What the New Coaching Staff Brings to the Rangers
An interesting offseason awaits the New York Rangers, coming off a season that many would like to forget. What began as one final chance for the aging core became one of the most humiliating seasons in franchise history. With the loss of players like Jacob Trouba, Filip Chytil, and Kappo Kakko, it was clear changes were coming even before the season ended. New York now finds themselves retooling behind the bench as well with some new assistant coaches. The 38th head coach, Mike Sullivan, has now found his assistants, so the retooling is now in the early stages. Three new assistant coaches have just been announced, though some returning faces look quite odd. With a brand new coaching staff behind the benches, what exactly do these hires bring to the New York Rangers in this situation?
David Quinn
David Quinn, returning to New York, certainly caused a lot of head scratching among fans. The 38th head coach will now be assisted by the 35th head coach from 2018-2021. At first glance, this seems quite odd, especially since general manager Chris Drury's first move was to fire him. His poor performance aside, it would seem Quinn and Sullivan's relationship remains as healthy as ever, perhaps something fans can see as a positive. Quinn now reunites with players like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafrenière, perhaps having an assistant who knows quite a few of these Rangers can prove beneficial in the future. Sullivan and Quinn share experience together with their time from Boston University, as well as in Pittsburgh last season. Clearly, they know how to work with one another, now they’re really being put to the test with a team in very much need of help.
Joe Sacco
Same with Quinn, Joe Sacco was also teammates with Sullivan in Boston University. Being an assistant coach for 10 years, as well as finishing as interim coach with the Boston Bruins, Sacco now reunites with his friends in New York. Once again, another assistant who has a healthy relationship with Sullivan, but what does he bring to New York? Before replacing Jim Montgomery, Sacco worked really closely with the Bruins’ penalty kill, probably one of the Rangers’ only highlights of last season. Nine seasons of experience behind the penalty kill, as well as four seasons of experience behind the bench as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. Some experience on special teams, as well as another good friend of Mike Sullivan, could be an interesting combination to bring next season.
Ty Hennes
Yet another assistant coach who knows a thing or two about Mike Sullivan, especially his style behind the bench. Throughout his entire career in the NHL, Ty Hennes has always been under Sullivan. He began as a skills and skating coach for Pittsburgh in 2018, moving to the assistant role in 2022. Hennes' time with the Penguins mostly consisted of him working with injured players trying to recover. Though he may be the least experienced out of the three, Sullivan knows him as much as anyone, the familiarity will definitely make Hennes comfortable in his new role. He definitely came through in Pittsburgh. Let’s see if he can help turn this Rangers team around.
With the kind of season the Rangers had, one giant reboot behind the benches was definitely needed. Now that New York has their new coaching staff, would it hurt fans to see some positives in this? The familiarity these coaches have with one another is already a good sign for the seasons to come. With some retooling behind the bench, it leaves fans to wonder now if this Rangers team will put aside the postseason next year. Though they may still be considered a playoff team going into next season, not much seems to scream contenders with this roster. With the chemistry these coaches share with one another, it could be the very beginnings of something great to come, but the only question is, will they be patient?
