Perhaps, the home crowd and a struggling opponent will get the Rangers going. The Rangers (12-6-1) have lost consecutive games for the first time this season after dropping the final two of their just-completed four-game road trip.

Each of those losses — 3-2 to the Calgary Flames and 6-2 to the Edmonton Oilers — featured terrible first periods when the Rangers appeared not ready to play in either contest. They allowed 41 shots in each of the past two first periods and were outscored 3-0 because Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, respectively, turned in some outrageous work between the pipes.

The Blues (9-12-1) just might be the right tonic for the Rangers. They’re 30th in the NHL, averaging a paltry 2.36 goals per game, near the bottom in both power play (25th) and penalty kill (24th) and 2-6-1 in their past nine games. St. Louis has lost six of its past seven road games (1-5-1).

There will be a new coach behind the Blues bench Monday, so perhaps that will give them some juice. Jim Montgomery, fired last week by the Boston Bruins, was named the 28th coach in Blues history after he replaced the fired Drew Bannister on Sunday.

Related: Rangers week ahead includes first meeting with Hurricanes since 2024 playoffs

3 things to watch for when Rangers host Blues

1. No more one and done

A common theme after the Rangers’ loss in Edmonton to the Oilers on Saturday was that their offense has become “one and done.” In other words no sustained pressure. Take a shot, fail to retain possession of the puck and immediately defend against a rush the other way.

It’s been that way for a while. The Rangers aren’t dictating play nearly often enough, nor winning enough puck battles. Their lack of compete shows up on the power play, too. They’ve been awarded only seven power plays in the past five games, largely because they’re not working hard enough to draw calls. More focus is on their 5v5 play, too, because the Rangers haven’t scored a power-play goal in those past five games.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to put the Blues back on their heels by scoring first Monday. The Rangers are 10-0-0 when scoring the first goal this season and 7-0-0 when leading after the first period.

2. Roll out the big guns

The Rangers spend so much time defending recently that their offensive game has very little flow. Of course, it’d help if their big guns came out firing, and scoring.

Vincent Trocheck has one goal in his past eight games. Chris Kreider (who’s now out with an upper-body injury) has one goal in six. Mika Zibanejad is sitting on two goals in his past 13 games. Before scoring twice against the Oilers, Artemi Panarin had one goal in seven games. Adam Fox has not scored a goal all season. And Filip Chytil, who’s missed the past four games and remains out with an upper-body injury against the Blues, has one goal since Oct. 24.

The only consistent scorers lately are Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle. That’s not enough. The big boys need to step up.

3. Small guy could make big impact

Brett Berard was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Sunday. He’s expected to be in the lineup, perhaps to provide a bit of a jolt. The 5-foot-9 wing brings tons of energy and speed to the lineup. Plus he has skill, leading Hartford with seven goals and 13 points in 16 games, after topping the Wolf pack with 25 goals as a rookie pro last season.

With the injury to Kreider and by the looks of things from the morning skate, there will be a major shake up among the forward line combinations. And Berard is right in the mix of it all. Berard skated on a line with Cuylle and Zibanejad. That drops Reilly Smith down to a third line centered by Kaapo Kakko with Adam Edstrom on the other wing.

Berard also skated on the second power-play unit with Cuylle, Kakko, Smith and Zac Jones.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Cuylle – Zibanejad – Berard

Edstrom – Kakko – Smith

Vesey – Carrick – Brodzinski

Miller – Fox

Lindgren – Trouba

Jones – Schneider

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Blues: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues

When: Monday Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to Watch: MSG

Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results

Having multiple options is usually a very good thing. Unfortunately for the Rangers it cost them Jim Montgomery and may continue to hamper them in their search for a new coach.

Rebuild or Retool

Larry Brooks not so long ago wrote that, “Quibbling over whether the Rangers are entering a “complete rebuild” or “aggressive retool” represents a mindless waste of energy.” While that may be true, it matters to certain people, particularly those taking over as head coach.

You see, the Rangers aren’t fully committed either way because they have so many options that they can take. It is likely what caused them to lose out on the coach they wanted, Jim Montgomery.

As we wrote recently, Montgomery’s comments after being hired by Dallas raised red flags on the Rangers situation. Now, as we are learning more about the situation, this particular quote resonates further.

“In our two interviews, he was very confident how to build, how to continue, what he has and where they are going. That was my first question, what are your expectations? He said they want to win, are at the peak of our window for next two-to-five years. It was matter-of-fact, not selling, but what he believes. He’s elite at what he does, no BS, here’s what we are doing and where we are going.”

I’ve learned that Montgomery was genuinely concerned with the uncertainty of the path the Rangers wanted to take. Initially, the objective is to teach and develop younger players like Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil. The monkey wrench in the plan is going out on the UFA market and bringing in the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk and possibly, John Tavares. What would that mean? Develop kids, but hey we have to make the playoffs and win the Cup too? What coach coming out of the minors or college wants that task at their feet.

Sure if successful, they will have paved their future in gold but it’s more likely to bust and damage future job offerings.

Where the Search Stands Now

While B.U. coach, David Quinn’s name still lingers out there, you have to wonder if he didn’t have a call with the Rangers, heard what Montgomery heard and opted to stay where he is. On Bob McKenzie’s recent podcast he said, “I believe their guy was Jim Montgomery, that that was who they wanted to be their head coach. I don’t know whether a contract was ever offered or not and if Montgomery had a choice between the Rangers and the Dallas Stars, but in any case, Montgomery is the head coach in Dallas, not in NY.”

McKenzie in essence is confirming everything I’ve learned about the situation too. However, the lack of a definitive direction is not helping right now in the search for a coach. If it continues, it will also hurt the chances of luring Sheldon Keefe to NY.

The Rangers are going to have to make their direction more concrete in order to land the next man they want behind the bench. Otherwise, they will be bringing in an out of work veteran coach that may not fit the final plan they decide on.

As the Rangers search for a new coach continues, one of the potential candidates for the spot had some interesting remarks. Those comments can be taken in several ways but let’s attempt to break them down.

Montgomery on his decision to go to Dallas

In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts, he had some interesting quotes from the Stars new bench boss.

[su_quote cite=”Friedman” url=”https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-follows-leafs-dubas-promotion/”]18. It’s not a secret that Dallas moved quickly on Jim Montgomery knowing the Rangers were interested, too. But why did Montgomery pick Texas over New York? “Out of respect for the Rangers, I’m going to be careful with that,” he said Thursday. “I enjoyed interviewing with Glen Sather, Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury.” Would it be fair to say that Dallas is closer to winning? “I would say that the No. 1 reason was Jim Nill,” he answered. “In our two interviews, he was very confident how to build, how to continue, what he has and where they are going. That was my first question, what are your expectations? He said they want to win, are at the peak of our window for next two-to-five years. It was matter-of-fact, not selling, but what he believes. He’s elite at what he does, no BS, here’s what we are doing and where we are going. That’s the way I am wired, not cliché lines. If we lose a game, I’m going to explain why. Everybody deserves to know why we lose.” He made so many calls to learn about Nill and the Stars that it led to the leaks about his hiring. What did he learn? “The most important relationship you have is with your GM … you’ve got to be on the same page. They told me I wouldn’t find a better person. Every organization has warts, but if you have good ownership and a good GM, you will do well. Dallas has that.”[/su_quote]

There’s a lot to unpack here but it isn’t so much what was said about the Rangers and more about what wasn’t. The biggest issue I have with Montgomery’s comments here is how he opens up with, “Out of respect for the Rangers, I’m going to be real careful with that.” Seems like no big deal until he explains the #1 reason he chose Dallas over NY is because of GM, Jim Nill.

What is Montgomery Implying Here?

“In our two interviews, he was very confident how to build, how to continue, what he has and where they are going. That was my first question, what are your expectations? He said they want to win, are at the peak of our window for next two-to-five years.”

Let’s dismiss any significance to Nill’s response about winning, because Jeff Gorton wants the same. No, the concerning statement is about Nill’s ability to build, and grow. What did Gorton say that made Montgomery not feel confident in Gorton’s ability to do the same? We will never know, but it calls into question what the Rangers plans are this offseason. It certainly sounds like it may have spooked Montgomery.

The other eyebrow raising comment was about the most important relationship you can have is with your GM. What took place in their interview that made Montgomery feel that a similar relationship couldn’t be had? Obviously Montgomery didn’t feel on the same page with Gorton and the Rangers, ergo another reason he chose Dallas.

Like I said, it’s not what he said about the Rangers, but what he said about Dallas and Nill that sends up some red flags.

Other Takeaways

The way Friedman lays it out, it comes off as if the Rangers actually offered him the job. Did they? For all we know it was just an interview and not an actual offer. If you read the entire article, Montgomery goes into the Stars having x’s and o’s already in place. He also mentions the leadership of Stars captain, Jamie Benn.

Is it possible he felt the Stars are simply in a much better position to win now than the Rangers? To be honest, the Stars are in a better position at this moment with Benn and Seguin, but the Rangers could be in a better position for years to come soon.

What do you think of Montgomery’s comments? Sound off below in the comments section.

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, David Quinn has taken himself out of the running for the Rangers head coaching job.

Although Quinn has not informed the Rangers as of yet, according to Brooks, it appears he will not be coaching on Broadway next season.

Quinn is currently the Head Coach at Boston University and does not appear to be looking to move.

Following the news that Jim Montgomery was hired by the Dallas Stars, the Rangers head coaching situation has become somewhat murkier. Montgomery and Quinn were both on the short list of coaches rumored to be pursued by the Rangers. With their removal from the conversation, the focus now shifts to Sheldon Keefe. However, Keefe is still coaching in the AHL playoffs for the Toronto Marlies and is unavailable to be interviewed. Often credited with the development of some of the talented young group in Toronto, Keefe may be exactly what the Rangers are looking for as they look to develop their own young corps.

WHAT’S NEXT?

With the Rangers coaching candidate list growing smaller by the day, it will be very interesting to see how the Rangers approach their vacancy behind the bench. As always, continue to follow the Forever Blueshirts Team for the latest New York Rangers news.

As reported by New York Post writer, Larry Brooks, and various other outlets, Jim Montgomery will be announced as the next coach of the Dallas Stars within the next few days. Montgomery, 48, was one of the top candidates for the Rangers head coach opening but with him off the market it’s time for them to look elsewhere. That “elsewhere” the Rangers should look is up north in Toronto where the Toronto Marlies play. Their head coach, Sheldon Keefe, should now be moved to the top of their list.

Keefe, 37, is a former NHL player. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1999 but was forced to end his playing career in 2005 over a knee injury. Keefe may not have had a long and successful NHL career but from the second he became involved in coaching it’s clear he had the midas touch. At every stage of his coaching career the man has succeeded and has become one of the brightest young coaching minds in the game.

Resume

Keefe’s first coaching job was with the Pembroke Lumber Kings; a Junior ‘A’ club playing in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). He had purchased the team in July of 2003 during his playing days. He started out as an associate coach, but Keefe got promoted to head coach and general manager on June 6, 2006 in just his second season with the club. The previous head coach and GM, Kevin Abrams, was promoted to CCHL commissioner.

Keefe had unprecedented success with the Lumber Kings. During his tenure as head coach they won five straight CCHL championships along with the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. Keefe would become the all-time leader in wins and win percentage for the Lumber Kings. He finished his Junior ‘A’ career with a coaching record of 285-95-12.

During the 2011-12 season, Keefe announced he would be leaving Pembroke for the opportunity to coach the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). On December 3rd, 2012 Keefe would be official named head coach of the SSMG and after turning around a Pembroke club into a powerhouse, he would do the same for the Greyhounds.

Keefe would spend two and a half seasons behind the bench of the Greyhounds. In his two full season behind the bench, he went a combined 98-29-9 and earned the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2014-15 as the OHL’s top coach and was named Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Coach of the Year that same season. Although he didn’t win a league title with the Greyhounds (they made it to the second round and west final but were defeated by Connor McDavid’s Erie Otters both years) he established a winning culture and since his tenure the Greyhounds have been an absolute powerhouse in the OHL.

Keefe’s next coaching move would be to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and he has continued his brand of success by going a combined 150-63-15. The Marlies are currently fighting for the Calder Cup in the AHL playoffs where they are set to start their second round series against the Syracuse Crunch tonight at 7 pm. Keefe is seeking his first AHL title.

Why Keefe should be the next Rangers Coach

Keefe has been described as a coach who really knows how to teach the game and knows how to work with young and developing players. He would be the prime choice for the New York Rangers right now as the only place he has yet to test his skills is the NHL level and as a rebuilding team the Rangers could use a coach like him.

Guys like Jon Cooper and Jared Bednar show that NHL coaching experience are not prerequisites to being a successful NHL coach and Keefe would be a great coaching for all the young guys that will be entering the Rangers system in within the next few seasons. He preaches puck possession and fast play with and without the puck. He knows how to work one-on-one with players and he won’t rag on younger players who may make the odd mistake or two.

This rebuilding Rangers team will need a voice in the room that’s both challenging to them but won’t make them fear for their ice time is they make a mistake. They need a guy who sees the way the game is going and coaches his teams to be the best at what they can do. Keefe is that guy. His style of coaching is a huge difference from John Tortorella’s shot blocking defense first approach and Alain Vigneault’s quick strike approach but it is exactly what the Rangers need.

With Mike Babcock firmly entrenched as the Maple Leafs coach for years to come, Keefe deserves every chance to coach at the NHL level somewhere and the Rangers should be the team that gives him that chance.

More and more it’s becoming clear that the Rangers need to hire a coach that isn’t part of the NHL’s coaching carousel. Someone with new ideas and better ways to handle not only the rigors of playing in the NHL but playing for a rebuilding team in one of the most popular cities in the world. One of these old-school coaches won’t do it, and if Pavel Buchnevich’s recent comments have made it clear, this Rangers team needs a fresh voice in the room; and it doesn’t get fresher than a coach looking to break into the NHL.

The reasons for getting a fresh-faced coach go much deeper than just Buchnevich’s comments, but it’s a good starting point. Many NHL coaches that are part of the coaching carousel are very set in their ways, styles and how they handle managing their team. Some are more lenient and some rule their bench with a much heavier hand. Yes, some coaches have adapted their styles over the years including our good friend John Tortorella, who has found new life in Columbus coaching the Blue Jackets. But for the most part, coaches are who they are.

Alain Vigneault is a very veteran-oriented coach who keeps his rookies on short leashes, and for a team that is entering the rebuilding process, that kind of system just doesn’t work. Many fans figured this, but Buchnevich’s recent comments confirm this. Now you might say that there are some veteran coaches out there that are good with young talent, and yes that would be correct; but at this point, none of those guys happen to be available because they’re good at their jobs. No disrespect to Bill Peters by the way, as I think he would be a fantastic coach for this team, but all signs seem to point to him going to the Calgary Flames at this point in time.

With all due respect to Darryl Sutter, I don’t see him working out here in New York. The NHL has gone from the big and heavy game to a speed and finesse game, and I don’t think his style of play will cut it with the way this team is being built. Sutter has a great resume, but his skills on that resume don’t apply here. Glen Gulutzan failed to make the playoffs in Calgary with a roster that arguably deserved to and it’s a real shame for that franchise. Maybe they didn’t have the forward depth, but with a blueline like that and those top end forwards, they should’ve at least gotten a wild-card spot. Count Gulutzan out for the Rangers job. People will point to Dave Tippett as being a possible choice also but he’s been out of the game for a bit and who knows if he’d even want the job in New York. Dan Bylsma? No thanks. Didn’t seem to ever have the rebuilding Sabres on the same page so I don’t think he’d cut it in New York either.

Now, the next thing people will point to is that a new and fresh coach might have some growing pains with his new team, especially if he hasn’t coached in the NHL before. In the long run, though, it will pay off. Two big examples of minor league coaches making the jump are Jon Cooper and Jared Bednar. Both are prime examples of why minor league coaches with good hockey minds completely dispel the need for NHL experience.

Jon Cooper was hired to replace Guy Boucher towards the end of the 2012-13 season. Boucher’s style of hockey just wasn’t doing it for Lightning management and they wanted a fresh voice in the room. Cooper, who was coaching the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, at the time, had won championships at every level of coaching. He just seems to have a knack for knowing how to use his players the right way and putting them in the right situation. Since taking over behind the bench, Cooper has done nothing but win with the Lightning and he shows no signs of slowing down as he’s turned them into a powerhouse in the NHL. Cooper has over 200 NHL wins and is proof that you don’t need NHL experience to be a good head coach in this league.

Jared Bednar had one of the worst seasons ever as a head coach last season. This season, he had one of the best turnarounds in NHL history. Bednar was named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche prior to the start of the 2016-17 season. Patrick Roy resigned very late in the offseason and GM Joe Sakic made the decision to hire Bednar, who was the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, to be the new bench boss for the Colorado Avalanche. With a season under his belt and time to implement his coaching staff, Bednar and his team had a 47 point improvement from the 2016-17 season and snapped a four-year playoff drought in 2017-18. Like Cooper, Bednar was a successful minor league coach that just needed a chance to show what he could do and he is now delivering.

Not to be understated here is that there are plenty of really great candidates in the NCAA. Now, there have only been three NCAA coaches to ever make the jump from the NCAA to the NHL: Dave Hakstol, current coach of the Flyers, Bob Johnson, who led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 1991, and Ned Harkness, who coached the Detroit Red Wings in 1970. It’s not the norm to hire an NCAA coach, but with some great ones out there now, the Rangers would do well not to ignore them.

With names like Sheldon Keefe of the Toronto Marlies, David Quinn of Boston University, Jim Montgomery of Boston University and Scott Sandelin of Minnesota-Duluth being rumored as coaching candidates, it’s clear management is doing their homework on minor league and college coaching candidates. Hopefully one of them is the next Rangers head coach.

Editors Note: For a detailed shortlist of potential coaching candidates, click here

Yes, you read that headline correctly. James Dolan, the often maligned owner of the New York Rangers and New York Knicks, has actually made incredibly insightful comments about the Rangers search for a new head coach, as well as what led to the firing of Alain Vigneault. For much of his tenure as owner of the team, Dolan hasn’t been liked by many fans, with many accusing him of just caring about the money and not building a perennial Stanley Cup contender. His recent comments show that he has altered his thinking drastically.

In an article released Wednesday by the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, readers got to see exactly what Dolan has been thinking over the course of the last few months. Instead of the usual thoughts that fans have come to expect from the team’s owner, Dolan had some great insight on what qualities he wants the next head coach of the Rangers to have.

“We’re looking for someone who can develop players and develop a team,” Garden executive chairman Jim Dolan told The Post during a conversation at his MSG office on Wednesday. “We want someone who is going to be able to work with young players — all of our players, really — so that they and we improve from one stage of the season to the next and we’re better at the end of the year than at the beginning.

 

“We need a coach who is going to be able to coordinate with the assistants and the training staff in putting a program in place. He’s going to have to be able to delegate authority in identifying deficiencies and fixing them. Scolding a player doesn’t fix the problem. He can’t try to do everything by himself. The job is just too big.” – NY Post

Dolan went on to say that while a coach with NHL experience would be good to have, the Rangers organization isn’t ruling out any potential coaches from the NCAA and/or junior hockey. As Dolan so meticulously put it, “We want to get the best guy available, I don’t care where he comes from. We’ve got a list of candidates but it’s not closed.”

Rumors and speculation have been running wild about who the next head coach of the Rangers will be with names like Boston University’s David Quinn, Denver’s Jim Montgomery, German national coach Marco Sturm and Toronto Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe all seemingly in the mix. If Dolan’s words are any indication this coaching search is going to be handled with extreme care and not rushed in the slightest.

“The guy we hire has to be a developmental coach, I can’t stress that enough.” – NY Post

Dolan admitted that former head coach Alain Vigneault was a great coach for the team that they had. but he wasn’t the right fit for them going forward. Vigneault is a much better coach for an established team rather than one going through a rebuilding process and Dolan and upper management knew it was time for a change. Dolan made sure to address the rebuilding process and why it was important to be open with the fans of the team. He said he doesn’t regret the decision to start anew. No second thoughts about giving the green light for the Rangers to begin building the right way. Obviously, if the Rangers win the lottery or got a top three pick in upcoming entry draft this rebuild will be accelerated with the acquisition of a franchise talent but it’s nice to know that Dolan is, dare I say, ready to trust the process. No matter how long it takes.

Finally,  Dolan addressed the fact that the Rangers are in need of a new captain and had some interesting things to say about former Rangers Captain Ryan McDonagh.

“We need strong leadership in the locker room. I don’t think we had great leadership last year,” Dolan said. “I think maybe we added a burden to Ryan [McDonagh] when we made him captain that affected him on and off the ice and kind of changed his own perception of himself. But he was a really good player for us for a long time.” – NY Post

Many fans have pointed out that McDonagh’s performance was a bit up and down after receiving the captaincy but it seems management noticed as well.

One last thing of note that Dolan had to say was something that is sure to put the rumor mill into full swing.

“…And I know we need that one great player who can make a difference. We’ve identified some who might become available, and if they do, we want to be in position where we’re able to get them.” – NY Post

Hmm… now I wonder who he could be talking about? *cough* John Tavares *cough* *cough Erik Karlsson *cough.* Now it’s highly unlikely that the Rangers get either one of those two players, but at the end of the day. this is New York and it’s the New York Rangers.

It’s going to be a summer of change, a summer of optimism and a summer of intrigue for the Rangers. Stick with us at Forever Blueshirts for all Rangers news as it develops.

Editor’s notes: For the full NY Post article, click here.

For our article on Dolan offering Lundqvist an escape from the rebuild, click here.

For our article on the next potential head coach of the Rangers, click here.