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New York Rangers Officially Hire David Quinn As Head Coach

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Though it had been expected for some time, the New York Rangers have officially announced David Quinn as their next head coach. The former Boston University coach will be the 35th head coach in Rangers history, and try to take the team in a new direction after a disappointing 2017-18.

New York has had a tumultuous few months, since finding themselves out of the playoff race relatively early. After telling their fans in an open letter that a rebuild was coming, the team traded away several key pieces including Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, and Michael Grabner, collecting draft picks and prospects for their future seasons. At the end of the year, Alain Vigneault was let go as head coach, with an expectation that a fresh new voice would be introduced as the next head coach. That could have been Jim Montgomery, who reportedly turned down a bigger offer from the Rangers to go and coach the Dallas Stars, but will instead be Quinn, fresh off another successful season with BU.

Quinn, 51, will jump right from the college ranks after five seasons as the head man for BU. He has just one season of NHL assistant coaching experience, and three years as the head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. The Monsters finished out of the playoffs in two of those years, and were knocked out in the first round in the third. Quinn never played in the NHL, despite being a first-round pick of the Minnesota North Stars. After starring at BU as a defenseman he was diagnosed with Haemophilia B and was forced to retire, though he returned to the game briefly a few years later, playing 19 games in the AHL.

Still, there are many who believe Quinn can find success in the NHL despite his relative lack of experience. Players like Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy all speak highly of their time playing under him in the NCAA, and believe he was an integral part of their development into NHL players. The Rangers will hope he can do similar things for some of their young players as they try to turn the franchise around quickly.

After trading McDonagh and others, the Rangers find themselves with three first-round picks this season and several high-profile prospects in the pipeline. That’s after already selecting twice in the first round last season, and seemingly hitting on both Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil. If the team can find some more talents in the first round, and develop the likes of Brett Howden, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren, it might not take long for them to be back among those fighting for the playoffs. Quinn will be tasked with helping a roster that could lose even more veteran presence this summer compete in both the short and long-term.

Snapshots: Quinn, Korpikoski, Draft Rankings

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All signs continue to point towards David Quinn becoming the next head coach of the New York Rangers, though the team still has not officially announced the hiring. Mike McMahon of College Hockey News is the latest to report on a timeline that had Quinn turning down the Rangers four-year offer last week, only to eventually sign for five years and $12MM. While we likely won’t get confirmation from the team on those numbers for some time, that contract gives Quinn enough security to leave Boston University where he was considered one of the top college coaches in the country.

McMahon also suggests that Joe Sacco, currently an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins, is a candidate to replace Quinn at BU in the coming weeks. Sacco played for BU in the late 80’s before embarking on an NHL career that spanned more than a decade, five organizations and 738 games.

  • Lauri Korpikoski has signed a six-year contract in Finland, after spending last year in the Swiss NLA. The journeyman played more than 600 games in the NHL, suiting up for four organizations over his last three seasons. A first-round pick by the New York Rangers in 2004, he never did perform up to expectations, only once breaking the 40-point mark during his career. Now 31, a six-year deal essentially guarantees he won’t be playing in the NHL again, unless something happens to break the contract at some point.
  • Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) has released his final 2018 draft rankings, and though he formats it differently than most there will still be plenty of surprises. Brady Tkachuk, considered to be a contender for second overall by some pundits, finds himself way down Pronman’s ranking at #9, while Evan Bouchard is even lower at #18. The vast differences in rankings heading into this year’s event are shaping up to create some drama on the draft floor, with no one quite sure how things will fall after the Buffalo Sabres select Rasmus Dahlin with the first pick.

Rangers In Discussions With David Quinn To Become Their Next Head Coach

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12:46 p.m.: ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski tweets that the rumored five-year, $12MM deal isn’t finalized between the Rangers and Quinn. While a deal isn’t concrete, it’s still expected to happen. The scribe adds that it might have something to do with the fact that Gorton hasn’t returned from Denmark yet.

12:11 p.m.: New England Hockey Journal’s Jeff Cox reports that the Rangers and Quinn have come to an agreement in principle to have Quinn become the team’s head coach. The scribe writes that the deal would be a five-year deal worth $2.5MM per season.

Saturday, 11:40 a.m.: The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that two sources have told him that Quinn has signaled that he wants the New York Rangers job and barring a negotiating breakdown, the job is his. He adds that Gorton is expected back from Denmark on Monday.

Friday: The Rangers appear to have found their next target to replace Alain Vigneault.  This afternoon, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported (Twitter link) that the team was focusing on Boston University head coach David Quinn while TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds (Twitter link) that talks have advanced with Quinn to the point where he appears to be on his way towards becoming their next head coach although a deal has not been finalized as of yet.  He adds that GM Jeff Gorton is currently at the World Championships in Denmark so nothing is imminent.

Earlier this offseason, New York appeared to have their sights set on another college coach in Jim Montgomery.  However, the Stars stepped in and hired him as their replacement for Ken Hitchcock instead.

With the Rangers transitioning towards a younger roster, it makes sense that they would be looking for someone who is experienced working with younger players and Quinn certainly fits that bill.

He has spent the past five years at the college level but he does have experience coaching in the pros.  The 51-year-old spent three seasons as the head coach for Colorado’s then-AHL affiliate in Lake Erie before being promoted to an assistant at the NHL level for the 2012-13 campaign before he left for Boston University.  Quinn was named the Hockey East Coach of the Year in 2014-15 while this past season, the Terriers took home the Hockey East title.  Last month, he was named as head coach for Team USA’s entry into the 2019 World Juniors although he would relinquish that position should he get this position with New York.

Offseason Keys: New York Rangers

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While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the New York Rangers.

While the Rangers were hopeful to be battling it out for a postseason spot, they certainly didn’t hesitate to start selling when they no longer believed a playoff position was feasible.  They were very active at the trade deadline and they certainly will be a team to watch for at the draft with three first-round picks in their pocket.  Beyond deciding how to use those (keep them all, trade up, etc), here are some keys to their offseason.

Find Their Next Coach

In a move that didn’t come as too much of a surprise, GM Jeff Gorton decided to make a coaching change and let veteran head coach Alain Vigneault go.  For a while, it looked like their sights were set on Denver University bench boss Jim Montgomery but instead, he went to Dallas.  As a result, New York is the lone team still on the market for a head coach.

Before they can really identify who is next on their list, Gorton may need to make a decision on just how deep this rebuild will go.  If they want, they can turn this around pretty quick and if that’s the plan, then a more veteran coach might be the way to go.  If they plan to rebuild and restock the cupboards for a couple more years though, a first-year coach becomes a more palatable option.  Considering Montgomery appeared to be their target, the latter is the likelier scenario.

Some coaches have been speculatively linked to the Rangers so far.  Boston University’s David Quinn is another college coach that they’re believed to have interest in but it appears he wants to stay where he is while he has already been tabbed to run the bench for the USA at the next World Juniors.  Sheldon Keefe is having another successful season with Toronto’s AHL team and will likely be in the mix as well.  Alternatively, if they want to go with someone more experienced, they could look at veterans such as Dan Bylsma and Dave Tippett or current assistant Lindy Ruff.

Address The Defense

While it wasn’t necessarily a big deal down the stretch, the loss of Ryan McDonagh as part of the deadline day trade with Tampa Bay is something they’re really going to feel in 2018-19.  Kevin Shattenkirk didn’t have a great first season in New York while Marc Staal, while still serviceable, is better used in a lower role, something that may not be an option if their back end is left unattended.

One player who was supposed to help a bit in that regard was Brendan Smith.  Signed to a four-year, $17.4MM extension after joining them at the 2016-17 deadline, he was supposed to solidify their top-four.  That didn’t happen and he eventually cleared waivers.  Now, Gorton is faced with a tough decision – are they better off buying him out, trading with retention, trying to find a swap of bad contracts with another team, or let this ride out?

In the meantime, the Rangers appear to be positioned to give their youngsters a lot of playing time.  Brady Skjei (a pending RFA) is a safe bet to play a big role but players like Anthony DeAngelo, Rob O’Gara, Neal Pionk, and John Gilmour aren’t as proven.  Even though the mantra of a rebuilding team is to let the prospects play, they may still want to add a veteran that can ease some of the pressure and perhaps allow one of those younger defenders to play top minutes at the minor league level.

Re-Sign Their Key RFAs

Not many teams have as many notable restricted free agents as New York does, especially up front.  Skjei is their key defender to re-sign on the back end but four of their top-nine forwards are in need of new deals and all of them have arbitration eligibility.

The most prominent among these is center Vladislav Namestnikov.  He was the key player coming back as part of the McDonagh deal and at the time the trade was completed, he was playing a significant role with Tampa Bay and it looked like he had established himself as a legitimate scoring forward in the NHL.  Things didn’t go so well in his new home, however.  He collected just two goals and two assists in 19 games on Broadway which largely overshadows the 44 points (20-24-44) in 62 games with the Lightning.  Were his struggles just a short-term thing or a sign of things to come?  If they suspect the latter, it’s hard to give him a long-term deal but with him just being two years away from UFA eligibility, a short-term ‘prove it’ deal is quite risky.  This is going to be a particularly interesting case to watch.

Center Kevin Hayes plus wingers Ryan Spooner and Jimmy Vesey are also in need of new deals.  Hayes is coming off of a season where he set career highs in goals (25), faceoff percentage (50.5%), and average time on ice (17:21) which will help his case should it get to a hearing.  Spooner quietly posted the highest point-per-game average of his career and is only one year away from UFA eligibility.  Meanwhile, Vesey’s sophomore campaign was a lot like his rookie year so a shorter contract may be the way they go there.  Any way you look at it, Gorton is going to be quite busy these next couple of months getting this many regulars locked up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Must Continue To Upgrade Their Defense

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The New York Rangers still have to hire a coach, but the team’s top goal is to continue to improve its blueline this offseason. Just a year ago, the Rangers invested heavily into a veteran defense that was expected to be among the best in the league. The team went out and signed highly coveted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk and re-signed Brendan Smith to go with captain Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal and a rising Brady Skjei.

Instead the defense struggled mightily as they were ranked fourth in goals against, allowing 3.21 goals per game during the 2017-18 season. Now with McDonagh gone and the team in a rebuild, the Rangers must make more changes to improve their struggling blueline.

The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman (subscription required) writes that a few pieces are certain. A healthy Shattenkirk should boost the team’s defense after the team shut him down in the middle of the year with a torn meniscus. Throw in a much improved year for Staal and the Rangers have a couple of solid pieces to aid them. The team still has high hopes for Skjei, despite his second-year struggles, but Smith is a complete unknown as it will be up to him to get into game shape and prove he was worth the four-year, $17.4MM deal he signed last offseason. The team did like the way rookie Neal Pionk played in his 28-game trial at the end of the year. Even defenseman Anthony DeAngelo showed improvement at the end of the year as well. The team also added a number of new young d-men at the trade deadline that aren’t too far off, including Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek and Yegor Rykov.

Regardless, the team could use a boost from an experienced young defenseman that can help stabilize last year’s crew or at the very least, more young talent that will be ready within a year. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the team should consider offering up either Kevin Hayes or Mike Zibanejad in exchange for defensive help, assuming the player they get back is a current or future top-four defenseman. While he believes that Dougie Hamilton would be the perfect trade target, he doubts the Calgary Flames would move him. However, Calgary is loaded with defensive prospects that are stuck behind their veteran defense, suggesting the Rangers go after prospect Adam Fox, who is a top defenseman at Harvard University, and who was the former partner of Lindgren. Trading one of those young veterans could work as centermen are in high demand right now with few available on the free agent market and with the Rangers putting much of their hopes on both of last year’s first-round picks in Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil at center next season.

No matter what, the team will have to make some changes if they hope to improve on their disappointing 2017-18 season.

Coaching Notes: Gulutzan, Clark, Smith

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In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, he breaks down the situations of several coaches—both employed and unemployed—around the league. One of those he touches on is Glen Gulutzan, who Friedman says received offers to become an assistant coach in both Edmonton and Buffalo.

There’s no indication that Gulutzan has made a decision yet, but with teams offering him roles as an assistant or head coach in the AHL, it seems unlikely that he’ll remain unemployed very long. The former Calgary Flames head coach was fired after a disappointing season, in which the club missed the playoffs entirely.

  • Ian Clark, the goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets, will leave the team at the end of June. His contract is expiring and will move on to new challenges, leaving Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo without their coach next season. No word on who will be replacing him, though Clark believes that “sooner or later, teams will have a director of player personnel and a director of goaltending.”
  • One interesting connection that Friedman makes regarding the New York Rangers’ vacancy, is that of D.J. Smith. The Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach has a history with Rangers’ Special Assistant Adam Graves, and has been considered for various jobs in the past. Interestingly, the Maple Leafs have recently promoted Kyle Dubas to GM, where he could have an impact on coaching hires over the next few months.

Overseas Notes: Cameron, Lewis, Huska

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Dave Cameron did not stay unemployed for very long, though his new position is far from where he has made his living for the last thirty-odd years. The Erste Bank Liga (EBEL), a lower-tier European league based mostly in Austria, has announced that Cameron has been named the new head coach of the Vienna Capitals, the league’s reigning regular season champions. Cameron had been working as an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames for the past two seasons, but was relieved last month alongside head coach Glen Gulutzan. Prior to that position, he has served as the head coach for the Ottawa Senators after working his way up from long-time assistant. Even before that, Cameron was showing the breadth of his hockey mind as both the head coach and GM of several OHL franchises. Yet, this new job is his first outside of North America and brings with it the challenges of a brand new market and caliber of player. However, Cameron is an experienced coach and should find his way in no time at all in Vienna.

  • Another coach has not been so lucky. Dave Lewis, most well known for a long stint as assistant and head coach of the Detroit Red Wings from the late 80’s through the mid-2000’s, has lost his job with the Belarus national program, per insider Igor Eronko. Lewis, who also had a short-lived stint as Boston Bruins head coach and brief stops as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes, has been working for Belarus in various roles since 2014. He had guided four IIHF World Championship teams, an Olympic qualifying bid, and the team’s World Juniors appearance this season. However, just three games into the ongoing Worlds, national officials have clearly decided that they have had enough with the lack of success out of their long-time coach. Lewis has struggled to find results as a head coach over the years and the next step for the 64-year-old is a mystery.
  • Although Adam Huska likely has two years left at the University of Connecticut, HK Sochi of the KHL may have made a shrewd move in acquiring the KHL rights to the Slovak goaltender today. The team reported this morning that Huska’s rights had been transferred to Sochi from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in exchange for forward Dmitri Lugin. Huska was a seventh-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2015, but given the team’s depth in goalie prospects – Alexandar Georgiev, Brandon Halverson, and mostly Igor Shestyorkin – it’s quite possible that Huska could choose to return home to Europe, in which case Sochi will gain a talented, young netminder. Huska posted a .912 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 27 starts last year and should only continue to thrive in net for UConn before he makes his decision on turning pro.

Carolina Hurricanes Will Make NHL Draft Difficult To Predict

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The Carolina Hurricanes were lucky enough to get the second-overall pick in the upcoming 2018 NHL Draft, but who they will take will be even more interesting. While many believe that winger Andrei Svechnikov, who scored 40 goals for the OHL’s Barrie Colts mostly as a 17-year-old, is the obvious answer. However, there are plenty of other variables, according to the Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy.

An alternate option for Carolina would be to take winger Filip Zadina, countryman and world junior linemate of 2017 first-round center Martin Necas. Zadina put up 44 goals in 57 games in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads.

However, the scribe writes that neither player fills the team’s most important need for the future which is a first-line center, a similar problem that the Montreal Canadiens face later at the No. 3 spot. If Carolina decides that is more important, then trading down might be the team’s best option. Kennedy adds that has been discussed by the organization. A team like the New York Rangers or the New York Islanders, both with an excess of extra picks both in the first round and later, would be logical trade partners.

Although the team recently hired veteran executive Rick Dudley to fill in, the team needs to hire a general manager before any decision can be made about the direction of their selection. While the team bowed out earlier from the playoff race than they had hoped, Carolina has a significant amount of talent, although they lack a star player. However, with a new owner and eventually new general manager and coach, the team may make quite a few changes over the next few months. Even without a permanent GM, the team already traded off veteran Marcus Kruger and there are rumors the Hurricanes may trade off their top scorer in Jeff Skinner before he hits free agency in 2019.

So Carolina becomes quite a wildcard when it comes to this draft.

 

Jim Montgomery Named Head Coach Of The Dallas Stars

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Friday: The Stars have announced Montgomery as their next head coach, the eighth since moving to Dallas.

Wednesday: In a surprise turn of events, Francois Gagnon of RDS is reporting that Jim Montgomery will be named head coach of the Dallas Stars by the end of the week. Montgomery, born in Montreal, has been the head coach of the University of Denver since 2013 and had been connected recently with both the Stars and New York Rangers head coaching vacancies. Sean Shapiro of The Athletic also believes the move is likely, though can’t confirm anything just yet.

A highly touted coaching prospect, Montgomery leaves DU just a year after interviewing for several NHL jobs last spring. A veteran of 122 games in the NHL, he has found incredible success in the coaching ranks including multiple USHL titles and a National Championship with Denver in 2017. He’ll be taking over for a legendary coach in Ken Hitchcock, and walking into a situation filled with talented—if underperforming—players.

The Stars missed the playoffs again this season, despite great individual offensive seasons from their best players. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov all broke the 70-point mark, while John Klingberg recorded 67 points as one of the most dangerous offensive defensemen in the league. Still, they didn’t get enough contributions from the rest of the roster and had trouble finding any consistency in their play. Going on wild streaks in both directions, the team needs to find a way to improve for next year or risk wasting some of their prime inexpensive years with Seguin, who is an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Montgomery will also be tasked with developing some of the team’s younger players, including the prize of last year’s draft, Miro Heiskanen. Heiskanen, along with Klingberg, Julius Honka and Esa Lindell should form the core of a very good group of defenders for the next several years and will come at a relatively inexpensive price. If Montgomery can bring the best out of them, perhaps a return to the postseason in 2018-19 isn’t just a dream.

Many people, including Gagnon, believed that Alain Vigneault would be the next choice for the Stars head coaching position. Now, with the hiring of Montgomery instead, it’s not clear which direction the Rangers will go for their vacancy or where Vigneault will eventually land. Regardless, the Stars apparently feel strong enough about Montgomery’s future in the league to install him in a very important season, and hope he can orchestrate a quick turnaround for the organization.

Snapshots: Torrey, Quinn, Predators

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The hockey world is saddened today, as it learned of the passing of Bill Torrey. A legendary executive, Torrey was the architect of the New York Islanders dynasty and first GM of the Florida Panthers. Not only was he an outstanding general manager and president, but he was beloved by nearly the entire hockey community. A outpouring of grief has come from former players, media and executives, all sharing their favorite stories and memories.

At PHR, as with the rest of the hockey world, we extend our condolences to the Torrey family and friends. He was 83.

  • David Quinn, coach of Boston University, has been rumored as a potential candidate for several NHL vacancies including that of the New York Rangers. Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that though he hasn’t told the Rangers, Quinn has indicated to friends that he’ll return to BU next season. Quinn is also set to coach Team USA at the World Juniors next year, something he obviously wouldn’t be able to do should he take an NHL job.
  • The Nashville Predators look like they’ll shake up their lineup for Game 4, inserting Yannick Weber and Scott Hartnell. Adam Vingan of the Tennessean reports that Alexei Emelin and Kevin Fiala were both on the ice late doing extra work, and appear to be coming out for the matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. The Predators are down 2-1 in the series and need to find a way to steal a game in Winnipeg to even the series, or face elimination on home ice Saturday night.

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