New York Rangers: Should Alain Vigneault be fired?

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 04: Head coach Alain Vigneault of the New York Rangers looks on from the bench against the Ottawa Senators in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 4, 2017 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 4-1. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

George Ruggiero – Yes

In the words of former general manager Glen Sather, every head coach has a shelf life. And just as former head coach John Tortorella reached his shelf life, so has Alain Vigneault. His blunders spanning as far back as last season have led to clamoring for his head on a silver platter.

Last season, Vigneault almost directly caused the Rangers’ falling out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In far too many crunch time situations, Vigneault put the worst defensive pairing, Marc Staal, and Nick Holden, on the ice. This led to many late goals against including a few game winners.

Vigneault’s handling of young forwards over the years hasn’t been much better either. He has consistently played favorites, favoring veterans over young players who need the experience to grow. This season, this is manifested in Vigneault’s handling of both Filip Chytil and Tony DeAngelo.

Overall, it seems like this team is starting to give up on Vigneault. There have been too many lazy plays that have led to goals insofar. Whether AV has lost the locker room or not, his lineup decisions and stunting of many players’ growth warrant his firing.

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