After yesterday’s formality of an introductory press conference, John Davidson has the keys to the New York Rangers franchise as team president. What exactly will the former goaltender, broadcaster and executive be responsible for in his new post?
It may be common practice for a new executive or hire at most teams to go through an introductory press conference. However, John Davidson, the new president of the New York Rangers likely knew enough people in the room that he could’ve introduced them to each other. After 19 seasons, the Glen Sather era of Rangers hockey is over and Davidson will lead.
As president, Davidson’s role is more of a facilitator and operations figure than personnel. The former goaltender will serve as the go-between for general manager Jeff Gorton and team owner James Dolan. If the last 19 years were any indication, Dolan’s main focus will be letting the hockey people run the Rangers and he’ll show up to a couple of games per season.
It’ll be Davidson that goes to the owner if Gorton wants to make a big move that requires a significant financial commitment. If the general manager signs a marquee free agent this summer or makes a trade that requires taking on salary, it’ll be Davidson that makes the call upstairs to make sure the commitment is okay.
It’s Davidson’s job to put the organization in a position to succeed from an operations standpoint. That requires an overhaul of the minor league system both in Hartford with the Wolf Pack as well as the Maine Mariners in the ECHL. With so many key pieces in the pipeline needing preparation for the next level, the Rangers need to set up a ladder to success.
For far too long, the minor league was a shuttle squad for emergency players that could be called up at a moment’s notice instead of an environment for player development.
In addition to improving the minor league system from an operations standpoint, it’d be Davidson’s call on the role of analytics, data, training and scouting in player evaluation. The president sets the operational agenda for the organization as a whole and the focal point.
During his introductory press conference, Davidson mentioned that he felt there was already a strong culture in place that was established under head coach David Quinn. The new president emphasized that it was his role to keep the team going in the right direction going forward and building a team is a process.
Making the rounds
While Davidson was making the media rounds later in the day, he mentioned the importance of character in team development. On the Michael Kay show, he referenced Vitali Kravtsov, last year’s first-round pick, coming over to the United States earlier than he needed to this offseason to prepare for the fall.
"“He [Kravtsov] came in, I think it was yesterday, he’s gonna be here for the duration, he’s gonna learn the language because he doesn’t speak English that well. I like that. He’s gonna come in and work with people that can teach him conditioning, teach him nutrition, there’s a guy that sounds pretty darn committed.”"
In addition to the Kravtsov comments, Davidson also mentioned that signing a free agent this summer would “have to make sense.” Bringing in someone that’s in their late 20s or early 30s while the rest of the team is extremely young is a difficult proposition for any veteran because of the weight they’d be expected to carry.
Right now, the Rangers are a ship on the right course with land not too far off in the distant. While the captain steering the ship may have changed, the crew running the organization is still the same and their plan will be kept to. Davidson will continue to maintain the same tone that was already in place, it’s just going to require winning in the not so distant future.