Shortly after the Calgary Flames named Ryan Huska their twenty first head coach in franchise historical past, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the New York Rangers are ready to call their forty fourth. Though nothing is formally full now, Friedman writes that Peter Laviolette will man the bench for the Rangers subsequent season until one thing dramatic adjustments.
In simply over two years spent as head coach of New York, the Rangers recently let go of head coach Gerard Gallant. In these two seasons spent in New York, Gallant coached the Rangers to a 99-46-19 document, shedding within the Jap Convention Finals in 2022, and the primary spherical of the playoffs in 2023. Teaching a crew at the moment constructed as a Stanley Cup contender, the shortage of playoff success doubtless pushed Gallant out the door.
About two weeks earlier than Gallant’s exit in New York, Laviolette was also shown the door by his former employer, the Washington Capitals. Additionally teaching a crew with expectations of playoff success, the Capitals completed this season with a 35-37-10 document and missed the playoffs totally. After teaching in the USA Capital for 3 seasons, Laviolette completed his profession in Washington with a training document of 115-78-27, together with two first-round exits.
Though Gallant was capable of coach the upstart Vegas Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, Laviolette is rather more of a confirmed winner as a head coach. His first head teaching job within the NHL got here all the best way again throughout the 2001-02 season, teaching the New York Islanders for 2 seasons. Ending his Islanders’ tenure with a 77-62-19-6 document, Laviolette was capable of get the Islanders to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
After the Carolina Hurricanes fired then-head coach Paul Maurice after the 2002-03 season, Laviolette shortly joined on as head coach to interchange him. Spending 5 seasons in Carolina, Laviolette’s stick with the Hurricanes was considerably of a blended bag. He solely completed with a slight successful proportion, going 167-122-6-28, and missed the playoffs thrice, having been fired halfway via the 2008-09 season. Minus the playoff exits, Laviolette was capable of coach the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise historical past throughout the 2006 NHL Playoffs.
Though his tenure in Carolina was a blended bag, after becoming a member of the Philadelphia Flyers as head coach earlier than the 2009-10 season, Laviolette bought off to a fast begin. The Flyers made the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals however in the end misplaced to the Chicago Blackhawks in six video games. The next two seasons, the Flyers can be knocked out within the semi-finals in back-to-back years, however nonetheless completed as one of many higher groups within the Jap Convention.
After lacking the playoffs totally throughout the 2012-13 season, Laviolette was shortly dismissed after solely three video games into the 2014-15 season, not returning to the NHL for the remainder of the yr. Earlier than the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Laviolette was named the brand new head coach of the Nashville Predators. For the primary time since his stick with the Islanders, Laviolette was capable of coach the Predators to the playoffs yearly spent as head coach (earlier than his firing throughout the 2019-20 season). Essentially the most notable playoff look in Nashville got here throughout the 2016-17 season, because the crew made the Stanley Cup Finals for the primary time in franchise historical past, shedding to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six video games.
In all, Laviolette has coached his crew to the playoffs 13 instances and missed the playoffs solely 5 instances after 18 full seasons of teaching. He has appeared within the Stanley Cup Finals thrice, and his solely profitable one got here with the Hurricanes again in 2006. The Rangers will turn into the fifth crew that Laviolette has coached throughout the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.
