaster Sean McDonagh reported that Celebrini was “disappointed” not to play for Quinn in the NHL.

The move to Pittsburgh reunites Quinn with Erik Karlsson, who won the Norris Trophy playing under Quinn in 2022-23 with the Sharks. Karlsson was traded to the Penguins last offseason.

Being back with a division rival certainly would another layer to Rangers-Penguins games in 2024-25.

David Quinn was fired by the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday after two seasons as their coach.

The Sharks (19-54-9) finished last in the NHL with 47 points and a .287 points percentage this season. They did not win consecutive games after completing a season-high three-game winning streak with a 3-2 win against the Rangers on Jan. 23.

San Jose was 6-22-5 in their final 33 games under Quinn and had a miserable -150 goal differential this season.

“After going through our end of the season process of internal meetings and evaluating where our team is at and where we want our group to go, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at the head coach position,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said in a statement. “David is a good coach and an even better person. I would like to personally thank him for his hard work over these past two seasons. He and his staff did an admirable job under some difficult circumstances, and I sincerely appreciate how they handled the situation.”

Quinn was 41-98-25 in 164 games over two seasons as Sharks coach.

This is the 16th coaching change in the NHL since the end of last season, meaning 50 percent of the teams have made moves behind the bench in that time frame. That includes the Rangers, who replaced Gerard Gallant with Peter Laviolette last May.

Related: Jacob Trouba comes through in crucial Game 2 moment for Rangers vs. Capitals

David Quinn fired by Sharks, also coached Rangers for 3 seasons

It’s the second time Quinn was hired to coach a young, rebuilding team and then was dismissed shortly thereafter. His first NHL gig was on Broadway, where he coached the Rangers for three seasons, from 2018-21. He replaced Alain Vigneault months after the Rangers sent “The Letter” to fans detailing a plan to rebuild.

Adam Fox, Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, K’Andre Miller, Alexis Lafreniere and Igor Shesterkin are among the current Blueshirts who cut their teeth in the NHL under the guidance of Quinn.

In his first season with New York, the Rangers finished 20 points out of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The following two season were abbreviated because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Rangers did take part in the play-in round of the playoffs in 2020, but were swept in three games by the Carolina Hurricanes.

After the Rangers failed to reach the postseason in 2020-21, Quinn was fired and replaced by Gallant. Quinn was not there when the team topped 100 points the next season and reached the Eastern Conference Final before losing in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Quinn was 96-87-25 (.522 points percentage) as coach of the Rangers.

Prior to working in the NHL, Quinn coached five seasons at his alma mater, Boston University.