Conflicting Reports Emerge on Peter Laviolette’s Future With the Rangers

The New York Rangers’ struggles this season have sparked debate over head coach Peter Laviolette’s future, with conflicting reports about his job security emerging over the weekend. While the team continues to slide out of playoff contention, having lost 10 of their last 13 games after dropping another matchup on Sunday, New York Post’s Larry Brooks reported on Saturday that Laviolette’s position is safe for now.

“The hierarchy has no stomach to fire Laviolette after firing Gerard Gallant two years ago and David Quinn four years ago,” Brooks wrote. “There is no stomach to affix the blame on yet another coach instead of taking care of the coach-averse core.”

Brooks believes the organization will be reluctant to place blame solely on the coach after Laviolette led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy last season as the best regular-season team in the NHL.

Brooks, however, acknowledged that “the season is slipping away,” leaving General Manager Chris Drury under pressure to make significant changes.

Contrasting Brooks’ report, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple suggested on Saturday that Laviolette’s tenure could be nearing an end if things don’t improve quickly.

“What’s next is probably what comes next for every team fumbling around, looking as lost as the Rangers have for over a month now,” Staple wrote. “It may not be this weekend, but Laviolette’s term might be coming to a premature end.”

Staple pointed to the overall team’s record and the lack of improvement following the trade of former team captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks as signals nothing has changed.

Following Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers dropped to fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and the team is now in a three-team tie at 31 points with the Penguins and the Islanders, all of them one point behind fourth-place Philadelphia.

New York’s 15-14-1 record has the franchise in the bottom half of the NHL league-wide standings, currently ranked 22nd.