New York Rangers: Thoughts on a rudderless season

The Next Coach

Let’s just start with who should not be the next Rangers head coach and that is John Tortorella.  There is a lot of fan support out there to bring Torts back to Broadway but that would be a colossal mistake.  He is not the guy for this job.  Besides, why would any Ranger fan want the guy who tossed aside the teams most skilled, elite goal scorer in the midst of the teams’ most recent Stanley Cup window.

Tortorella’s inability to abide Marian Gaborik still mystifies to this day and quite frankly probably cost the Rangers a Stanley Cup.  Is anyone willing to take the chance on what player he simply can’t tolerate this time around.  Hard pass.

Patrick Roy is certainly an interesting candidate until you think about the possibility of him trying to impose his will upon the whole organization and not just coach.  Wait, you don’t think he will try to enforce his will upon the whole organization?  Ask someone in Montreal about that.

Mark Messier would love the opportunity to coach but this just doesn’t seem like the right time, not with a new GM and management team.  Perhaps he joins the management team.

Pass on Babcock, pass on Julien, pass on Boudreau.

Rick Tocchet was a one hell of a player.  Most of the time he just went about his business playing a hard nosed brand of hockey, he played it tough but clean.  If an opposing player happened to make the mistake of thinking he could handle Tocchet in a scrap…well that player usually learned a hard lesson…Tocchet could throw ’em with the best of them and he took on the leagues toughest back when the that really meant something.

Kind of feels like the the right influence for this team at this time.

Next time we will offer some opinions on the fourth line players and take a look at how we did with preseason predictions and who will eventually win the Cup.