New York Rangers: David Quinn’s vacation in Sweden and narratives
The New York Rangers new head coach David Quinn is reportedly visiting Henrik Lundqvist in Sweden soon. Reading into this for more than just a get to know you is way too deep.
The hockey offseason can often devolve into outright lunacy between the end of the Stanley Cup final and the entry draft. With no news to consume, the rumor mill and narrative trains go way too far. In addition, this lull in real news creates a vacuum in which any idea can be passed off as fact. Be wary of any NHL insider or trade rumor during this time of year.
This brings us to the process of a new coach getting acclimated with his organization. David Quinn has reportedly already met with several players who live in the city. For a team coming off a season in which the coach was asleep at the wheel, this is a breath of fresh air. By the end of Alain Vigneault’s time with the Rangers, it seemed as if he was on auto pilot.
However, in Quinn, New York has an engaging personable coach. Being that the Rangers are a young group as a whole, they need guidance. This was a big problem for the group last year. Whenever something went wrong, things would snowball out of control because no one took it upon themselves.
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With Henrik Lundqvist firmly the face of the franchise, he is unarguably the most important relationship for Quinn to develop.
Looks are not what they seem
At a quick glance, coach flies seven hours to visit aging superstar reads like a rumor mongering mad libs. However, going deeper there is obviously more to peel back. Quinn taking the initiative to meet with Lundqvist shows a coach willing to engage his players. Unlike Vigneault who never hesitated to use the goaltender as a punching bag, Quinn will foster a healthy dialogue.
The fear mongering around this trip is simply the craziness of the hockey season fever pitch. Right now, pretty much anything that happens involving a hockey player presents the opportunity for news. Breaking it down though, it is easy to see this is much to do about nothing. Quinn is visiting his best player and will probably get a few days of vacation out of it as well.
Spending a few days in a gorgeous country like Sweden and fostering an important relationship sounds like a win win situation for a first time NHL hockey coach. The team is in good hands with Quinn at the wheel. The snowball effect that plagued the Rangers the past few seasons will be a thing of the past.
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Do not let a a weak narrative during a lull in the news seem like there is a problem brewing. The Rangers and Lundqvist are tied at the hip for posterity, nothing is going to change that.