The New York Rangers’ season has gone from promising after a strong 12-4-1 start to the campaign to disastrous with the franchise currently boasting a 16-18-1 record and sitting last in the Metropolitan Division.
The situation has led veteran hockey columnist Larry Brooks of the New York Post to claim head coach Peter Laviolette has lost the locker room.
In his Sunday column for the outlet, Brooks didn’t mince words, stating the Rangers “have quit on their coach, they have quit on the organization, they have quit on each other.”
The Rangers are navigating a 4-13-0 skid over their last 17 games and will enter Monday's matchup against the reigning champion Florida Panthers carrying a three-game losing streak sandwiching the holiday break.
Five points out of the final Wild Card spot, the Rangers have been unrecognizable from the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Finals just a season ago, even though the franchise didn't make any big moves during the offseason that could have disrupted the team chemistry.
That has not been the case of late, however, with general manager Chris Drury sending a league-wide memo putting veterans on the trade block and shortly after starting to make trades.
Everything started with the trade of former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks and it was followed by another trade, that one of former no. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken.
Meanwhile, long-time cornerstone Chris Kreider was a healthy scratch before the holiday break and was named in the memo sent by Drury to all other 31 general managers.
Despite these changes, the team’s struggles have only deepened, and Brooks attributes much of the blame to Laviolette, who might be the easiest piece to remove from the franchise if the Rangers brass wants to make huge changes.
“Laviolette, in his second season of a three-year contract, led the Rangers to success last year,” Brooks wrote. “But now, with tensions boiling inside the locker room and players seemingly unmotivated, it appears his time is running out.”
Brooks is not the only one hinting at a possible firing looming on the horizon.
Former Rangers forward Sean Avery echoed Brooks’ sentiments, saying on the Dec. 23 episode of "Spittin’ Chiclets" that he "would fire him today."
“Blueshirts Breakaway” podcast host Ryan Mead agreed with Brooks, posting on X, "1000 percent agree with Larry here. Unreal."
