Embedding a culture amongst the players on a team is amongst the most difficult of the tasks of a head coach. The New York Rangers head coach, David Quinn, is trying his best so far.
In the 82 game season of the National Hockey League, it’s not about right now, it’s about what right now means for two weeks from now. Being that the league has such a long season, it’s hard to form knee-jerk reactions to anything without losing the scale of the problem. Case and point, David Quinn healthy scratching players for not giving maximum effort.
In the short term, it does not make a ton of sense taking Pavel Buchnevich out of the lineup in favor of Cody McLeod. Dating back to 2014, McLeod has 58 points, in the three years that Buchnevich was in the league, he has more than that. The point being, Buchnevich has infinitely more upside for the team than the enforcer.
However, in benching Buchnevich, Quinn is attempting to send a message of no hot dogging it ever. The team’s former head coach, Alain Vigneault, infamously benched or healthy scratched players without explanation to the frustration of many. Now, it seems as if Quinn has managed to maintain a level of consistency with his decisions.
That is ultimately what separates the good teams from the great teams. The Rangers aren’t even a good team right now, however, some of the players on this roster may eventually be on such a team. Quinn knows he has time to work with in terms of Buchnevich’s development. The forward is still relatively raw and there is no rush to compete.
Figuring out how to be a good bad team is the first step in establishing this maximum effort style that Quinn is preaching. New York, for the most part, was in all of the team’s games thus far. It’s managed to play at a level that can keep them afloat, but not win without a superb performance as a focal point.
The hope is that Quinn can use the healthy scratch, lineup choices and practice time to get the most out of the players that do dress. If the players in the dressing room understand what’s expected of them and they miss their objective, it’s on them, not the coach.
Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk knew he wasn’t playing up to his standard and didn’t protest his benching. The concern with this mentality is that high-intensity coaches have a shelf life.
The Rangers know all too well about what coaches that demand maximum effort all the time do over time. By the end of the John Tortorella era, even Henrik Lundqvist was over him as a head coach. It’s an ugly truth, but after a while, getting constantly corrected becomes frustrating.
It’s the responsibility of Quinn and the rest of the coaching staff to know when it goes too far. The Boston University product is developing a culture of hard work and consistency. Over the course of an entire season if New York can play with such a level, it’d be considered a success.