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New York Rangers: Recent hirings highlight puzzling front office pattern

By Josh Lipman

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: Former NHL player Brian Leetch is introduced during the NHL 100 presented by GEICO Show as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at the Microsoft Theater on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 27: Former NHL player Brian Leetch is introduced during the NHL 100 presented by GEICO Show as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at the Microsoft Theater on January 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Earlier this month the  New York Rangers added two former star players to their management team. Brian Leetch and Brad Richards signed on as hockey operations advisors. These hirings further a worrying front office trend, though.

The New York Rangers seem to really like giving former players key jobs these days. Over the last few years they’ve added Brian Leetch, Brad Richards, Chris Drury, and Jed Ortmeyer to the brain trust.

Brian Leetch is one of the greatest Rangers ever. He and other alumni absolutely deserve roles with the team. The question is whether those roles should include involvement in “hockey-related decisions.”

There’s a difference between keeping key people like Leetch in the fold and actually giving them roster input. It makes perfect sense for Leetch to mentor Brady Skjei or Sean Day.

On the other hand, Richards’ experience as a first line center doesn’t mean he should have a say in trades or draft selections. It could work out, but those are two different skill sets.

For proof, just ask Avalanche fans how they’re enjoying general manager Joe Sakic.

Related Story: New York Rangers’ Roster Predictions: Who makes the team?

The best and the brightest

Hockey’s in the midst a so-called “analytics revolution.” Teams are racing to snatch up the best statistical minds available.

This summer, Calgary hired David Johnson, creator of the hockeyanalysis and puckalytics websites. Just days after the Rangers hired Leetch and Richards, Toronto picked up Jack Han of The Athletic. The Pittsburgh juggernaut of the last two seasons had Sam Ventura of War-on-Ice consulting for them.

Phoenix went so far as to make John Chayka of Stathletes its general manager last year.

New York is noticeably absent from the bevy of teams gobbling up analysts. Jim Sullivan is the only staff member listed in their directory with analytics in his title.

In fact, the Rangers slapped the analytics part on in 2014, five years after hiring him. Sullivan also handles hockey technology and player development. Nobody in the front office exclusively focuses on analytics.

Related Story: New York Rangers: Alain Vigneault’s comments from training camp

Vicious cycle

The NHL is still just starting to adopt advanced stats. Only eight general managers (including Jeff Gorton) never played professional hockey. A whopping 21 of them are former NHL players.

What are the odds 21 of the 32 people most qualified to run an NHL team come from the tiny group of people who played in the NHL? Look at baseball, where only four MLB general managers played professionally and only one reached the majors. Baseball teams hire from a much larger pool of candidates.

NHL teams seem to pick coaches the same way. Alain Vigneault said he decided to hire Lindy Ruff after talking to a pair of mutual friends. At least coaches don’t control the overall shape of a team, though.

This isn’t an argument against Leetch, Richards, Drury, or Ortmeyer as individuals. In particular, Drury seems to have a knack for recruiting top NCAA free agents like Jimmy Vesey and Neal Pionk.

Next: New York Rangers’ Preseason Preview: What to watch for

But if Gorton and company were more thorough in their search for job candidates, they might not land on an ex-Ranger quite so often.

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