When Peter Laviolette was hired last spring, Rangers fans (at least on the internet) seemed to let out a collective meh. Narratives of retread persisted, the value of experience debated, and recent past results of former teams were cherry picked to suit whatever opinion you cared to share. New York is a strange market for coaches. There probably hasn’t been a beloved Rangers coach since, I don’t know…Emile Francis
Laviolette probably won’t be beloved here either (though he has started off on the right foot). However, he can endear himself to at least one finely tailored fan if Laviolette’s systems can make the Rangers tougher to play against, and at a minimum get them deeper into the playoffs.