NHL: New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes - Source: Imagn — NHL: New York Rangers - Source: Imagn

Frustrated' Rangers GM Chris Drury drops feisty take on needing 'new voice' after firing HC Peter Laviolette

Modified Apr 19, 2025 18:40 GMT

Peter Laviolette's time with the New York Rangers is up. The veteran head coach was officially fired on Saturday afternoon, following just two full seasons behind the Rangers' bench.

Year one was tremendous. A Presidents' Trophy-winning regular season and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. But year two was a disaster. New York fell apart from mid-November onwards and didn't even come close to making the playoffs.

For other teams, a coaching change so soon might be too harsh. However, this is the New York Rangers we're talking about; the expectation is to compete for the Stanley Cup.

General manager Chris Drury spoke to the media for the first time since firing Peter Laviolette and gave his honest assessment of the situation. Rangers reporter Mollie Walker shared his opening remarks on X (formerly Twitter).

"Leading into the season, given the success we had the last few years, we had high expectations. Quite simply, we fell short across the board. Nobody here takes it lightly. We know our fans are frustrated and they deserve a better season than this. It starts with me. I need to do a better job and give the staff and players the opportunity to succeed," Drury said.

"And while ultimately I made the decision a new voice was needed behind the bench, everyone here -- players, management, staff -- need to take ownership of this season and will be having direct, honest conversations during exit meetings on Monday about what our expectations are for the summer and moving forward, getting ready for next season," Drury added.

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The New York Rangers will certainly be one of the more intriguing teams to keep an eye on this offseason.

Fans now wait to see who will replace Peter Laviolette

New York Rangers fans are already speculating as to who could replace Peter Laviolette as the next coach of the team.

While Phil Housley was also let go, assistant coaches Michael Peca and Don Muse will reportedly have an opportunity to interview for the opening or to remain as associates.

However, it feels more likely that they'll bring in a candidate from outside the organization to take the lead role. There are plenty of veterans out there, including Rick Tocchet, Joel Quenneville, and potentially the return of John Tortorella. On the other hand, David Carle, Jay Leach, and Jay Woodcroft present some newer school options for the Rangers.

As Chris Drury said, they will be looking at a lot of different scenarios and a lot of different candidates.

About the author

Jackson Weber is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bcomm degree in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph.

Jackson has grown up as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are his all-time favorite players. Watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times is an experience that Jackson will never forget. Years later, you realize how rare it is to see your favorite team win even once, so three championships were just incredible.

When not watching, playing, or writing about sports, Jackson loves to cook and is passionate about health and nutrition.

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