Why a coaching change won’t solve anything for the New York Rangers

Dec 3, 2024

Credit: Oct 19, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette watches the play against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

It has never been clearer that the answer to the New York Rangers’ problems can’t be found anywhere on the team as currently constructed.

It’s crazy to think that a team with a record of 13-10-1 might appear as if there’s no hope, but at this point, it seems nowhere to be found. General manager Chris Drury has no answer, coach Peter Laviolette has no answer, and the players don’t seem to have an answer, either.

#NYR Peter Laviolette:

“We need more. We need to be better. It’s got to be sharper in the first, when we first take the ice — regardless of the effort. Whether it’s effort or execution it’s got to be better right off the bat. It’s got to be more consistent through the game. What…
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) December 3, 2024

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There have been a whole lot of comments like, “We know we need to be better,” but when the issues are constantly the same, how can you expect to be any better?

Here’s the real issue: no matter who the voice is behind the bench, the 5-on-5 struggles with this team will remain the same, and this team will need to be bailed out by outstanding goaltending, just like they have done over the past few years.

Is firing the coach going to solve anything? Probably not. Peter Laviolette coached this team to a Presidents’ Trophy and an Eastern Conference Final, but even with those accolades, the 5-on-5 play was still a massive problem – just as it was before Laviolette, when Gerard Gallant was in charge. So what reason do we have to believe that another coach can come in and solve what Gallant and Laviolette could not?

At some point, it has to fall on the players, and that point is now. This group of personnel is just not built to drive the play consistently. But in that same breath, when players are told that their general manager is looking to shop them around and ship them out, what kind of response would you expect? It’s a catch-22, with everyone knowing the current group isn’t good enough, which makes them play worse, yet also with Drury not making any big changes to the roster.

You can’t take the human emotion effect out of this as well. The Rangers are now 2-9-1 when allowing the first goal, and when you have breakdowns as early in games as this team has had, it’s hard not to have the thought of “here we go again” creep into the back of your mind. Last season, this team went into every game confident that they were going to win — this season, it feels like they’re approaching games just hoping.

That said, this isn’t anything new, it’s just more visible when Igor Shesterkin isn’t playing completely lights out. In his first nine starts of the season, he boasted a .933 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average. The mistakes the team in front of him was making were nowhere near as loud when he was putting on those kinds of performances. Fast forward to Shesterkin’s last nine starts, when his numbers are quite alarming, as he’s skating to an .882 save percentage with a 3.93 goals against average. Suddenly the team’s mistakes are much louder.

Below-average goaltending has exposed below-average play, but this is no surprise to the people who have watched this team play game in and game out since the 2021-22 season.

This is who the Rangers are when they don’t get stellar goaltending, but both goaltenders don’t deserve any blame. They are constantly under fire, facing a flurry of shots and high-danger chances almost every single night. At some point, pucks are going to go in. Shesterkin’s struggles can allude to him overcompensating due to his lack of trust of the guys in front of him; it’s something we’ve seen from Shesterkin in the past.

This team continues to make the same mistakes over and over again, and what’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Getting to this point seemed nearly inevitable, and while the expectations were high from everyone, the pressure came from within. Outside noise became inside noise after Drury called guys out at a time when it’s difficult to make any real changes happen.

So, now what? Who can the fans count on for hope when it’s not coming from the GM, the coach, or the players? There’s no easy fix in the short term. And the sad truth is, there are a lot of people who could have seen this coming.

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