After two seasons, the New York Rangers have parted ways with head coach Peter Laviolette. The announcement was made on Saturday, and no replacements were named.
“Today I informed Peter Laviolette and Phil Housley that we’re making a coaching change,” said Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury in a statement. “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.”
Laviolette was hired on June 13, 2023, and went 94-59-11 with the Rangers. He came to New York with a reputation for his teams starting strong and slowly fading. Unfortunately, New York was no exception. Key veterans on the team regressed from their 2023-24 performance, most notably Chris Kreider, who has been facing backlash from fans for his performance. Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin, and Alexis Lafrenière had ten fewer points than they did last season. The Rangers also struggled defensively, giving up five or more goals on 23 occasions. Those numbers could have been a lot worse were it not for Igor Shesterkin, who consistently demonstrates strong goaltending.
The Rangers have also faced many dramas off the ice. They traded their captain, Jacob Trouba, midseason, had multiple players question their role on the team to the press, and even had news come out on April 17 that Panarin and Madison Square Garden Sports paid financial settlements to a woman who alleged that Panarin sexually assaulted her.
New York won the Presidents’ Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Final last season, but failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. Due to their poor performance, Drury decided to part ways with Laviolette.
“After finishing with the best regular season record in the NHL a year ago and making a trip to the Eastern Conference Final, we came into this season with high expectations for ourselves,” Drury shared. “Quite simply, we failed to meet those expectations. We must all do better – myself included. As we head into next season and beyond, I felt that a change was necessary in order to give us the best chance to achieve our goals as an organization. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately.”
