New York Rangers: Who’s Under the Most Post-Season Pressure?

Brandon Cohen- The Assistant Coaches

Even though I was the one who came up with this round-table topic, I had a lot of difficulty making my choice. I let everyone else choose first, then juggled around Alain Vigneault, the bottom six forwards, and the Assistant Coaches out of the remaining options available.

I ended up deciding on the Assistant Coaches. See, Alain Vigneault will not lose his job. The Rangers will not pay Vigneault to go away just months after paying him to stay for the long term.

However, if the Rangers find themselves bounced out early, changes will be made. The penalty kill and power-play units have been up and down all season. Defensively, the Rangers remain a mess. While Vigneault deserves the majority of the blame, the Rangers can simply point the finger at the Assistants instead.

Look for the Rangers to make wholesale changes to Vigneault’s sidekicks if the team doesn’t make a run. If the Assistants want to stay, they have to make sure the Rangers are up for the challenge.