After parting ways with Gerard Gallant after just two seasons, the Rangers are once again searching for a new head coach.
Here is some of the latest reporting as the Blueshirts look to hire their 37th head coach in franchise history…
May 22, 5:25 p.m.
While not all of the candidates have come out yet for the Rangers’ head coaching vacancy, more names are beginning to be connected to the job.
According to USA Today’s Vince Mercogliano, one of the names he continues hearing is long-time NHL head coach Peter Laviolette. Multiple sources have told him they believe Laviolette is “at or near the top of the Rangers’ list.”
Laviolette reportedly conducted an interview with the Blueshirts last week and he also met with the Columbus Blue Jackets about their opening.
If Laviolette were to land with either team this would be his sixth head coaching job in his career. He’s also spent time behind the bench for the Islanders, Hurricanes, Flyers, Predators, and Capitals.
May 21, 11:40 a.m.
Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports that the Rangers have interviewed both Peter Laviolette and Mike Babcock in the past week.
Staple writes that Laviolette, who has coached in the division with the Islanders, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers, is considered by many to be a frontrunner for the Blueshirts job.
Babcock, meanwhile, may be a bit of a polarizing hire if he gets the job. He was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019 with a number of former players speaking out about his treatment of players.
May 18, 10:30 p.m.
The Rangers have reportedly been given permission to talk with Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Carbery is also believed to be speaking with the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals.
Carbery ran the Maple Leafs’ power play this past season where they finished second in the NHL, scoring at a 26 percent clip. The season before that, he turned the 16th-ranked power-play in 2020-21 and turned them into the No-1 ranked power-play in 2021-22.
May 17, 12:07 p.m.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is a former Rangers assistant and has ties to GM Chris Drury, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be coming back to the Blueshirts any time soon.
Mollie Walker of the New York Post recently spoke to Sullivan, who said that he is under contract with the Penguins and “here for the long haul.”
An assistant coach with the Rangers from 2009-13, Sullivan led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17.
Pittsburgh failed to make the playoffs this season for the first time since the 05-06 season, fueling speculation that Sullivan could potentially move on.