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New York Rangers: Ranking the five best players under Alain Vigneault

By Nicholas Zararis

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach of the New York Rangers Alain Vigneault yells out from behind the bench against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 22, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach of the New York Rangers Alain Vigneault yells out from behind the bench against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 22, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 22: Head coach of the New York Rangers Alain Vigneault yells out from behind the bench against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 22, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 22: Head coach of the New York Rangers Alain Vigneault yells out from behind the bench against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on February 22, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The New York Rangers fired Alain Vigneault last week. Although his tenure ended in ruin, the team was amongst the most successful in the entire league.

Firing a coach when the time is right is good business sense. The Rangers knew that time was right to move on from Alain Vigneault. The front office expected the team to compete this year, instead, they finished 8th in the Metropolitan division. This large disparity between the expectation and result spelled a death knell for Vigneault.

Taking a step back, it is hard not to see what the coach did during his tenure. A trip to the Stanley Cup finals and six playoff series wins in four years are a decent resume. Those teams were filled with quality players that made great strides under Vigneault.

Although the coach has a bad reputation for his player development, he was able to tap into certain players in a way they never were before. There were players relied on to make big jumps and Vigneault was able to utilize the talent in a way that got results.

When comparing the production of certain players under other coaches, it’s clear to see Vigneault’s touch.

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