New York Rangers: Five players Alain Vigneault helped push out of town
By Josh Lipman
As the New York Rangers continue their early struggles, an increasing share of the blame falls on Alain Vigneault. While the players deserve plenty of ire, the coach’s lineup choices do not put the team in position to succeed. This isn’t a new problem for Vigneault, though.
The coach’s strange deployment decisions often seem to run counter to the front office’s blueprint. Furthermore, his tendency to favor hard-nosed players over skilled ones leads him to ice unnecessarily weak rosters. Talented, young, offensive players have the most trouble landing in his good graces.
On the current roster, Pavel Buchnevich loses out on the most minutes thanks to Vigneault’s tastes. Despite strong play, Buchnevich has totaled the second fewest five on five minutes among Ranger forwards to dress in every game this season. He’s far from the first player to undeservedly suffer under this coach, though.
The Rangers have lost a bevy of talented players during Vigneault’s tenure thanks largely or in part to his favoritism. These five former Rangers left town too soon because of him.