For the third time since he was named president and general manager of the New York Rangers in May 2021, Chris Drury will hire a new coach. After receiving a multi-year contract extension from Rangers owner James Dolan on Wednesday, it is now on Drury to ace his next coaching hire following Peter Laviolette’s dismissal last weekend.
Drury promised to leave no stone unturned in his search for the new bench boss on Broadway, and said he’ll consider coaches who’ve not worked in the NHL yet. His first two hires were veteran NHL coaches, Gerard Gallant and Laviolette, each of whom led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final their first season only to get fired after a disappointing second season.
Laviolette oversaw a dysfunctional team in 2024-25 that dropped 29 points from the season before and was the fourth team in NHL history to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
Among Drury’s options are a string of well-respected assistants currently working in the NHL. Expect several if not all of these assistants named below to interview for the Rangers coaching vacancy.
Michael Peca and Dan Muse
Rangers assistants Michael Peca and Dan Muse were not fired when Laviolette and associate coach Phil Housley were canned a week ago. And reportedly each will have the opportunity to interview for the current vacancy.
Peca played 864 NHL games, won the Selke Trophy as the League’s top defensive forward twice and was captain of the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. He’s well-respected for his experience and intelligence.
The 51-year-old got his first taste behind an NHL bench serving on Laviolette’s staff the past two seasons. He broke into the League as a development coach with the Washington Capitals in 2021 and also was an assistant with Rochester in the American Hockey League.
Muse is considered one of the bright young minds in the sport. The 42-year-old was on Laviolette’s staff the past two seasons and was head coach for the United States National Team Development Program, where he helped develop current Rangers forward Gabe Perreault.
Jessica Campbell
Jessica Campbell made sports history when she became the first woman to work full-time behind an NHL bench as an assistant for the Seattle Kraken this season. Since Dan Bylsma was just fired, she may get the chance to interview for the Kraken vacancy, as well.
The 32-year-old is a renowned skating coach, helping several NHLers over the years, including Stanley Cup champion Joel Edmundson. She also has a history with the Rangers; Drury brought her in to coach at their 2022 prospects development camp. From there, she spent two seasons as an assistant with Coachella Valley in the AHL.
Like Muse, Campbell is considered a real up-and-comer in the NHL coaching ranks. She may need more experience before landing a head coaching gig, but Campbell is likely in line for a legit interview already.
Sylvain Lefebvre
For a team like the Rangers in desperate need of a better defensive structure, Sylvain Lefebvre (above, right) is an intriguing coaching option. The 57-year-old is in his third season as an assistant with the Florida Panthers, in charge of their suffocating defense. He earned a Stanley Cup ring last season as an assistant, and also won the Cup as a defenseman with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
If the Rangers wish to emulate the Panthers structure and tenacity, they must have already taken note of how Lefebvre helped bring out the best in Gustav Forsling, Brandon Montour and former Rangers d-man Nikko Mikkola. His six seasons as an AHL head coach and four seasons playing with the Rangers from 1999-2003 should be considered plusses, as well.
D.J. Smith
D.J. Smith not only is an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings and was a respected Toronto Maple Leafs assistant for four seasons, he has NHL head coaching experience, as well. Smith guided the Ottawa Senators for four-plus seasons from 2019-24 through their rebuild. He has an NHL coaching record of 131-154-32 in 317 regular-season games.
With Smith overseeing the defense, the Kings allowed 25.5 shots per game this season, second fewest in the League. That’s appealing to the Rangers, considering their shoddy defensive play which led to them being ranked 27th allowing 29.9 shots per game.
Marc Savard
You may have seen the Maple Leafs assistant go viral recently after toning down his celebration during Toronto’s first-round playoff series against the Senators.
Marc Savard is another first-time NHL head coach option. The 47-year-old has experience in the League as an assistant with the Flames and Maple Leafs and head coaching experience with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL. In his first season there, the Spitfires made it to the OHL final. And guess who was the captain of the Spitfires that year? Rangers forward Will Cuylle. That relationship is certainly a positive for his candidacy.
A fourth-round pick by the Rangers in the 1995 draft, Savard played 98 of his 807 NHL games with them from 1997-99. He retire in 2011 after helping the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup that spring.
Jeff Halpern
Jeff Halpern in thriving as an NHL assistant and learning from one of best coaches in the business, Jon Cooper. Halpern has been part of the Tampa Bay Lightning staff for seven seasons, including two Stanley Cup championships and a trip to the Final in 2022.
He primarily coaches the forwards and the power play, which ranked fifth in the NHL this season (25.9 percent). Halpern is another former NHLer, a solid bottom-six forward who played 976 games, and briefly was with the Rangers in the lockout-shortened 2013 season
In 2019, Halpern drew praise from Washington Capitals president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan.
“I think he’s the type of player that becomes a good coach because he was a player that paid attention to detail,” said MacLellan, who was a pro scout for Washington when Halpern broke into the NHL with his hometown team.
Jay Leach
If the Bruins do not keep interim coach Joe Sacco, Boston assistant Jay Leach would be a solid candidate to land his first NHL head coaching gig there. If not, the Rangers will have interest, especially since he interviewed for their opening two years ago, when Laviolette ultimately got the job.
The 44-year-olf was an assistant with the Kraken from 2021-24 and head coach with Providence of the AHL before that, when he posted a record of 136-77-26. He played 70 NHL games, with the majority of his playing experience at the AHL and ECHL levels.
