NHL insider explains endorsement by James Dolan on Chris Drury's extension with the Rangers
According to Sportsnet and 32 Thoughts podcaster Elliotte Friedman, MSG chairman James Dolan had sent a message to everyone on why he chose to renew general manager Chris Drury's contract.
Many fans and some pundits in the NHL felt that his job may be in jeopardy after the Rangers had lost their playoff eligibility after being the Presidents Trophy winner one year before.
Dolan asserts his control of the messaging with this re-signing
«People who know the owner of the Rangers a lot better than I do, said I will bet you that he is going to double down on Drury. They said because he likes Drury, he put Drury there and that is just Jim Dolan He was going to back him in a forceful way where everybody was going to see it. That's exactly what happened. Dolan backed Drury in the most forceful way,» Friedman said.
Many felt that how Drury handled his season starting last summer with Barclay Goodrow and the memo that was leaked to the NHL stating that the Rangers were interested in changing their core by trading Chris Kreider or Jake Trouba became a problem for the NHL team and was a factor in their downfall.
Over time, players began to speak out to the media on how they felt and how they were treated by the Rangers organization which led to more controversy and further spiraling of the team who were then eliminated from the playoffs less than two weeks ago.
«This I believe is Dolan's way of saying, this is my guy, he's in charge,» Friedman said. «You don't surprise your owner I don't think anything happened this year that James Dolan was against or didn't want to happen. He either told Drury to do it or Drury said this is what I want to do and Dolan backed it
«They (the players) just got told that what happened this year in the owner's eyes was what needed to happen and he has the support.» - Elliotte Friedman
«They (the players) just got told that what happened this year in the owner's eyes was what needed to happen and he has the support.» - Elliotte Friedman
Rangers offseason changes begin with searching for a new head coach
With Drury signed long term, it became clear that someone had to pay the price for the lost season and the axe fell on now former head coach Peter Laviolette and associate coach Phil Housley.
The organization will now begin their search and have several choices in mind including former NHL star and head coach of the Vancouver Canucks Rick Tocchet.
The Rangers will have a long time to think about what occurred this year and that the team will need to dig deeper especially their players and understand that no changes are coming to the general managers job and that Drury is here to stay along with his methods on how to run the team.
The next few months will be fascinating to say the least.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 26 | 1630 ANSWERS NHL insider explains endorsement by James Dolan on Chris Drury's extension with the Rangers Do you think Rangers general manager Chris Drury can get the team a Stanley Cup? | ||
| Yes | 362 | 22.2 % |
| No | 1268 | 77.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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