One of the major offseason tweaks is the replacement of Alain Vignealt as head coach. With David Quinn to fill his shoes, what kind of system will the New York Rangers have?
The coaching situation in New York has been a bit volatile for a while to say the least. Some people thought Alain Vigneault would have been gone after the 2016 season. However, the New York Rangers gave him another shot, and when he didn’t make the playoffs, that was the end of his era.
And in came Quinn.
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Some Background on Quinn
The 51 year old Rhode Island native is quite young for the job. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have experience. Most recently, he’s been coaching Boston University since 2013.
Since 2015, he’s had two regular season championships and two tournament championships. Quinn currently holds a professional record of 105-67-21 (a .598 winning percentage).
How His System Might Look
The Rangers have to be wondering how their team is going to look next season. And that isn’t limited to who is on their roster. Part of that is looking into how they’re going to play.
Will there be more of an emphasis on the offensive or defensive side of the game in Quinn’s system?
For one, Quinn has stated that the entire team needs patience with getting better. He does believe they have the ability to do it fast, but they shouldn’t rush success.
He seems to have a lot of faith in the young players of this organization, which is exactly what the Rangers need. Also, the majority of their young players are forwards, meaning if he’s concentrating on them, it should look more like an offensive based system.
What Does This Mean?
In short, it implies that the Rangers will fit in better to the modern NHL. That means they’ll be faster, stronger, and lose energy a lot slower. Or, at least, that’s how the system is supposed to look ideally.
Will Quinn be able to pull it off? Can he recreate this gutted Rangers’ roster in the span of a few months to gain them a good season and a playoff berth? Only time will tell how much he’ll be able to do.
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However, the outlook is promising simply based on the fact that offense will be key for this team moving forward. Hopefully, the new system encourages the growth of these players in the coming years, and more importantly, helps the organization get back to its former glory.
And maybe, just maybe, win the Stanley Cup.