NHL: Arizona Coyotes at Vancouver Canucks - Source: Imagn — Bruce Bourdreau nominates $3.5 Bn-worth NHL franchise for NHL's naughty list for Christmas. (Image Source: Imagn)

Former head coach Bruce Bourdreau nominates $3.5 Bn-worth NHL franchise for NHL's naughty list for Christmas

Modified Dec 25, 2024 11:30 GMT

Former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau recently placed the New York Rangers on his "naughty list" for Christmas during an appearance on TSN's "That's Hockey" show.

During a discussion on TSN, the host asked which teams were on the NHL's "naughty or nice" list. Boudreau expressed his disappointment with the Rangers' performance following a strong 12-4 start to the season. He pointed out the team's struggles, including trading their captain to the Ducks, sending Kaapo Kakko to Seattle last week and sitting out key players like Chris Kreider.

Boudreau suggested that the Rangers might face significant changes if they don't improve soon. Boudreau said:

"Oh, man, I got a big lump of coal and inside a bigger lump of coal here. But I'm going to start with the New York Rangers." (starting at 1:00)

"You know what? After their 12-4 start, everything has gone wrong for this team, from trading their captain to moving another player the other day, Kakko, to sitting out Kreider, like, I mean, something's going to go so I got to believe something is happening with the New York Rangers."

"And I think after the break, it's really something's going to happen if they don't continue to start to win pretty soon. But hey, listen, that's inside a bigger lump of coal," he added.

Additionally, Boudreau lamented the overall performance of New York's sports teams, noting that the city's teams have been struggling since the Yankees lost the World Series.

The former coach called for a turnaround in New York sports, emphasizing the need for at least one team to start winning while acknowledging that the Buffalo Bills have been the exception in the current sports landscape.

The Rangers, valued at $3.5 billion by Forbes, are currently seventh in the Metro Division, tied on points (33) with their city rivals, the New York Islanders.

NY Rangers HC explained the decision to healthy scratch Chris Kreider

Ahead of their 5-0 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the Rangers decided to healthy scratch Chris Kreider from the lineup.

After the game, coach Peter Laviolette acknowledged that such decisions are difficult but felt it was the right choice to make at that moment:

"At the end of the day, we're not playing a brand that we need to play in order to be successful," the coach said. "He's a guy that we count on to help deliver that. For me, those conversations aren't easy, but that's the decision that I made today," Laviolette said.

The New York Rangers face the Tampa Bay Lightning after the holiday break on Saturday.