Rangers fire Peter Laviolette in first domino to fall after disastrous season

The Rangers are headed for thei༒r fourth coach since the 2020-21 season. 

Peter Laviolette was relieved of his꧂ coaching duties on Saturday, the teaജm announced, after the Rangers failed to qualify for the playoffs in his second season at the helm.

The Blueshirts became the sixth team to hire and fire the veteran coach, who finishes his New York tenure with a regular-season record of 94-59-11 and💃 a 10-6 playoff record. 

Associate head coach Phil Housley was also fired, while asꦗsistant coaches Dan Muse and Michael Peca will have the chance to interview for the next coaching staff, according to a source.

Goalie coach Jeff Malcolm and skills coach Christian Hmura will both𝐆 return next season🔯. 

“Today I informed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we’re making a coaching change,” president and general manager Chris Drury said in the press release. “I want to thank them both and wish them and their families all the best going forward. Peter is first class all the way, both professionally and personally, and I am truly grateful for his passion and dedication to the Rangers in his time as head coach.”

This is the second consecutive Rangers coach to be fired after just two campaigns, wit💦h Laviolette matching the timeline of his predecessor Gerard Gallant. Before Gallant, David Quinn (2018-2021) was the last Ran💟gers coach to last longer than two seasons behind the Rangers bench. 

Everything seemed to go rightꦍ in Laviolette’s first season with the Rangers. 

Not only did the Rangers set franchise records for wins (55) and points (114) in a single season, but the club won the Presidents’ Trophy and came two wins away from a Stanley Cup Final berth for the second time in three seasons in an Eastern Conference Final loss to the even🀅tual Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. 

The Rangers also le🐻d the entire NHL in comeback victories (28) under Laviolette in 2023-24. 

Laviolette became the first head coach in NHL history to guide six different teams to the Stanl꧑ey Cup playoffs. 

Everything seemed to go wrong this season for the Rangers, who took a tremendous step back in all facets of their game a🏅s they missed the postseason for the first time in four years. 

While there wasn’t 💟much Laviolette could do about the outside noise that hovered ov🉐er the Rangers locker room since the beginning of the season, the 60-year-old didn’t exactly make drastic changes to the lineup or system to effectively pull the Blueshirts out of their funk. 

Laviolette often stuck by his veter൩an players and kept faith in what had worked in the past despite little success with it. A majority of the blame for this disastrous season, however, does not appear to fall on Laviolette’s shoulders. 

That belongs to the roster construction by president and general manager Chris Drꦯury, as well as insufficient efforts from marquee players.