The New York Rangers knew they needed to get over the hump after a couple of disappointing playoff exits. Peter Laviolette had led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final last season, and the core of this team had been there in two of the past three years. However, they were never able to win that third series. After finishing the season with 85 points, six points shy of a playoff spot, RG Media’s Jim Biringer reported that there could be some massive changes on the horizon.
“The roster might not be the only change that could come in New York in the offseason. Could the Rangers actually move on from Peter Laviolette after his second year in New York? The Rangers have really taken steps back in terms of how they play defense,” Biringer wrote.
Three postseason appearances were a step forward after the Rangers fell short in 2021, 2019, and 2018. However, the last thing New York wanted to do was take a step backward and miss the playoffs again after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season. When teams don’t succeed, the coaches and management are usually the first dominoes to fall, and that could be an unfortunate truth from Laviolette this offseason.
Has Peter Laviolette lost the locker room?
The Rangers had plenty of opportunities to get back into the playoff race this season. The rest of the contending teams in the wild card race were abysmal down the stretch, and it would’ve only taken one hot streak to get New York in. The Montreal Canadiens were able to claim that spot, but they needed to go 7-2-1 in their last 10 to do it.
The Rangers went 10-10-3 over the final two months and finished only six points back. New York has the talent to go 13-7-3 over any stretch, and that was all it would have taken to get into the postseason. Instead, they looked like a lifeless team that had given up on each other and their coaching staff.
It shouldn’t be a long road back to relevance for the Rangers. They have a franchise goaltender in Igor Shesterkin and stars at every position like JT Miller and Adam Fox. It might have been a poor season, but a new coach and a revamped front office to reinvigorate the group might be how Rangers ownership plans to right the ship.
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