It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’re just days away from the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the teams that won’t be playing are also getting the spotlight. Some clubs will be hitting the golf course instead of hitting the ice after this weekend.
A disappointing season usually means changes are coming on the ice and behind the bench. One team that may be in for a shakeup is the New York Rangers. This edition of NHL rumours deals with some possible changes coming.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Changes Looming for the New York Rangers This Off-Season
Rumour: A recent edition of TSN’s Early Trading speculated on what the future may hold for head coach Peter Laviolette and general manager Chris Drury.
Analysis: The chance of a Broadway revival of a deep post-season run were snuffed out last weekend. New York had shown flashes of the team that made at the Eastern Conference Final at times. However, injuries, inconsistent and shaky play in at both ends of the ice cost them a post-season spot.
Players like Mika Zibanejad and others failed to replicate last season’s numbers and the defence struggled to keep pucks out of the net. However, there are a lot of questions facing Laviolette and Drury and their status with the team.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun weighed in on what team owner James Dolan may do this off-season. LeBrun said that things have been very hush-hush at Madison Square Garden. The insider think Laviolette’s time behind the bench at the Garden could be over. Laviolette is well-liked by the players, but there have been some missteps this season.
A world of expectations were on the Rangers, but the team fell well short of those expectations. Many had the Blueshirts pegged as a Stanley Cup contender, but now many experts will have to figure out what went wrong this campaign.
What It Means
The Rangers were hoping young players like Alexis Lafreniere would take the next step. However, the former top overall pick disappeared after a strong start to the season. Kaapo Kakko was revitalized after being dealt to the Seattle Kraken. There was also the puzzling scratch of Gabriel Perreault after signing with the team.
We’ve also see the puzzling treatment of veteran defenceman Calvin de Haan after getting him at the deadline. It seems that things are disjointed and firing Laviolette may be the easiest fix.
However, Drury may be completely safe. There were some that were not pleased by the Jacob Trouba trade to the Anaheim Ducks and how Barclay Goodrow was waived. LeBrun did say that Drury will likely come back, but there may be added pressure on him.
The insider said that Dolan likes how active Drury was at the deadline. According to LeBrun, Drury plans to be aggressive in the off-season to try and cure the Rangers issues. Some painful moves may need to be made and there could be a different look to this roster come October.
Main photo by: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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