Yet despite their having played only 30 combined NHL games, the Rangers will be counting on a significant step forward from Brennan Othmann and/or Gabe Perreault in 2025-26. Without that happening, chances are the depth problems up front that have plagued the Blueshirts for the past few seasons will continue to drag them down.

The two first-round draft picks are young. Othmann is 22 and Perreault is just 20; he played five games with the Rangers at the end of last season after turning pro following the conclusion of Boston College’s season. Neither has scored an NHL goal, and only Othmann has recorded a point; he had two assists in his 22 games on Broadway last season.

The Rangers, however, need a lot more from both players — and in short order.

Related: Are the Rangers’ offseason moves over, or is the real work just beginning?

Mike Sullivan might look to form another Kid Line

The Blueshirts have less than $800,000 salary-cap space remaining, according to Puckpedia, after taking care of offseason business, which was highlighted by the signing of free-agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and the re-upping of young forwards Will Cuylle, Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom and Juuso Parssinen — along with the necessary trade of defenseman K’Andre Miller. Despite all of that, the bottom-six forward corps will again be a giant question mark going into the new season. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the third line, which has the potential to remain a season-long puzzle.

Depending on what new coach Mike Sullivan sees at training camp, the fourth line could again be a good one. Sullivan could easily stay the course set by predecessor Peter Laviolette and employ the Twin Towers alignment with Rempe and Edstrom flanking veteran center Sam Carrick. That would keep together the huge, physical trio that forechecks, battles in the corners and in front of the net, and mixes it up with opponents while setting a tone the Rangers so desperately crave.

Where Sullivan seems sure to be challenged like the coaches that preceded him on Broadway is in attempting to forge a productive third line — one with identity and purpose that can get the best of its matchups on a regular basis.

If Sullivan succeeds, it will be impressive. The assignment has amounted to a revolving door for forwards since Gerard Gallant put together the “Kid Line” of Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil late in the 2021-22 season. The Rangers haven’t come close to duplicating that level of effectiveness on their third line since.

With Othmann and Perreault in the fold, maybe Kid Line 2.0 — with Parssinen, 24, possibly in the middle — is exactly what Sullivan should be looking for from the unit this season.

In a familiar refrain, the Rangers don’t have many options to build out the line beyond their promising youth. Veteran free-agent add Taylor Raddysh doesn’t exactly generate buzz. Old friend Jonny Brodzinski is still around and is coming off a career-best 12-goal season. The hard truth, though, is that if Brodzinski is playing a significant number of games, it’s because the Blueshirts don’t have higher-level talent to take those minutes.

Othmann, who’s facing the biggest opportunity of his young career, represents one of those higher-level talent options. The 16th player taken in the 2021 NHL Draft looked good at times last season and seemed to gain confidence as his ice time increased. Even better, he plays the style that general manager Chris Drury and the front office are trying to instill throughout the organization: Othmann’s chip-on-his-shoulder, straight-ahead approach manifests itself in a player who attacks the net and pressures the puck all over the ice.

In theory, it’s his time to grab a wing spot on the third line. Rangers fans have been eagerly awaiting Othmann’s arrival as a regular since 2021-22, when he piled up 97 points in 66 games for the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League.

Othmann almost certainly won’t approach that level of production in the NHL. However, his throwback style and obvious offensive skills should give him the chance to begin making an impact this season — if, of course, he can win the job the Rangers presumably want him to win.

Related: Vincent Trocheck viewed as most likely to slot in at 3C on Rangers roster: poll

Rangers hope to see Gabe Perreault play his way into the lineup

While the Rangers wouldn’t be upset if Perreault appears better-suited to starting the season at Hartford, their AHL farm team, after training camp, they also wouldn’t be upset if he plays his way onto the big club. Perreault profiles as a future top-six forward because of his skills and offensive creativity.

Perreault might just prove ready for such an assignment as soon as this season, and if Sullivan decides to move Mika Zibanejad back to the middle from the right-wing spot he appeared to embrace late last season, Perreault could receive a training-camp audition for the plum job. More likely, though, is that the 23rd overall pick in 2023 — who many talent evaluators felt was only selected that low because of the loaded nature of that draft — could start his NHL journey by joining Othmann as part of the third-unit solution.

After all, this path has worked for the Rangers multiple times in recent years. Lafreniere eventually graduated from the third line to what became the unquestioned top unit for the 2023-24 season, teaming with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck on one of the most productive lines in the league. Lafreniere delivered 28 goals and 29 assists that season, though he took a serious step back in 2024-25 and will need to regain what looked like an upward trend to his career.

Cuylle made the leap last season after spending a good part of 2023-24 on the third line, becoming a top-six mainstay and turning in a 20-goal, 25-assist, 301-hit effort. He’s expected to remain fully ensconced on one of the top forward units again this season.

The Rangers would certainly love to see marked development from Othmann and Perreault with an eye toward the future, more or less following Cuylle’s path, but they also need it for the present. The Blueshirts’ hopes of returning to the postseason and championship contention depends in large part on whether they can match the depth of their competitors in the Eastern Conference. With their minimal cap space, it’s hard to see a realistic avenue to substantially improving their bottom six from outside the organization.

That means the kids are going to carry the weight of some pressure to produce in 2025-26. There are other potential youngsters who could make an impact, of course — Brett Berard, Noah Laba, Casey Terrance and Adam Sykora, among others, might surprise by competing for a spot on the roster at some point this season.

But Othmann and Perreault are the ones who possess the first-round pedigrees. Given that, it’s probably fair for the Rangers to begin to expect more from at least Othmann, and perhaps Perreault, sooner rather than later.

The Rangers don’t allow their assistants to speak with the media, except for quick live snippets between periods of games aired with their own MSG Network reporters, like John Giannone. So, outside of former coach Peter Laviolette, no one has heard from assistants Phil Housley, Dan Muse or Peca about this past season’s mess, when the Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years.

Until now.

Peca cut right to the heart of the matter when speaking about all that ailed the Rangers in 2024-25 on the Morning Cuppa’ Hockey podcast.

“There was a lot of stuff outside of the locker room, outside of the coaches’ room, that, you know, players in the organization were dealing with, that that did seep into the locker room and which made it tough, because now we’re trying to clean up the debris and get guys to, hey, listen, just don’t worry about whatever the emotional shit they’re dealing with. We’ve got to play hockey,” Peca explained Thursday.

Peca explained that juggling the players’ emotions and trying to smooth over the bad vibes that engulfed the team after the way general manager Chris Drury ruffled feathers with his heavy-handed approach to dispensing with popular veterans like Jacob Trouba and Barclay Goodrow, took away from the coaching staff’s main objective.

“Making sure players are well prepared.”

Certainly, the Rangers didn’t look prepared at all, especially during that 4-15-0 face plant in November and December, the absolute nadir of a lost season. Disorganized, disinterested. The Rangers were simply a mess.

“I just think that our focus, and a lot of teams deal with stuff, I’m not saying that we’re the only team in the League that dealt with stuff. Teams deal with stuff,” Peca explained. “As a coaching staff, it just seemed like we got a little distracted having to deal with this and manage emotions now and do all these different things.”

Related: NHL insider provides Jarome Iginla reason why Rangers shouldn’t give up on Alexis Lafreniere

Michael Peca moved on from Rangers, now assistant with Blackhawks

The coaching staff paid the price for not being able to get the Rangers back on track, overseeing one of the most disappointing campaigns in franchise history. Laviolette and Housley were fired soon after the season ended. Peca and Muse left on their own before new coach Mike Sullivan filled out his staff.

Peca was hired as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, and Muse replaced Sullivan as coach of the Penguins.

As for Drury, he received a contract extension — and hired the coach he’d wanted all along after Sullivan parted ways with the Penguins. It appears he’s also learned some valuable lessons with more deft handling of popular veteran Chris Kreider before trading him a couple weeks ago to the Anaheim Ducks, and his improved communication with veteran leaders like Mika Zibanejad this offseason.

How will that translate on to the ice for the Rangers, who expect less of a soap opera season in 2025-26? Peca’s not about to guess. He’s got his own things to be concerned about in Chicago next season, trying to help Jeff Blashill straighten out things there.

In fact, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman stated on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast Monday that Laviolette is quite motivated to erase the stain on his resume from the dismal 2024-25 season with the Rangers.

“He wanted to show people that last year wasn’t on him, and it was bigger than just coaching,” Friedman explained. “He would have the desire to prove it and show it and Laviolette does have the reputation as the turnaround master. His teams in the first year do extremely well. But he’s definitely got that mentality and the word on that is out there.”

Outside of Mike Keenan, who won the Stanley Cup in his only season as Rangers coach in 1993-94, no other coach in franchise history fared better in their first season than Laviolette. He guided the Rangers to franchise records in wins (55) and points (114), and they won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24.

This past season was a complete trainwreck. And Laviolette is correct — it wasn’t all his fault. Behind-the-scenes soap opera drama bled onto the ice. The Rangers (39-36-7) missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons and were often an unwatchable and unlikeable team with little fight and far too many no-shows.

General manager Chris Drury took blame for his role in the unsightly season. But at the end of the day, Drury received a contract extension, Laviolette was fired and Mike Sullivan was brought in as the new coach.

So, Laviolette is seeking another job. He’s the winningest United States-born coach in NHL history, and ranks seventh all-time with 846 victories. Laviolette coached the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship and reached the Final with two other teams in his career.

There’s reason to believe that a seventh head coaching job is out there somewhere for Laviolette, either now or after the next round of firings.

Of the remaining six vacancies, the Philadelphia Flyers are likely not an option, since Laviolette’s “been there, done that” already. The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly are seeking a younger coach, perhaps a first-timer. That leaves the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Seattle Kraken.

Laviolette has already been linked to the Canucks job, recently vacated by Rick Tocchet. The most appealing job likely was the Anaheim Ducks vacancy. But that was just filled by Joel Quenneville, in his return to the NHL coaching ranks.

Related: Why Rangers long offseason might be blessing in disguise for Adam Fox

Peter Laviolette not only former Rangers coach looking for NHL job

Friedman pointed out that Gerard Gallant has let it be known he’d like to get back into the coaching game in the NHL. It’s not believed he’s gotten much traction in interviews since the Rangers fired him after the 2022-23 season.

“Gerard Gallant interviewed in Toronto when [Craig] Berube got the job (last offseason), but that was more a courtesy interview. It was always Berube’s job to lose,” Friedman shared. “I don’t know if he’s been in any of these particular interviews this year, but I have heard he is eager to prove same thing (as Laviolette), when he was let go by the Rangers it wasn’t only about him. And he wants an opportunity to show people that, and we’ll see if he gets an opportunity to speak to teams about that.”

Gallant was 99-46-19 in two seasons as Rangers coach. He was the 2017-18 Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year with the Vegas Golden Knights and has a .576 points percentage in 705 NHL games with four teams.

David Quinn, fired as Rangers coach in 2021 and let go by the San Jose Sharks in 2024, remains under contract to the Penguins, where he was an assistant under Sullivan last season. One would think he could be a candidate there or at some of the other openings around the League.

John Tortorella, Rangers coach from 2009-13, also is unemployed after the Flyers fired him late this season.

Though there’s rampant optimism with the Sullivan hire, it’s worth taking a look at the highs and lows, successes and misses with Rangers coaches over the years.

As the Rangers approach their centennial season, we take a look back on their 99 years of coaching history, including some of the best and worst numbers, most successful and least successful coaches, and the coaches who’ve helped the Rangers win the four Stanley Cup championships in franchise history.

Here’s a look at the history of Blueshirts bench bosses.

Related: Mike Sullivan hire by Rangers a ‘home run’: Brian Boyle

Longest-tenured Rangers coaches

1. Emile Francis – 654 games
2. Lester Patrick – 604 games
3. Frank Boucher – 527 games
4. Alain Vigneault – 410 games
5. Tom Renney – 327 games

No surprise here that the longest-tenured coaches go way back, leading the way with Emile Francis and Lester Patrick each coaching more than 600 games. More recently, however, Alain Vigneault earned a spot in the top five by coaching 410 games from 2014-18. Tom Renney also cracks the top five, coaching from 2005-09.

Most wins as Rangers coach

1. Emile Francis – 342
2. Lester Patrick – 281
3. Alain Vigneault – 226
4. Frank Boucher – 181
5. John Tortorella – 171

Coaching the longest goes hand in hand with earning the most wins, which is why this list and the next, most losses, will look pretty similar. Again, Francis, Patrick, Vigneault, and Boucher all find themselves in the top five. But cracking the list is John Tortorella, who earned 171 wins with the Rangers from 2009-13.

Related: Only 1 other coach topped Peter Laviolette in 1st season with Rangers

Most losses as Rangers coach

1. Frank Boucher – 263
2. Lester Patrick – 216
3. Emile Francis – 209
4. Alain Vigneault – 147
5. Phil Watson – 124

Best Rangers coaching records by points percentage

1. Mike Keenan – .667 (52-24-8)
2. Gerard Gallant – .662 (99-46-19)
3. Peter Laviolette – .607 (94-59-11)
4. Emile Francis – .602 (342-209, 103 ties)
5. Alain Vigneault – .596 (226-147-37)

Worst Rangers coaching records by points percentage

1. Alf Pike – .378 (36-66-21)
2. Red Sullivan – .385 (58-103-35)
3. Tom Webster – .389 (5-9-4)
4. Bill Cook – .393 (34-59-24)
5. Muzz Patrick – .415 (43-66-27)

Most Rangers games coached in postseason

1. Emile Francis – 75
2. Lester Patrick – 65
3. Alain Vigneault – 61
4. John Tortorella – 44
5. Colin Campbell – 36
6. Roger Neilson – 29
7. Frank Boucher – 27 *Won Stanley Cup 1940
8. Gerard Gallant – 27
9. Fred Shero – 27
10. Tom Renney/Herb Brooks – 24

Best Rangers playoff record by coach (points percentage)

1. Mike Keenan – .696 (16-7) *Won Stanley Cup 1994
2. Peter Laviolette – .625 (10-6)
3. Lynn Patrick – .583 (7-5)
4. Fred Shero – .556 (15-12)
5. Lester Patrick – .546 (32-26-7) *Won Stanley Cup 1928, 1933

Worst Rangers playoff record by coach (points percentage)

1. David Quinn – .000 (0-3)
2. Phil Esposito – .200 (2-8)
3. Phil Watson – .250 (4-12)
4. Doug Harvey – .333 (2-4)
5. Jean-Guy Talbot – .333 (1-2)

Related: Dave Maloney explains why former Rangers coach Jean-Guy Talbot was ‘colorful character’

New York Rangers Stanley Cup Winners

Lester Patrick: 1927-28, 1932-33

Lester Patrick guided the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1927-28, their second season in the NHL. The Rangers played 44 regular-season games, and were 19-16-9, followed by nine playoff games. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, splitting the series 1-1 but winning 6-4 on aggregate goals. They were 1-0-1 against the Boston Bruins, but again won on aggregate goals, 5-2. That earned them a trip to the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Final, where they rallied from a 2-1 series deficit to defeat the Montreal Maroons 3-2 despite playing all five games at the Montreal Forum.

Patrick led the Rangers to their second championship in 1932-33 after a 48-game regular season in when they finished 23-17-8. The Rangers were 1-0-1 against the Montreal Canadiens, winning 8-5 on aggregate goals, and defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 in a best-of-3 Semifinal series. The Final was again a best-of-5, and the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. Andy Aitkenhead shut out the Maple Leafs 1-0 in the clincher, when Bill Cook scored the only goal.

Frank Boucher: 1939-40

Frank Boucher, who was named coach after the 1938-39 season when Patrick opted to focus solely on being general manager, led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup in his first season. The Rangers played 48 regular-season games, finishing 27-11-10 and coming in second to the Boston Bruins in the seven-team NHL. By now, all playoff series were best-of-7, and the Rangers defeated the Bruins in six games in the Semifinals. Despite playing only two home games (the circus had first call on dates at Madison Square Garden in those days), they again defeated the Maple Leafs in six games to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in franchise history. Bryan Hextall scored 2:07 into overtime to give New York a 3-2 victory in Game 6 and its third championship in 14 seasons since joining the NHL in 1926.

Mike Keenan: 1993-94

It took 54 years before Mike Keenan helped deliver the fourth Stanley Cup in team history in 1993-94. New York won the Presidents’ Trophy as the regular-season champion with a 52-24-8 record in an 84-game season. They swept the New York Islanders in the opening round and blitzed the Washington Capitals in five games in Round 2. The New Jersey Devils were a tough out, but the Rangers came back from down 3-2 in the series to win in seven, taking the deciding game 2-1 in double overtime on a goal by Stephane Matteau. They raced to a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks, lost the next two games, then won 3-2 in Game 7 for a championship that, in the words of Sam Rosen, “would last a lifetime.”

It’s not known if Rangers general manager Chris Drury had even the slightest inkling that Sullivan and the Pittsburgh Penguins would part ways after 10 seasons and two Stanley Cup championships. You can be pretty sure he hoped for this moment, after missing out on his top coaching target in 2021 and again in 2023 when Sullivan remained with the Penguins.

Elliotte Friedman spoke for most NHL insiders when he said Monday, “Until someone beats the Rangers out for Sullivan’s services, that’s who I’m picking … He’s their No. 1.”

Each person Forever Blueshirts spoke to within the League concurs with that sentiment.

“C’mon! This is Drury’s guy. It’s who he wanted in 2021 before he had to settle for [Gerard] Gallant. It might cost them $7 million a year, but the Rangers will pay it. ‘Sully’ is their guy,” said one to Forever Blueshirts.

Larry Brooks and Mollie Walker of the New York Post each made compelling arguments that Sullivan is not a perfect fit for the Rangers. The Penguins were even worse defensively than the Rangers this season, missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs a third straight season, and haven’t won a postseason series since 2018. And it’s not like Sullivan is well known for bringing along young talent.

Walker wrote that nothing should be a foregone conclusion because Drury absolutely needs to get this next coaching hire right, for the long haul.

But even the two Posties agree that it appears this is Sullivan’s job if he wants it.

Related: GM Chris Drury takes blame for Rangers mess after firing coach Peter Laviolette: ‘It starts with me’

More thoughts on Rangers search for new coach

NHL insider believes ‘Rangers will have their coach by the end of this week’

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff believes New York’s coaching search is going to be a short one now that Sullivan is officially available.

“The Rangers will have their coach by the end of this week,” Seravalli said on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast Tuesday.

One reason for that would be Drury hungry to get his man, not doubting for an instant that Sullivan is the perfect hire. Also, moving quickly seems prudent business because a good team that flames out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs may want to get in on possibly hiring Sullivan — think the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights or maybe even the Edmonton Oilers.

Todd Nelson is under radar option to coach Rangers

Haven’t heard his name mentioned in connection with the Rangers job opening, but Todd Nelson sure has put together a quality coaching resume. The 55-year-old is looking to guide the Hershey Bears to their third consecutive Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League. He also coached Grand Rapids to the Calder Cup in 2017.

The past two seasons he’s helped bring along a slew of talented youngsters who helped the Washington Capitals finish atop the Eastern Conference this season. That’s a major plus.

Nelson also has NHL experience. He finished out the 2014-15 season as interim coach of the Oilers (17-25-9 in 51 games) and was a Dallas Stars assistant for several seasons.

He’s an extremely under the radar option for the Rangers, but a very intriguing one, if, you know, that Sullivan thing doesn’t come to pass.

Finding their own Jon Cooper, Spencer Carbery would be perfect scenario for Rangers

This is just a random thought, but you know what would be cool? If the Rangers ever found their own first-time NHL coach that stuck and had success for a decade or so. Someone like their own Jon Cooper. Or Spencer Carbery.

Smart. Engaging. Young. Honest communicator. Handles the media well. Develops young players. Earns the respect of veterans. Forms long-lasting bonds with players, management, fans.

Kris Knoblauch, perhaps, could’ve been that coach. David Quinn lasted three seasons and was, rightly or wrongly, pretty much viewed as a bridge coach during the rebuild. Before Quinn in 2018, Bryan Trottier was the Rangers’ last first-time NHL coach. Of course, he was a complete disaster and never made it through his first season in 2002-03. Before Trots? Colin Campbell, who coached four seasons after Mike Keenan abruptly left after winning the Stanley Cup in 1994.

Other than that group, all veteran coaches, in some cases, mercenaries.

Wouldn’t it be cool one day if the Rangers actually had their own young bright coach who they developed and nurtured, and he succeeded on their watch, and vice versa?

The Rangers fired Peter Laviolette more than a week ago after a trainwreck of a season left them on the outside looking in at the Stanley Cup Playoffs, just one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.

Sullivan, who had two years remaining on his lucrative contract with the Penguins, seemingly jumps to the top of their list of candidates to replace Laviolette. Especially since it’s widely believed general manager Chris Drury tried to lure him to New York before.

It’s not just the Rangers who will have interest in Sullivan, though. There are six other teams seeking a new coach (not including the Penguins), and Sullivan likely will have many options if he wishes to be behind a bench this season.

A former Rangers assistant from 2009-13 under coach John Tortorella, Sullivan guided the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. The 57-year-old is the all-time coaching wins leader in Penguins history with a record of 409-255-89 and is the 14th coach all-time in the NHL to win 400 games with one team.

Sullivan also coached the Boston Bruins from 2003-06, and his 479 wins are 32nd in NHL history. Of note, the Bruins have a coaching vacancy, and Sullivan is a Massachusetts native, starred at Boston University and could have interest in going back to the Bruins, where his son-in-law Charlie McAvoy is a star defenseman.

The Penguins are caught in between wanting to be a contender and in dire need of a rebuild. Despite a roster that includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson, the Penguins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season in 2024-25, finishing seventh in the eight team Metropolitan Division (34-36-12).

“I think that two things can be true — that someone can be a great head coach and move on to become a great head coach on their next stop, and it can also be a time for a change here,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas told reporters Monday. “That was the conclusion that I had come to. It was something on my mind during the season, but I I have great respect for ‘Sully’ and wanted to see it through until the end of the year and then have a discussion with him at the end of the season.”

Related: What’s next for Chris Drury after contract extension, including clearing air with Mika Zibanejad

Rangers could be perfect fit for coach Mike Sullivan

Though the Rangers are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, they’d still be a nice landing spot for Sullivan. To start, the Rangers have star goalie Igor Shesterkin locked up for the next eight years, a former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman in Adam Fox, and Artemi Panarin, who scored 120 points two seasons ago, entering his contract year.

Assuming there’s not a complete roster overhaul, Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, Gabe Perreault, K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider are among the core players who could further entice Sullivan to make a Broadway return.

Sullivan coached Fox, Miller, Trocheck and Chris Kreider as bench boss for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He’ll coach Team USA in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

What’s likely also appealing to the Rangers is that Sullivan won immediately with a talented Penguins team that struggled to get back over the hump before his arrival Dec. 12, 2015. He inherited a team led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin which was bounced by the Rangers in the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs after blowing a 3-1 lead, and again in the first round in 2015.

Sullivan then guided the Penguins to back-to-back titles his first two seasons.

Since it was only last spring that the Rangers were two wins shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Final, Sullivan may see a team closer to a championship than another dismal season like this latest edition.

Dubas said he won’t stand in the way of any team asking for permission to speak with Sullivan about its coaching vacancy. One would imagine that Drury has already made that phone call.

Under significant pressure to finally get this right, Drury could go in a number of directions — an experienced coach, an up-and-coming NHL assistant, a highly-regarded neophyte from college. Thankfully for the Rangers GM, there’s a clear choice waiting in the Pacific Northwest who looks to be available, compatible with the club’s vision of the future and a huge fan of one of the Blueshirts’ most important players.

That’s Rick Tocchet, the Vancouver Canucks coach who is without a contract for 2025-26 and might be looking to move on after failing to make the playoff this season amid the J.T. Miller-Elias Pettersson affair. That personality conflict sabotaged the Canucks, who like the Rangers, crashed from a 50-win, 100-plus point season in 2023-24 to an early summer in 2024-25.

Related: GM Chris Drury takes blame for Rangers mess after firing coach Peter Laviolette: ‘It starts with me’

A Tocchet-Miller reunion with Rangers would fit team’s preferred new style

Tocchet, who won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2023-24 after he guided Vancouver to that 50-23-9 record, coached Miller for parts of the past three seasons. Miller, of course, found his way to the Big Apple in January in a much-anticipated trade that put an end to the acrimonious mess between he and Pettersson, the Canucks’ other star center.

Could Tocchet follow Miller from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic this summer? It certainly seems possible. On Monday, the Canucks declined their option on Tocchet’s contract, with president of hockey of operations Jim Rutherford saying that the organization has instead offered a new, more lucrative deal to secure Tocchet’s services for more than one season.

That development came not long after the once-feared power forward, who racked up 2,970 penalty minutes during his NHL career, nervously shuffled around and sidestepped a direct question about whether he’d like to to be back in Vancouver during his season-ending news conference.

Tocchet also appeared to create a perhaps not-so-minor stir during that session when he bemoaned the Canucks lack of depth at center.

“If there’s a dynamic guy out there, let us know,” Tocchet said not-so-subtly.

There happen to be a couple of those in New York, both of whom evoke Tocchet’s relentlessly physical approach to the game. Miller mostly thrived under Tocchet, posting a career-best 103-point season in 2023-24 and recording 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 games after Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach in January 2023.

“I’m a J.T. Miller fan … J.T. played a lot of great hockey for me,” Tocchet said during his season-ending news conference.

Miller’s close friend and current second-line center on the Rangers, Vincent Trocheck, surely also suits Tocchet’s preferred style — certainly more so than Pettersson, who plays a skill-oriented game. Pettersson significantly regressed this season with 45 points in 64 games after piling up 191 points over the previous two seasons.

One can see Tocchet falling in love with Miller, Trocheck and fourth-liner Sam Carrick down the middle. Mika Zibanejad? Maybe not so much.

Tocchet comes across as a measured, analytical and highly accountable coach. He’s plain-spoken, candid and accommodating with reporters — a big plus, considering Vancouver’s high-pressure media environment. He’d of course face similar scrutiny in the big-market Big Apple, which comes with outsized fan expectations, just as he’s faced in the Pacific Northwest.

Not all is perfect with Tocchet. In nine seasons as an NHL coach, he’s made the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice, as the majority of his coaching career was with the Arizona Coyotes. He’s 11-11 in 22 postseason games behind the bench.

And he did show Miller some tough love, benching the veteran at times this season before the trade with the Rangers.

Related: Rangers lack of leadership sabotaged season, threatens team’s future

Rangers need Rick Tocchet’s hard-edged, no-nonsense ways to rub off on them

At his core, though, Tocchet is a throwback, hardscrabble player who wants his teams to play the same way. His coaching motto is to “embrace the hard” in reference to meeting tough moments in a game and throughout the season, admitting during his news conference that the Canucks didn’t adequately do that in 2024-25.

The “buy-in needs to be better,” Tocchet said, taking responsibility for his inability to make that happen this season.

All of that suits exactly what the Rangers are looking for. They have to get bigger and tougher, but they also need to transform their identity to one of a more resilient, physical and edgy outfit. The Blueshirts are sorely lacking in resolve; that’s where a coach comes in.

The idea of Tocchet reuniting with Miller and inheriting Trocheck as his tone-setters for a team in transition has to be appealing for Drury. In Will Cuylle, Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom, the Rangers possess a group of young forwards who play a physical and sometimes irritating game. Tocchet, ferocious and utterly fearless during his 952-point career, would seem to be the perfect tutor for them.

Those old enough to have watched Tocchet’s career remember him often torturing the Rangers during his formative years with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, his 28 goals against the Blueshirts being his highest total against any team. Now, the former rival is exactly what the Rangers require.

Tocchet said he would be engaging in talks with Rutherford and Canucks GM Patrik Allvin soon. There’s no way to know just how serious Tocchet might want to hammer out a new contract to stay in Vancouver, but Drury should be lurking around the edges with an offer. For the Rangers, the possibility of hiring Tocchet to lead them in a new direction just makes too much sense not to try.

But what about general manager Chris Drury? Sure, Drury publicly accepted his share of blame Saturday, when he told reporters “It starts with me. I need to do a better job and give the staff and players the opportunity to succeed.”

However, it feels like he might be the most at fault here for the shipwreck of a season the Rangers just had. It’s not easy to be 29 points worse from one season to the next. Or to be the fourth team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy one season and fail to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the next.

Drury? He not only oversaw this mess — he caused many of the problems that led to the Rangers demise.

The GM did little to win friends and influence people among the Rangers core. It unsettled the players when he circumvented Barclay Goodrow’s no-trade clause in his contract and waived the respected veteran without giving him much of a heads-up. Goodrow was claimed by the San Jose Sharks, a team on his no-trade list, and was pretty pissed the way things were handled by Drury and the Rangers.

His former teammates were none too happy with the treatment captain Jacob Trouba received in a drawn-out Broadway departure either.

At break-up day Monday, Mika Zibanejad, who has played nine seasons with the Rangers, revealed that the offseason brought uncertainty to the team. What the players saw happen with respected veteran teammates was concerning. So was lack of communication from the top of the food chain.

“I think [there was] frustration. I think it’s just when you don’t know everything, we don’t know what’s going on,” Zibanejad said.

“Us players, we have to take ownership of what we do and how we go about things, but it has to be cohesive with everyone. This organization doesn’t work without the players. The organization for us players doesn’t work without the people that work above us. We have to look at it and we have to talk about it.”

Trouba admitted he couldn’t lead effectively after what happened last summer. Drury bungled his moves and as such it took until Dec. 6 before he traded Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks — and only after threatening the 30-year-old with being placed on waivers.

Longtime New York Post columnist Larry Brooks characterized Drury’s moves as “loud mistakes,” noting that Trouba’s situation upended the season to a large degree.

For a general manager who plays things so close to the vest, the public mishandling of his captain’s situation and a leaked trade memo to the other 31 GMs in November, were certainly massive distractions to the Rangers.

Related: Rangers free agent K’Andre Miller ‘wouldn’t want to play anywhere else right now’

The Rangers memo of doom

Although the Rangers got off to a hot start with a 12-4-1 record heading into Game 3 of their four-game Western Canada/Seattle trip, their play was still a cause of concern. While veterans underperformed, Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick masked the brewing on-ice troubles with stellar goaltending. That proved to be an unsustainable strategy behind an atrocious team defense.

After the Rangers lost consecutive games to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers to end the trip, Elliotte Friedman broke the news about Drury’s infamous memo, saying the Rangers were open for business and mentioning Trouba and Kreider as trade options.

In the aftermath of their 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday, the Rangers have made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster. 

Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 25, 2024

To say the memo affected the team is an extreme understatement. To put it bluntly, Drury’s decision backfired badly. Not only were the players wary of his treatment of Trouba and Kreider, but having this made public also worsened the trust they had in the man in charge.

It wasn’t that Drury was wrong to want to remove Goodrow and Trouba, two overpaid older players, off the roster or that trading Kreider wasn’t a sound hockey plan. It was more how Drury bungled everything and had it blow up in his face.

After Drury’s leaked memo, the season spiraled for the Rangers; the losses in Alberta began a 4-15-0 stretch through the end of 2024 that blew up their season. The Rangers rallied some after the New Year, but were eliminated from playoff contention with two games remaining in the regular season.

Trouba was traded not long after the memo. But Kreider remained for the rest of the season, looking like a severely diminished and demoralized player. We did find out at break-up day that in addition to the back injury that hampered him during the season, Kreider also dealt with vertigo and a hand injury that likely will require offseason surgery.

That played a part, but Drury’s memo clearly took its toll on Kreider, who slumped to 30 points, a 45-point drop from 2023-24. The Rangers’ power play also collapsed from third in the NHL to 28th — in large part because of Kreider’s lack of production.

One of the League’s most dominant players on the man advantage, Kreider scored 18 power-play goals in 2023-24, fifth in the NHL. That number plummeted to six this season.

The memo was a slap in the face for the longest-tenured player on the Rangers, one who is third all-time in franchise history with 326 goals, trailing only Blueshirt legends Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle.

It’s hard to fathom that it was almost a year ago in Game 6 of the second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, when the 33-year-old scored a third-period natural hat trick to send the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final.

It’s quite possible that Kreider played his last game with the Rangers. If indeed this is the end, it was disrespectful, not that Drury wanted to trade him this season, but how he handled the situation.

Related: Potential Rangers coach candidate has contract decision to make first with Canucks

This offseason could determine Chris Drury’s future with Rangers

There is no doubt that this offseason is crucial for the Rangers’ direction and Drury’s job security.

The fallout began when Laviolette was fired after two seasons behind the bench, along with associate coach Phil Housley. Laviolette joins Gerard Gallant and David Quinn as the third coach Drury has fired since taking over as general manager in May 2021.

When speaking to reporters last weekend, Drury maneuvered his way about, addressing the team’s culture, a key issue that stemmed from his decisions.

“We’re going to be looking at everything. Whether it’s the specific question you ask or other things that have come up along the way this year that we’ve already begun to look at and looked at during the year,” Drury stated. “Unfortunately, we do have extra time with not being in the playoffs to look at a lot of things this offseason and, again, try and make sure we’re back in the playoffs next year.”

Culture is part of New York’s list of problems. But remember, Drury constructed this failed roster, too. So, there’s another reason why much blames falls on his shoulders this season.

The Rangers made the Eastern Conference Finals under Gallant in 2022 and under Laviolette last year, so it’s unfair to look back and truly scrutinize Drury for those hires. However, he was reluctant to hire a first-year head coach. In particular, Kris Knoblouch was right in the Rangers backyard as coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack before being hired by the Oilers early last season and leading them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Leading into the season, given the success we had the last few years, we had high expectations. Quite simply, we fell short across the board,” Drury told reporters Saturday. “Nobody here takes it lightly. We know our fans are frustrated and they deserve a better season than this. It starts with me. I need to do a better job and give the staff and players the opportunity to succeed.”

In New York, a season like 2024-25 is unacceptable, especially for an owner like James Dolan. It’s funny how the world works sometimes.

After Dolan abruptly fired John Davidson and Jeff Gorton, the president and general manager, respectively, in 2021, both found new positions and left the Big Apple in the rear view.

Gorton is the executive vice president of hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens, who secured the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference, edging out, among others, the Rangers. Davidson is the alternate governor for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who finished ahead of the Rangers and missed the playoffs by two points.

If the Rangers aren’t in the playoffs this time next year, it could be Drury waving goodbye to New York in his rearview mirror.

That is perhaps the most succinct way to explain what went wrong this season for the Rangers, who became just the fourth team in NHL history to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs the season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the top regular-season team in the League. This season, they fell short of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference by six points, a campaign marked by drama, controversy, and underperformance.

Igor Shesterkin: “In my mind, something broke during the season and went the other way. We couldn't handle it.” #NYR

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) April 21, 2025

The Rangers held exit interviews at their training facility on Monday, and many players used the opportunity to stress the need for accountability as a key to be better next season

“Everyone really has to look in the mirror,” star defenseman Adam Fox explained. “This year was unrecognizable from the team that made the conference finals two of the past three years. A lot of those characteristics and traits that led to that success, they weren’t there this year.”

The Rangers were 39-36-7, and their 85 points were 29 fewer than 2023-24 when they set franchise records with 114 points and 55 wins. While last season’s squad developed a reputation for fighting back from deficits, that comeback ability didn’t carry over to the 2024-25 team.

“It just seemed like there was a missing sense of cohesion,” Fox continued. “That resilience that we have come to make our identity — 20-something comeback wins and then we don’t get really any this year — I think that’s something that we gotta figure out why that was.”

“Obviously, we didn’t play up to expectations so that’s first and foremost,” center Vincent Trocheck added. “The way we come out on the ice and how we perform is the first thing that we need to address.”

Late-season trade acquisition Calvin de Haan shared similar opinions about something missing from New York’s on-ice play.

“There’s definitely some times I saw that it was just not cohesive on the ice.”

Meanwhile, Alexis Lafreniere pointed out a big reason why the Rangers were unable to right the ship.

“We couldn’t really find any consistency in our game.”

The former No. 1 overall pick certainly has a point. The Rangers had two three-game winning streaks this season — but failed to win three straight after Nov. 19. They lost out to the Montreal Canadiens in the race for the final playoff spot, in part, because Montreal strung together six straight wins down the stretch.

“At the end of the day, we don’t get up to the level of play that we should with this team,” said Mika Zibanejad, who spoke openly about his disappointing 2024-25 season. “I know this wasn’t the season that I wanted, and that’s on me. I’ve got some months here now to make sure that I take advantage of and get ready for next season.”

Zibanejad finished the season with 20 goals and 62 points despite playing all 82 games. Like many of his teammates, he experienced a major drop-off in production, which helped caused team-wide failure.

The Rangers entered the season with expectations of competing for the Stanley Cup — and felt pressure to do so after falling in Game 6 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Final. It was the second time in three seasons they got within two wins of their first trip to the Final since 2014.

“Pressure is gonna happen. Everyone has pressure on them. We’re the New York Rangers,” center Vincent Trocheck said bluntly. “In a city like New York, we’re gonna have pressure every year, so it’s on us to harness that pressure and use it for good.

“Individually, I think we’re all gonna look ourselves in the mirror and reflect on the year and think of things we need to do better. There’s a lot of things that are more for internal talks. I have some things in mind, and hopefully, we can all work together this summer to figure it out.”

Related: New York Rangers injury updates: Braden Schneider surgery; Adam Edstrom skating again

Rangers react to coach Peter Laviolette being fired: ‘I love Lavi’

The terribly disappointing season ultimate cost coach Peter Laviolette his job. He was fired Saturday after two seasons with the Rangers — one really good, the other not so much.

Full statement from Chris Drury on firing Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley: https://t.co/RD8t6yhcXl pic.twitter.com/N5MJS6Kyog

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) April 19, 2025

“I don’t think us players at any point didn’t like ‘Lavi’ or thought his message wasn’t getting through. It just seemed the execution was not there,” Fox explained.

Added Matt Rempe, who made his NHL debut under Laviolette last season, “The players on the ice, we didn’t perform well enough, and then the coach takes the fall. That stings, it’s tough. I’m gonna miss seeing him.”

Laviolette’s firing wasn’t a big shock, given how steeply the Rangers declined from his first season on Broadway into his second.

“Obviously, in a place like New York, you know what our expectations are and after a season like last year, to come in here and not perform the way we needed to and make another run. Coaches are often looked at and blamed,” Trocheck explained. “I love ‘Lavi’ and ‘Howie’ (associate coach Phil Housley), so another coaching change is always hard.”

For some of the longer-tenured members of the Rangers’ core, it marks their third coach in five seasons.

“We wanna be able to come here with a coach that’s here for as long as we’re all here,” Fox said. “Even outlast us as players cause that means we’re having a lot of success.”

Fox debuted under David Quinn before playing two seasons each under Gerard Gallant and Laviolette. Zibanejad was acquired from the Ottawa Senators during Alain Vigneault’s tenure; and Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller are the only two roster players to overlap with John Tortorella, more than a decade ago.

“I think you look around the League, whenever a coach gets fired, players kinda wear that pretty hard because if we did our jobs, those coaches would still be here,” Fox elaborated. “Whoever the next coach is, obviously it’s on us to make sure there’s sustained success.”

Related: NHL insider believes Rangers will ‘make a call’ to highly sought-after NCAA coach

Rangers players call for improved communication

While many players were quick to take accountability, it’s likely that the Rangers’ issues go beyond their performance on the ice. As the front office looks for ways to turn the ship around, improved communication was one of the talking points coming from their players.

“Us players, we have to take ownership of what we do and how we go about things, but it has to be cohesive with everyone,” noted Zibanejad. “This organization doesn’t work without the players. The organization for us players doesn’t work without the people that work above us. I heard a lot about open and honesty and communication — we have to communicate about things.”

Zibanejad spoke most intensely about his frustrations with the communication between the players and the front office, but he was far from the only player to highlight it during exit day.

Minds jump quickly to the offseason when Barclay Goodrow was placed on waivers without being notified in advance by general manager Chris Drury, who was trying to find a way to circumvent the veteran’s no-trade clause. Goodrow was subsequently claimed by the San Jose Sharks.

Goodrow was open about his frustration with how the situation was handled, and reports indicated that it did not sit well inside the Rangers locker room. The drama continued when captain Jacob Trouba had a drawn-out ending to his Rangers tenure before he was shipped to the Anaheim Ducks early in December.

“We don’t know what’s going on, we don’t have control over that kind of stuff, but it’s still something that we talk about or we have to go through,” Zibanejad continued. “And it’s two of our leaders, our captain and our assistant captain, and big parts of our locker room, so of course it shakes things around a bit.”

Chris Kreider was swept up in drama when reports surfaced that Drury was shopping the longest-tenured Ranger as a trade chip, part of a memo sent to the 31 other GMs.

“It’s part of professional sports, but obviously at a certain point, it becomes somewhat of a distraction,” Kreider said. “Those two guys were massive leaders for us and a big part of our room. I think anytime there’s changes or projected changes, an element of it is going to be a distraction.”

“It was a lot of noise around our team this year,” Zibanejad remarked. “I’m not saying that it is the cause of it, but it wasn’t the calmness we had the year before.”

A more recent grievance was made public by de Haan, whose passing remark about his playing time to reporters after the Rangers had been eliminated from the playoffs caused a stir.

De Haan spoke with media on Monday and was open about some of his frustrations regarding communication, though in far less colorful terms than the week prior in Florida.

“I mean, I think it could have been better. I never really was given a direct answer as to why [I wasn’t playing]. I think it can always be better,” he said. “I’m not blaming the coaches, I’m not blaming anyone, I think it can just be better in general.”

De Haan was acquired on March 1 from the Colorado Avalanche in the Ryan Lindgren trade, but appeared in just three games before being scratched for the remaining 20 games of the season.

#NYR Calvin de Haan said he was under the impression he would play when he came to NY, there was a verbal exchange.

“It might have just been a teleprompter answer, frankly, just welcome to the team, that kind of thing… They alluded to the fact that I was part of a trade for a…

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) April 21, 2025

De Haan’s outburst last week was one of many distractions revolving the Rangers locker room this season. But Trocheck doesn’t want that to become an excuse.

“There’s always outside noise, right. There’s always trades that happen,” the 31-year-old explained. “I think it’s on us inside this room in order to make sure that the outside noise doesn’t get to us. Whether that’s talking to somebody individually or just sticking together as a team or as a family. I think we can get better at that, lifting guys up instead of bringing them down.”

Rangers still ‘believe in the group of guys we have here’

Despite a difficult and challenging season, belief within the Rangers room remains high that this current group of players can bounce back.

“We saw what we were capable of last year. We’ve got a lot of time this summer to go back and look at what we can do better,” Trocheck said. “I really believe in this locker room, I believe in everybody, I obviously believe in the talent we have, and I just think it’s a matter of us as a team sticking together and figuring out the right way to go about things. Once we have that team belief, then it all starts to snowball in a positive direction.”

Kreider expressed a desire to remain in New York and continue to play with this current core.

“This is where I want to be, and this is the group I want to help, in whatever fashion, win hockey games.”

Even de Haan, who’ll exit as an unrestricted free agent his offseason, was complimentary of the Rangers and their potential moving forward.

“It’s a good bunch of guys here, so I don’t think that’s a pressing issue to blow everything up,” he remarked. “Going into next year, I think the bar will still be set high for this organization and it should be — there’s good players here.”

“I still believe in the group of guys that we have here,” Zibanejad affirmed. “I think we just have to come together, and I’m hoping that we get a chance to do so.”

Whether they get that chance will depend on what Drury elects to do this offseason. The Rangers have plenty of questions they need to answer and problems they need to fix as they try to return to the playoffs next season.

The Canucks made it clear they want Tocchet to stick around even after they failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. However, they do not want a coach that desires another job.

Because of that, Canucks president Jim Rutherford said Monday that the team will not pick up the option for next season on Tocchet’s current contract, since that would force his hand to remain Vancouver’s coach.

Instead they offered the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year a multi-year contract to stay on in Vancouver.

“We don’t feel it’s right to have somebody here that may have his mind somewhere else,” Rutherford said. “I’d say that about anybody. This is not just about ‘Toc.’ We believe that — and I believe that — Toc and his coaching staff did as good a job coaching this team this year as they did the year before when he was coach of the year.

“As for the contract, we’ve gone through a process, we’ve negotiated. I would suspect sometime this week, he’ll have a decision. … We’re hoping that he takes that contract and stays.”

Tocchet’s decision has ramifications for the Rangers one way or the other. If Tocchet re-ups with the Canucks, that removes a top candidate to replace the fired Peter Laviolette for the Rangers to consider. If Tocchet turns the Vancouver deal down, he becomes an intriguing free agent with multiple job openings right now in the League.

Interestingly, if Tocchet goes this route, he could end up in the Metropolitan Division, but not with the Rangers. The Philadelphia Flyers have an opening after John Tortorella was fired, and Tocchet played the majority of his career with them.

Or perhaps Tocchet is intrigued by reuniting with J.T. Miller in New York. Despite Miller’s issues with Canucks center Elias Pattersson that led to a falling out and his eventual trade to the Rangers on Jan. 31, Miller is well-liked and respected by Tocchet. They share the same fire and passion. And Miller had his best NHL season playing for Tocchet in 2023-24, recording 103 points.

We don’t know for sure because Tocchet’s not saying much. Though it sure didn’t sound like he’s 100 percent committed to staying with the Canucks.

“Of course, you want to be back here, but there’s a process you have to go through,” Tocchet told reporters Monday about his Canucks future. “All year, I haven’t breathed. During the time off, I was at 4 Nations, you try to get this team to the playoffs, dealing with all that stuff. So, I haven’t really thought about myself. I know people don’t believe that, and sure at nighttime you think ‘what am I going to do?’ But I do have to take a breath … and there’s a process I have to go through with Jim and Patrik (Allvin, Canucks general manager). And that’s where it’s at.”

Related: Rangers end-of-season injuries include Braden Schneider shoulder surgery, Adam Edstrom still recovering from lower-body issue

Rick Tocchet could be Rangers candidate to replace fired coach Peter Laviolette

If Tocchet does become a free agent, he’s not the only intriguing option on the market. The Rangers could consider three-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville, though he comes with some obvious baggage. There’s another Cup winner in Tortorella, the former Rangers coach and favorite of team owner James Dolan. And we all know how much general manager Chris Drury covets Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan.

Drury said Saturday that he’s open to a first-time NHL coach, as well. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman stated that David Carle, the University of Denver and Team USA coach, could be on the Rangers wish list if he decides to entertain a move to the NHL.

“To me, the most fascinating thing is: What exactly are they (the Rangers) looking for? And the fact that [Drury] said ‘first timer,’ says to me they make a call to Carle and will try to figure out what the rest of this is,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast.

Reportedly, Rangers assistants Michael Peca and Dan Muse will have the opportunity to interview for the coaching vacancy. Neither has been an NHL head coach before.

Tocchet is 286-265-87 in 638 games behind an NHL bench with the Canucks, Arizona Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning. His teams reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice in nine seasons, and he’s 11-11 in 22 postseason games coached.

He led the Canucks to 50 wins and 109 points when he won the Jack Adams in 2023-24, his first full season behind their bench after he replaced Bruce Boudreau mid-season the year before.