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New York Rangers: Ups and downs start from head coach

By Nico Doria

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 28: Head coach of the New York Rangers Alain Vigneault gathers his players in the third period against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 28, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 5-4. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 28: Head coach of the New York Rangers Alain Vigneault gathers his players in the third period against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 28, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 5-4. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The New York Rangers have been a streaky team this season and it stems from head coach Alain Vigneault and his coaching decisions.

Since the beginning of the season, when the New York Rangers started an abysmal 1-5-2, fans have been calling for head coach Alain Vigneault’s head. Rangers fans are not used to a disappointment in their hockey club as they have missed the playoffs only once since the lockout.

With all the success Alain Vigneault has brought this team since joining in 2013, many have questioned his recent coaching. Some question marks arise due to his treatment of his “star” players. And others arise due to his questionable line decisions. But most of all, New York Rangers fans want to know why this team is so streaky.

Henrik Lundqvist has been the backbone of this team since he first donned his number 30 jersey. At the age of 35, this has not changed. Manning the net for 30 of the team’s first 36 games shows no trust in backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. In recent years, backups such as Cam Talbot and Anti Raanta have serviced Lundqvist well and allowed Lundqvist to play deep into the postseason. On pace for his highest number of starts since 2010-2011, Vigneault needs to allow Pavelec to get some work and find his grove if they want Lundqvist for crunch time.

Since coaching the New York Rangers, Vigneault has toyed with key players in key minutes. Big name players such as Shattenkirk, Kreider, and Vesey this year have seen a shortened time of play. Vigneault’s latest culprit was Mika Zibanejad in their 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs at the Garden.

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Vigneault needs to allow his top guys to play without fear. These players are key cogs to the success of this team and should not be benched in any game to shorten the bench and put pressure on other guys. Vigneault needs to use all four lines on this team and allow them to play freely.

But Vigneault has some questionable line pairings. Pairing Ryan McDonagh with Nick Holden is just dampening McDonagh’s ability. McDonagh is not having a great season and that can be said due to his partner. He masks over his turnover tendencies with his decent offensive ability. In the first period alone against the Devils, Holden committed numerous turnovers in his own end.

The Rangers have a good chance to be a dangerous team in April. As of right now, they rank a respectable 13th in the NHL on the power play and 6th on the penalty kill. They score goals at a clip above league average and they still have Henrik Lundqvist.

Next: Henrik Lundqvist needs help from the team around him

For the New York Rangers to make a deep run this year, however, trust needs to stem from the head coach to his players on a more nightly basis.

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