On June 21st, 2013, after firing coach John Tortorella, the New York Rangers hired Alain Vigneault. Before coming to New York, Vigneault was the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, and had a lot of success with his former team. He lead the Canucks to multiple playoff appearances, back to back Presidents’ Trophies, and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games. Then, after back to back first round playoff exits, Vigneault was fired by then GM Mike Gillis. However, Vigneault has shown that he can have success in the playoffs, and that is exactly what he can bring to New York in these upcoming years.
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When Vigneault first came to New York, there was a lot of questioning whether or not his style of play would be accepted by this Rangers team. After all, they had studied under the intense John Tortorella for the past four and a half years, so it would take some time getting used to. In the first few months of the season, this move did not seem to be working out the way Glen Sather wanted it to. In their first nine games, all on the road, the Rangers went 3-6-0. Most people understood this, as it was a very strenuous start to a season. However, once they returned home, it did not get better. They continued to struggle both offensively and defensively, and Henrik Lundqvist did not look like the same goaltender.
The straw that almost broke the camel’s back was the Rangers’ nine game home stand that began in early in December. During that home stand, the Rangers went 3-5-1, which was much below the expectations. After that, a lot of fans began to wonder if Vigneault would even make it through the year. But, the coach buckled down and the Rangers began to turn their game around very slowly after that. They finished the year 45-31-6, good enough for second in the Metropolitan Division. A great playoff run lead to a year the Rangers fans will remember forever, but the ultimate goal was torn away from them. After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years, they lost in five game to the Los Angeles Kings. The team played great, but it was all thanks to Vigneault.
Under Vigneault, the Rangers were much improved in puck possession. During the second half of the year, the Rangers dominated other teams below their blue line to set up great offensive chances. Also, in the areas of penalty kill and power play, the Rangers were also better than years prior. They ended up 4th in the league on the penalty kill and 15th on the power play. Even though they faltered during the playoffs, the coach kept their morale high and was definitely a contributing factor to their Stanley Cup run.
Broad Street Buzz
So, Vigneault definitely has the tools that he needs to succeed in New York. With the addition of Dan Boyle on the back-end, the power play will surely improve, as Boyle can provide decent minutes and is a better point man than Brad Richards. Vigneault has reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice, and he will surely get their again and this time, he will win. With Henrik Lundqvist in the net and Ryan McDonagh as his top defenseman, there is no reason Vigneault can’t bring the Stanley Cup back to the Big Apple where it belongs.