New York Rangers: Five reasons to be excited about the David Quinn hiring
David Quinn is officially the 35th head coach in New York Rangers history. What will he do differently to usher in the new era for the storied franchise?
The wait is over for the New York Rangers and their fans. David Quinn has officially been announced as the next head coach for the Original Six franchise. Now, the team can look towards the future and begin the long process of completing the rebuild that started last season.
Quinn’s role as head coach will be much different than that of coaches past for the Rangers. He is not being handed a team ready to win now. Quinn is being asked to develop and transform his roster into a contender.
Similarly, unlike other coaches, Quinn’s leash will be much longer. As long-term goals shift, so do short-term expectations. As a result, the new head coach will have an opportunity to adjust to his surroundings and constant roster reconstruction.
Still, the hope remains the same for any NHL franchise. GM Jeff Gorton and his team hope the David Quinn will be the man to bring the New York Rangers back to the Stanley Cup.
Quinn and the Rangers face an uphill battle but will be given every opportunity to make the most out of the next several years together.
He’s not Alain Vigneault
First and foremost, David Quinn is most certainly not Alain Vigneault.
Over the last five seasons, the state of the New York Rangers franchise was handled by Vigneault. His coaching method fits best in a locker room filled with self-sufficient veterans. However, the team’s roster looks much different now than it did back in 2013.
Quinn’s reputation immediately gets a boost for the simple fact that he is not the passive coach that Vigneault was. He brings a fresh, new look to the Rangers’ organization in dire need of fundamental changes on and off the ice.
Of course, Quinn will not be without his faults. Every fan believes themselves to be the most capable of leading their team to a Stanley Cup appearance. This fact will remain intact for Quinn, who will receive his fair share of critiques from couches of fans.
However, the fact remains that the end of the Vigneault era left a bad taste in almost everyone’s mouths. The need for change was obvious and welcomed by everyone around the franchise.
Quinn enters the locker room as the face of change for the New York Rangers and must embrace that fact. This is his team now and he could not be more excited.
History of development
Prior to Quinn signing with the New York Rangers, he was in line to continue coaching at Boston University. For five seasons Quinn was the man behind the bench at BU, leading them to a record of 105-68-21. That record puts him fourth in the Boston University hockey record books.
During his time at BU, Quinn saw several high-profile prospects go through his program on their path to the NHL. Most notably, Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller, and Charlie McAvoy. While these players tenures at the University were not long, it lends credence to his impact on their development as NHL-ready products.
A large portion of the New York Rangers roster will be occupied by young, developing players. Last season, the Rangers gave fans a look at the future of their franchise when Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson made late-season appearances with the big-league roster.
As it stands, Jeff Gorton wields three first-round and two second-round picks. If he chooses to select at all five of those positions, the Rangers’ prospect pool will continue to grow. Similarly, the NHL roster will experience a similar injection of youth in short order.
Quinn has the experience, and success, to show he is capable of handling this time of transition for the organization.
Clean slates
David Quinn will not be the only person entering this season with a clean slate on the New York Rangers. There are several players on the roster that will be more than happy to be given a new opportunity under Quinn’s new regime.
On one hand, there are players like Pavel Buchnevich and Anthony DeAngelo. The two young players were subjects of misuse and sporadic deployment during the Vigneault-led era. Their progression may be among the most important priorities for this roster to take a necessary step forward.
Conversely, there are a number of veterans on the roster itching to see how their roles shape up.
Marc Staal, the team’s longest-tenured defenseman, has seen many of his peers disappear over the last six months. His quality of play has been on the decline for seasons now, but a change in deployment could prove as a platform for a resurgence in 2018.
Another defenseman eager to see where he fits will be Brendan Smith, who was sent to Hartford after a disastrous 2017-18 season.
Somewhere in between are players such as Kevin Hayes, Mika Zibanejad, and Jesper Fast. Each of these players was trusted under Alain Vigneault, but not always properly utilized. Quinn’s job will be to make sure he gets the most out of this core group of players he’s been handed.
Gorton got his guy
Much of the discussion surrounding the Rangers’ head coaching vacancy was based around Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe, for good reason, was a leading candidate for the Rangers as a team embarking on a transition period.
However, once the offseason began, the prospect of swaying Keefe away from the Maple Leafs organization seemed to fade. His team is once again in the thick of the AHL playoffs and the Rangers’ window was closing on other potential candidates.
Jim Montgomery, another NCAA hockey coaching option, seemed to be front and center for Jeff Gorton. In fact, it was reported that Montgomery would eventually turn down “significantly” more money from New York and instead become the head coach of the Dallas Stars.
Through all of the rumors and smokescreens were the reports that David Quinn would remove himself from NHL head coaching discussions. His heart was set on returning to Boston University for another season, with a chance to coach potential top-10 pick, Brady Tkachuk.
As it would turn out, Gorton revisited contract discussions with Quinn shortly after Montgomery’s signing in Dallas became official. The tipping point in the negotiations came after Gorton offered Quinn the fifth year in his contract. New York was looking for their coach for the foreseeable future, and Quinn could not pass up the opportunity.
Looking long-term
The road ahead for David Quinn and the New York Rangers is not a short one. Last season’s firesale at the trade deadline made it clear that the focus was set on building a contender the right way. Even if that meant forfeiting playoff contention in the interim.
In the ever-changing landscape of the NHL, there is a certain quality that front offices seek out in their head coaches. A large aspect of that is the ability to adapt to the league. There has never been a better time to become a student of the game, learning and growing on the fly.
With the amount of new knowledge circulating, including the heavy influx of analytics departments in most NHL organizations, the Rangers seemed a step behind the competition. Quinn acknowledged early in his tenure how he is eager to see the information available to him at the next level of the game.
The new head coach has also made it clear that he is a coach that holds his players accountable. On a roster that is sure to be flush with young players, it is important that the Rangers adopt an all-in, hands-on approach for the future.
Next: New York Rangers: Patience is imperative going forward
At this point, there is nothing to believe Quinn is the man capable of carrying out this vision for the future of the New York Rangers. However, he sure looks and sounds the part. The next several seasons should be a very exciting time for this storied franchise.