The Rangers tonight relieved Alain Vigneault of his coaching duties. In a move that did not come as a huge shock, GM Jeff Gorton continues to put his stamp on the team by letting go AV. Speculation had been that AV was in danger based on the changes to the squad and path forward, though I did not expect to come right after Game 82 of the regular season, which was a 5-0 loss to Philly earlier today.
Some of the criticisms mentioned in Vancouver as to the drivers for his departure are en vogue here in New York. Complacency, inconsistent player development and deployment, a over reliance on veterans and inability to adjust. All those were on display as coach of the Rangers. The two main swords of Damocles that likely resulted in his release were the defensive woes, as the hybrid, man-to-man and zone defense, which when working well led to offensive breakouts, failed to click in New York the past several years leading to a major decline in puck possession as well increase in high danger shots against. Add in the playoff collapse against Ottawa where coaching likely caused the losses in Games 2 and 5 and you have a coach fighting an uphill battle. Then factor in his tough love and perception as a veteran reliant coach, who was unable to maximize the youth on a team and the path forward was fairly clear.
I thought a change could occur but didn't expect it immediately. In 2014, New York rode a hot Henrik Lundqvist, timely scoring and a balance defense to the Cup Finals. The following season, a the Rangers might have won the cup if not for Mats Zuccarello's injury. But the teams failure to win or even score at home, coupled with the slow starts in several games started a downward trend and whispers that maybe AV isn't the right coach. A first round exit in 2016 kept the snowball rolling, and as noted above, coaching deficiencies resulted in a 2017 playoff ouster, adding more fuel to the Fire AV fire. That flame reached five-alarm status this season and the plug was pulled today.
Vigneault, who had two years remaining on his contract, worth over $8 million, coached the Rangers for five seasons, beginning in 2013-14, going 226-147-37 as New York coach. He has an overall record of 648-435-98 as head coach for Montreal, Vancouver and the Rangers. Vigneault won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 2007 with Vancouver and led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011.
It's possible that Vigneault's comments recently and after today's game may have triggered the firing as soon as possible rather than waiting. Based on the below, AV clearly believed he should be back, which is a view that obviously wasn't shared by the organization. Stephen Whyno in the AP noted some of the quotes in his column tonight.
“I believe and some other people also believe that we would have gotten in, but a tough decision was made for the long-term future of this organization and you have to respect it,” Vigneault said recently.
“I think my staff is the right staff for this job,” Vigneault said after the Rangers' 5-0 loss today. “This is just my opinion, but I think one of the strongest assets of this organization is its coaching staff. They’re experienced, we’ve been able to do it with veteran players, we’ve been able to do it with younger players, our development record.”
“I’ve gone through every facet, whether it be a young team, an old team, once we know the team, every year is the same thing,” Vigneault said. “Once we know the team we try and put in a system, it maximizes their talent and their potential and try and mask and work on the areas that we need improvement.”
Personally, i liked AV. The defense style needed an overhaul but he was the perfect coach after John Tortorella. New York was overmatched in 2014, but still had a chance to win the Cup, losing twice in double-overtime and once in overtime. In 2015, as noted above, that should've beaten Tampa even with Zucc out and half the blueline playing on one leg. AV's inability to adjust and also get the players ready from the opening faceoff were two major knocks against him. In addition, the failure to remediate the myriad of breakdowns this season and alter the approach based on the personnel doomed him. One word of caution, never rejoice on anyone losing his job. Despite the struggles, AV did have success in NY, as noted above, and also helped mold players. He will get another job, possibly as early as next season. The team went into the season with holes, and after a 3-7-2 start, with AV on verge of getting fired, rebounded as Henrik Lundqvist carried the squad. But it was fool's gold, propped up on a mirage, as the team fell back to earth.
With AV gone. New York should wipe the slate clean, save for goaltending coach Benoit Allaire. Though per Dan Rosen, that happening is not yet clear. Bring in a young, fresh-faced coach with new ideas rather than other retread. I would be surprised if that isn't the future direction.
Gorton is putting his stamp on this team. I expect no stone to unturned in the search for a new coach. College, AHL, juniors, assistant coaches, all should be in play.
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