Sunday, Larry Brooks wrote that a decision on coach Alain Vigneault looks to be coming sooner rather than later. In his column, he indicated that a call on the coach’s status might be made following Tueaday’s game against Vegas. A win could prove to be a stay of execution; a loss, well you know the rest.
The Rangers have historically been fairly good about not leaking information to the media. Go back to when coach John Tortorella was fired. Did the news leak? Other than Mike Francesa breaking into Joe and Evan’s show to report the news just before it went public, besides the speculation of the firing occurring, was any tangible information out there? The answer is no, so take what Brooks wrote with a grain of salt. But, due to the slow start, issues with player usage and deployment, especially last playoffs, and how lethargic the team has looked early in games, fielding AV wouldn’t be a shock.
But Brooks sure up what I tweeted yesterday and truly believe: “If an organization is unsure the coach is the right guy, then he is the wrong guy. Going game by game only postpones the inevitable. It leaves too much undone. Leaves too much opportunity for excuse-making and rationalizations. If this is just the matter of when, then sooner the better for everyone’s benefit.…
If the decision has all but already been made and you are just waiting for the right opportunity to make the change, then make it already. That doesn’t mean I agree with the decision if a change is made, but why let a coach twist in the wind. In addition, even if the team is not going to make a move, if the players perceive or expect one to occur, what’s the likelihood of them paying attention. Yes, the snarky view is that they haven’t been paying attention to date, so what will change. But if you believe in what captain Ryan McDonagh said below and reported in the NY Post, then the issues are more of the players and less on the coaches.
There’s good energy in here when we go through our meetings, and there’s good talk,… McDonagh said after Saturday’s game, when he was the team’s harshest critic in a locker room that had very few players willing to answer for another desultory performance. “We’ve had the same lines and same ‘D’ pairs here for a few games, so that’s not an excuse. There is no excuse.…Later, McDonagh added that it was “nothing about schemes and systems, that first period.… Instead, the captain tried to direct blame toward the players, using damning phrases like there was a lack of “compete… and “battle level.… Surely it reflects poorly on Vigneault that the team has had such awful starts to games, but the question is, what can the coach do when his players, from top to bottom, are almost universally underachieving?
No one questions that a problem exists. The challenge has been fixing it. The Rangers have been outscored 3-0 in the first 2:00 of games; 5-1 in the first 3:00; 6-2 in the first 4:00; 8-3 in the first six minutes; 10-4 within the first 10:00; and 13-4 in the first 12:00 of the first 12 games. Look at the prior sentence and let that sink it. Is it the coaches, the players or both that is the cause of those slow starts? Is it a lack of engagement? A failure to focus? Physical and mental breakdowns? A perception by the players that they are playing hard but in actuality, that’s lip service and just not reflective of the effort and product on the ice? Everyone is to blame and accountable for the above, same with the 3-7-2 mark.
Maybe a stronger leader is needed or at least one that will kick some rear end. Most of the current leaders are those who do by example rather than by words. But McD uses words like compete and battle level sure seems like he is directing blame away from the coach and to the players. A big part of that blame must be self-directed, seeing how poorly McDonagh has played this season.
Regardless of who you think is to blame, if a prompt turnaround fails to materialize, chances will be made. The changes may first start with a trade, next will be the coach, or possibly in reverse order. At 3-7-2, the season isn’t lost, but the upcoming schedule makes a rebound and upward progression less likely. Because if they couldn’t defeat the opponents faced the first 12 games, save for three times, why would you think that it would be any different the next few weeks?
Changes are likely coming. I expect some lineup tweaks, maybe players, likely lines, for Tuesday. After that, anything and everything may be on table. The story of the 2017-18 Rangers may be good in the next few weeks. Whether it’s a horror story or uplifting one of redemption is yet to be determined.