What To Make Of Peter Laviolette's Firing, Where Chris Drury Stands And Who Could Be The Next Rangers' Coach

[ASFN Admin]

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Make no mistake, Peter Laviolette took the hit for his boss. Sure, Pistol Pete deserved to get fired for destroying the Rangers season.

But it was Chris Drury who put all the demolition pieces into place.

It was Drury who blew it with Barclay Goodrow.

It was Drury who blew it when he started messing with his captain Jacob Trouba.

It was Drury who told the hockey world he was ready to deal and all-time Ranger Chris Kreider was on the block. That was messy, wasn't it.

It was Drury who most contributed to the dressing room dilemmas.

It was Drury who failed to name a captain, a non-move that guaranteed a season-long lack of leadership.

And it was Drury who blew it when there was three-quarter of the season to be saved and the GM failed to fire Lavvy and import a coach who could have straightened out the team and brought it into the playoffs.

Whatever verbal applesauce, Drury doles out today and tomorrow and the day after that is irrelevant. What's relevant is that canning the coach merely saves Chris.

Under normal circumstances, a GM who goes oh-for-three with coaches should surely get the gate. But as The Maven has already noted Drury has his media guardsman and ownership which still believes in this guy, OR is too consumed with other business to can the real culprit.

Who'll be the No. 4 coach to come up to the plate?

Could be a college guy like the previously failed David Quinn; or it could be a Mike Sullivan if he can get out of Pittsburgh.

Sully fills the bill since his Penguins have become a chronic non-playoff team.

Joel Quenneville is the best and most accomplished coach out there. But Drury figures to be scared of a backlash and p.r. problem and surely will bypass the first, first-class choice.

Based on past performances, Drury could wind up going oh-for-four on his next choice.

Then again, The Law of Averages says he's due to get one of them right. And, no, it won't be Mark Messier although THE captain would be an intriguing choice.

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