Rick Tocchet's candidacy for the New York Rangers may depend on one star forward
It appears that the relationship between free agent head coach Rick Tocchet and New York Rangers star forward J.T. Miller maybe key to his potential hiring as the Rangers new bench boss.
Tocchet appears to be on the short list for the Rangers
«I'm choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks,» Tocchet said in a statement released by the Canucks. «Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes the opportune time.
While I don't know where I'm headed or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey.» - Rick Tocchet
While I don't know where I'm headed or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey.» - Rick Tocchet
Tocchet Is one coach under consideration for the Rangers along with several others including Mike Sullivan who has recently become available from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
If general manager Chris Drury has any interest in signing Tocchet, it's likely he will need to do his research and understand the relationship between JT Miller and Tocchet.
It was a turbulent year for the Canucks as Miller and Canucks centre star Elias Pettersson had troubles throughout the year which caused major disruption through the team and was partly the reason for the team's downfall by missing the playoffs.
If the relationship between Miller and Tocchet was good and his style of play is what Tocchet Is looking for, then he would certainly be a candidate to consider as his up-tempo style of offense and heavy checking is what the Rangers would need for success.
Other candidates are available for an interview by Drury
Drury has made it clear that he will cast a wide net to find his new bench boss as several assistant coaches along with Sullivan and talk it and NCAA star head coach David Carle of the University of Denver are all considered potential candidates.
The Rangers need to go in a new direction and a new voice on the bench as the team had a tumultuous year which led them to miss the playoffs after being anointed the presidents trophy last season going to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It remains to be seen on how long it will take for the Rangers to decide and how many people they intend to interview but with several prominent coaches available now, it's likely they will move quickly to find their new coach rather than let them go to another team.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 30 | 1780 ANSWERS Rick Tocchet's candidacy for the New York Rangers may depend on one star forward Who would you rather hire as the new head coach for the Rangers? | ||
| David Carle | 217 | 12.2 % |
| Rick Tocchet | 285 | 16 % |
| Mike Sullivan | 1278 | 71.8 % |
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