After a seventy-seven point season and sixth place finish in the Metropolitan Division, the New York Rangers decided to part ways with head coach Alain Vigneault after five seasons. This move came just hours after the team fell 5-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday evening. For (most) Rangers fans, this is a huge sigh of relief considering many were unhappy with the way he was running the club.
Vigneault was hired as the Rangers head coach on June 21, 2013 and the team made the playoffs every year under him except this current season. The team’s best performances under Vigneault were 2013-14 when they made the Stanley Cup finals and the following season, 2014-15, in which they won the esteemed President’s Trophy, but the team kept falling short of their ultimate goal in raising the Stanley Cup.
There are multiple reasons why this move is a big deal for the New York Rangers front office as well as for the fans. He was well known for never blaming himself for team losses and instead pinning them on members of his own team, as well as failing to nurture and help develop the young talent he had, such as Pavel Buchnevich or J.T. Miller (who was eventually traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning).
General manager Jeff Gorton said the search for a new coach begins immediately, but a hire most likely won’t happen until after the Stanley Cup playoffs end in mid-June. Vigneault did have some success and gave Rangers fans a hell of a ride, but his indenial and inability to showcase his player’s full potential is ultimately what cost him his job.
