1 week Ago By SNY
Peter Laviolette knows he’s on the hot seat -- after a year like this, why wouldn’t he be?When it ends this week, this will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in Rangers history. After coming into the year with sky-high expectations following their franchise-best season that ended with a trip to the Conference Finals, the Blueshirts failed to qualify for the playoffs with Saturday’s loss in Carolina. It marked the second time in franchise history and just the fourth time in NHL history that the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winner didn’t make the postseason.
So, now where do they go from here? Many have been calling for the Rangers to move on from Laviolette when the season comes to an end later this week. While all signs are pointing towards that, the long-time head coach is hoping to stay. “Everything gets looked at,” he told Mollie Walker of the NY Post.
“I’m not blind to anything. It’s a year where everything went right to a year where things didn’t go right. When things don’t go right, everything gets looked at.
I’m not naive.“That being said, this is the place I want to be. New York City, the New York Rangers.
It’s a great organization, a great city and a great family. It’s just tough right now, everybody is faced with disappointment, I get that.”Laviolette is not wrong -- this season was filled with plenty of disappointment.
The Rangers had numerous opportunities to put themselves ahead of the field in the crowded Eastern Conference Wild Card race down the stretch. But time and time again, they proved not to be up for the challenge. The effort, competitiveness, and overall level of play just was not there, night in and night out.
Does the lion's share of blame belong to Laviolette, or a core filled with clearly checked out veterans who underperformed all season? We know how the fans feel, and we’ll likely see how general manager Chris Drury feels later this week..
