The Rangers' coaching search is headed down a familiar path

(Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)

Gerard Gallant was never Chris Drury’s top choice. 

During the 2021 offseason, the New York Rangers’ brass was desperate for Rod Brind’Amour or Mike Sullivan to shake free.

Ultimately, Drury was forced to settle for Gallant, the most accomplished of the available retreads.

Sound familiar?

Once again, the Rangers seemed to find themselves hoping Brind’Amour, Sullivan, or perhaps even Sheldon Keefe this time around, would become available, only to wind up settling for whomever they deem most attractive among this year’s fairly uninspiring crop.

Make no mistake, the Rangers were correct in their assessment to move on from Gallant, whose message quickly went stale along with his relationships with the team’s marquee players.

Nonetheless, the coming hire will likely represent a lateral move — the addition of a fresh voice rather than a meaningful upgrade behind the bench.

As of now, Drury appears keen on hitching his wagon to a coach with NHL experience, which is not at all surprising.

With his future hinging on the success of this hire, Drury’s rationale for leaning toward the veteran options, rather than taking a swing on an upstart candidate, is understandable. 

When it comes to the veterans, this methodical search seems to have whittled down to Peter Laviolette and John Hynes.

Laviolette has a significantly stronger résumé, having won a Stanley Cup and reached the finals on three occasions. He would also bring the in-your-face attitude and accountability that this team might need. 

On the other hand, he is coming off a disappointing, uneventful three-year stint with the Washington Capitals, during which the team never made it past the first round of the playoffs.

Hynes, who has never led his team past the first round of the playoffs in eight full seasons as an NHL head coach, is the candidate that has a history with the Rangers’ general manager. 

Having played together at Boston University, perhaps Hynes and Drury are more aligned in their vision and philosophies, which is surely an important element of Drury’s criteria following his reported clashes with Gallant.

The wildcard alternative for the Rangers would, of course, be to try to find the next John Cooper or Jared Bednar.

Both of these Cup-winning coaches, who are widely considered to be among the brightest minds in the league, were hired without any NHL experience.

The known candidates who are thought to fit that bill are Seattle Kraken assistant Jay Leach and current Hartford Wolfpack head coach Kris Knoblauch. 

Yet the reality is that the Rangers’ coming hire will not receive the grace period that Cooper and Bednar did, which is one of several factors that Drury must weigh.

The once-young Blueshirts are now fighting against time, as their quickly-aging core finds itself firmly in win-now mode.

Ultimately, this leaves the Rangers in a bit of a catch-22 situation.

There is no clear-cut choice, and regardless of the direction Drury goes with his make-or-break hire, he is certain to be scrutinized, especially after parting with a well-respected coach following a record-breaking first two seasons.

But lately, the NHL has been unpredictable as ever.

Just look at the Florida Panthers’ run.

And remember that at exactly this time last year, the Rangers were the team on a fairytale run, jumping out to a 2-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now, the coach is just one of many questions that must be addressed in the coming months. 

Only the expectation for whomever winds up with the job will be to have this team still playing come this time next year.