Speculation: Rangers Head Coach Search (Laviolette being finalized? According to Vince and Friedman)

[mas0764]

Plus there is ample evidence of coaches who struggle to win cups who eventually get one. We are about to see either Cassidy or Maurice win a cup after being fired by other teams. IMO hockey is more of a players' game than the NFL, where coaching really matters more. Besides, I don't think Lavy's failure in Washington has to do with him as it does their aging roster. The key is we need to be patient with him and not pull the plug when one season goes badly.



I don't think age matters. Trotz, Sutter, Burns, and Cooper were in their 50s when they won.

Age doesn’t matter per se but age tends to indicate staleness and Lavi seems stale and outdated.

I did say earlier I think he’s the best of the 3-4 coaches we were actually considering. I’m sure we also wanted Keefe or Sullivan if they shook free. The problem is that we aren’t willing to gamble on a young fresh mind.

This seems more and more, just like our roster moves, like it’s not “grow into a powerhouse,” but “Cup with this aging team that’s not an on-paper favorite, or bust.”

And I suspect it’s bust and in two years we will be doing this rebuild again.

With a young coach with elite upside like Cooper was, you could let him grow into the role around your young stars. Our problem is that everything we do is based on the ticking clocks of Kreider and Panarin anymore. And by god Kreider is the most overrated player ever if we are making franchise decisions around his impending decline. Nice player but we treat him like our franchise player and he’s not and never has been.

 

[GAGLine]

What is the vision for this team and how does Laviolette fit that vision?

Can anyone answer that?

 

[Kocur26]

I’m not happy I’m not disgusted like I was with Trottier but I was hoping for a wildcard .

Jay Leach is probably the guy we should a hired.

And this guy stays … he’ll do at least 3 years here …

This move give me a very Mike McCarthy hire feel…. Great record but for some reason you don’t think he’s that good.

 

[bhamill]

What is the vision for this team and how does Laviolette fit that vision?

Can anyone answer that?

Well none of us are mind readers and Drury hasn’t put out a statement, but going by his draft choices and acquisitions I’d say he wants a skilled team that is also not physically easy to play against. Othmann, Sykora, BMB, Blais, Copp, Motte, Mikkola and even Tarasenko fit that mold to some extent. If it’s Laviolette, he’s not alien to coaching that type of team.

 

[The Gloaming]

I remember those early 2010 Flyers teams quite well... in 11-12 they had a ton of rookies emerge as top players. Brayden Schenn, Couturier, Matt Read scored over 20 goals in a tough era to score goals in...Giroux was young and was handed the reigns that season to be the 1C after the Carter and Richards trades. Voracek was also young back then. I remember those teams were tough to play against but always had shitty goaltending. Lavi will have a world class goalie now. Let's see what he does before jumping off the cliff. We all wanted Gallant and couldn't wait for him to get fired 2 seasons later.

Getting Laf and Kakko going should be this organization's priority. We ain't winning anything without those 2 contributing.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

I find it odd that Uncle Larry and Mollie haven't reported on it. Nothing in today's Post about it....

 

[Ruggs225]

What is the vision for this team and how does Laviolette fit that vision?

Can anyone answer that?

Hire big names. That is the vision and always has been. Get the biggest name for coaches and players

 

[Fitzy]

What is the vision for this team and how does Laviolette fit that vision?

Can anyone answer that?

Our vision is a relatively young GM who is trying to win a stanley cup, and has made several high profile mistakes so far.

But Drury is in win now mode, and that's why they went for a coach with (distant) SC credentials.

 

[Crease]

I find it odd that Uncle Larry and Mollie haven't reported on it. Nothing in today's Post about it....

Friedman and Vince rushed the story in an effort to be first. They’re reporting the decision like it’s a horse race. What does it mean that Lavi is the “front runner? It’s a job and one person gets the offer. Did they offer Lavi the job or not? None of the reports offer any detail.

 

[IDvsEGO]

. We all wanted Gallant and couldn't wait for him to get fired 2 seasons later.

Getting Laf and Kakko going should be this organization's priority. We ain't winning anything without those 2 contributing.

we wanted gallant because we saw Florida as a team that had young players who were successful and wanted that.
Gallant gave us none of that. Our young players have succeeded in spite of him.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Not to the level we’d like.



Yeah but that’s kinda the point. The veteran coaches are just a firing carousel.

Lav was a fresh up and comer at age 42 when he won. Maybe there’s a lesson there?

Experience is valued in many sports. We hired David Quinn as well. Lack of pro head coaching experience isn't the flex some fans may think it is. Only around 50 head coaches have won a Stanley Cup. Lav is one of them. How many were rookie head coaches? That wasn't Lavs first NHL head coaching job.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Hire big names. That is the vision and always has been. Get the biggest name for coaches and players

Was David Quinn a huge name?

 

[Ruggs225]

Was David Quinn a huge name?

Nope and gorton and jd were canned bc of it

 

[Machinehead]

I'm pretty much done with the coach thing and my next victim is Drury if I don't like what I see.

We'll see what happens before I start running amok.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Nope and gorton and jd were canned bc of it

Nope and gorton and jd were canned bc of it

Thats why they were fired? Had nothing to do with no playoffs in 3 seasons under Quinn or being embarrassed by Tom Wilson?

 

[Machinehead]

Thats why they were fired? Had nothing to do with no playoffs in 3 seasons under Quinn or being embarrassed by Tom Wilson?

This is the same thing.

 

[Leonardo87]

I'm pretty much done with the coach thing and my next victim is Drury if I don't like what I see.

We'll see what happens before I start running amok.

Yeah, going to wait and see how thing go next season, if things go bad, or worse than last year, then we can cross that bridge. But I doubt that happens.

 

[RangerBoy]

I remember those early 2010 Flyers teams quite well... in 11-12 they had a ton of rookies emerge as top players. Brayden Schenn, Couturier, Matt Read scored over 20 goals in a tough era to score goals in...Giroux was young and was handed the reigns that season to be the 1C after the Carter and Richards trades. Voracek was also young back then. I remember those teams were tough to play against but always had shitty goaltending. Lavi will have a world class goalie now. Let's see what he does before jumping off the cliff. We all wanted Gallant and couldn't wait for him to get fired 2 seasons later.

Getting Laf and Kakko going should be this organization's priority. We ain't winning anything without those 2 contributing.

According to LeBrun, the Flyers fired Laviolette because management was not happy with the development of Couturier and Schenn. That was one of the reasons.

 

[KennyWu]

I'm pretty much done with the coach thing and my next victim is Drury if I don't like what I see.

We'll see what happens before I start running amok.

 

[chosen]

Hope they pick someone soon, so the fanbase can unite and get down to hating him and blaming him for what the brilliant fanbase sees as his shortcomings.

Way Too Early Predictions of next season's whipping boys:

1a. The Coach
1b. Drury
1c. Panarin
2. Trouba
3. Laf
4. ?

 

[mas0764]

Experience is valued in many sports.

It's often valued by lazy executives who aren't doing the right thing.

Like it or not, just because someone is in a front office doesn't mean they are right and the fans are wrong. Not that we can do their job per se but it's the old "when I can see the roof leaking I know the roofer did his job wrong," scenario.

We hired David Quinn as well. Lack of pro head coaching experience isn't the flex some fans may think it is. Only around 50 head coaches have won a Stanley Cup. Lav is one of them. How many were rookie head coaches? That wasn't Lavs first NHL head coaching job.

How many eventually won Cups with the first team that hired them as a head coach? Is that the question?

It seems in the past 15 years or so, most Cup winning coaches are on more like their second or third team. There are asterisks, there, though, because in the instance of a guy like Trotz he was in Nashville forever and was clearly a very highly regarded coach and they just needed a change. Yes, it wasn't Lav's first job when he won in Carolina but he was a younger coach.

I think the template based on history would be to get a guy like Keefe. Rangers would be his second team, young enough to still have new ideas, has had success in Toronto.

Laviollette has been fired 5 times and is a much different scenario. In his case it seems like experience for experience's sake.

Obviously Keefe isn't available, so it is what it is.

Please bear in mind I said earlier that Lavi is probably the best of the uninspiring group they've been chasing.

I just think if the ideal (like Keefe) isn't available, then it's time to roll the dice.

 

[NYR94]

90 pages into the thread and we're back to discussing the same thing we were on page 1: "So they're hiring Laviolette? Is it official?"

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Hope they pick someone soon, so the fanbase can unite and get down to hating him and blaming him for what the brilliant fanbase sees as his shortcomings.

Way Too Early Predictions of next season's whipping boys:

1a. The Coach
1b. Drury
1c. Panarin
2. Trouba
3. Laf
4. ?

Good list. Probably Miller or Othmann as 4.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Good list. Probably Miller or Othmann as 4.

Nah. Zibanejad or Kreider will be 4 if either or both stumble out of the gate.

I'm pretty much done with the coach thing and my next victim is Drury if I don't like what I see.

We'll see what happens before I start running amok.

I mean, that should be the case. Thing is who replaces him? I don't see Ryan Martin being promoted from within even though he'd be a decent choice. How much you want to bet Dolan brings in a good 'ol boy instead of someone that would be competent?

 

[Leonardo87]

90 pages into the thread and we're back to discussing the same thing we were on page 1: "So they're hiring Laviolette? Is it official?"

It's like 99% official. Even my local news was mentioning the hire will be announced soon.