The NY Post's Larry Brooks reports that the New York Rangers have signed head coach Alain Vigneault to a two-year contract extension.
The Rangers bench boss, who signed a five-year contract in July 2013 after replacing John Tortorella, has agreed to an extension through the 2019-20 season, which also included a raise of $2 Million per season.
For all the hate that AV gets for not playing young players, Brooks noted that New York has 10 players under 25 who will be active tomorrow. In addition, as Brooks pointed out, an 11th, Kevin Hayes will be out injured and it remains to be seen if a 12th, Adam Clendening, will play of sit for Marc Staal. AV's tough love, which at times has been misguided and solely centered on the kids, has resulted in the growth seen by Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller etc.
AV is by far not perfect, as seen by his continued faith in certain players at the expense of others, especially on the blue line. In addituon, he has eschewed speed for physical play too often at times. But he has injected speed and youth and skill into this roster. In addition, as Brooks' points out, Vigneault is 175-97-23 (.632) since 2013, a record that includes a trip to the 2014 Cup final and the 2014-15 Presidents’ Trophy. New York has the fifth-most points in the NHL since Vigneault’s arrival and third-most in the East, 10 fewer than Washington and three fewer than Pittsburgh.
The Blueshirts’ five playoff series victories under Vigneault are exceeded over the last three tournaments by only Chicago’s six and equaled by the Penguins and Lightning. All of those facts make up the whole that likely helped drive James Dolan, Glen Sather and GM Jeff Gorton to extend AV's contract.
The Rangers have locked up their coach through 2019-20. The next step for Gorton is to bring in a piece or two to really make NY contenders this year. Four weeks until the trade deadline.