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New York Rangers: The vision for next season comes together

By Nicholas Zararis

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 17: Boston University Terriers head coach David Quinn lectures his players during a time out during a Hockey East semifinal between the Boston University Terriers and the Boston College Eagles on March 17, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Eagles defeated the Terriers 3-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 17: Boston University Terriers head coach David Quinn lectures his players during a time out during a Hockey East semifinal between the Boston University Terriers and the Boston College Eagles on March 17, 2017 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Eagles defeated the Terriers 3-2. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The New York Rangers officially unveiled David Quinn as the 35th head coach in franchise history. Now, with a coach, the team for next season can begin to take shape.

Up until Wednesday May 23 the Rangers were the only team without a head coach. After firing Alain Vigneault on the last day of the regular season, there was a lack of clarity. What exactly was going to be the front office’s plan for the near future? Would they turn to a retread? A minor league coach?

For just the second time in franchise history, the Rangers hired a NCAA hockey coach. The first was Herb Brooks in 1981 when the Olympic gold medal winning coach jumped from the University of Minnesota.

The courting of David Quinn was a tricky process for the Rangers. As Quinn said during his press conference on May 24 “Boston University was my dream job.” The head coach had spent time as a player in college, an assistant under the legendary Jack Parker and as the head coach the past five seasons. Ultimately, the deciding factor for the head coach seemed to be his connection to Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury.

Related Story: Highlights and reactions from the David Quinn press conference

Now, with the NHL entry draft less than a month away, the Rangers can cultivate their vision around Quinn.

The need

Obviously, the biggest problem for the Rangers last season was their atrocious defense. Even the stellar Henrik Lundqvist was no match for the disastrous defensive unit. There was a litany of problems for a unit that was supposed to be a marked improvement from the year before. However, the injury bug and outright weird situations developed and created a liability.

Both Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh played the entirety of their seasons for the Rangers with lingering injuries. The Boston University alumni will have Quinn in his corner. As his assistant coach while in college, Shattenkirk has the guy who will push him and get vastly better results.

At the start of last season, the New Rochelle native came out of the gate hot. As the season wore on, Shattenkirk’s torn meniscus was too much to play through and it held him back. Shattenkirk looked like a shell of the player the Rangers thought they were getting.

On top of the injury issues, the team has several unproven and developing assets. In theory, both Neal Pionk and Brady Skjei are going to be key contributors for the Rangers going forward. Under Vigneault, both defenseman were thrown to the wolves with little structure. Now, with a coach who emphasizes puck movement and active defenseman, both should grow as players.

If Quinn can help bring along Pionk and Skjei while getting Shattenkirk back to his usual self, the team’s defense will not be a detriment.

Growing all the time

The key for the Rangers will be integrating their young talent to the NHL roster. Both Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson project to be on the opening night roster. After both had a brief cup of coffee with the team last season, Chytil and Andersson will be expected to make strides as players. Both managed to register goals during their brief stints, but they are clearly different types of players.

Of the two, it is clear that Chytil is going to be a top six forward. The Rangers will need to find a way to move the Czech forward to the wing to help sure up the team’s depth. At the moment, the team has six players capable of playing center. This would make a Chytil move to the wing a logical decision. In addition, Andersson clearly projects as the team’s number three center.

The real fun will come at this year’s draft. The Rangers have a fist full of draft picks and a handful of valuable assets. The team can either make all of their selections and sure up the draft pool, or they could swing big and land a bonafide super star. Then, in the background of all of this, is Russian star Ilya Kovalchuk.

Next: Patience is imperative going forward

So, let’s all take a deep breath and rejoice in the fact the Rangers cannot possibly as bad as they were last season. With Quinn at the helm and a solid group of young players waiting in the wings, New York might be able to back door into a playoff spot next season.

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