Rangers' Peter Laviolette at a loss after 'unacceptable' Blackhawks defeat
12/10/2024 12:21 AM
The Chicago Blackhawks handed the New York Rangers another brutal loss on Monday night. It was a close 2-1 scoreline at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. However, New York was largely lifeless once again. And these uninspired performances have started taking a toll, especially on head coach Peter Laviolette.
The Rangers have now lost their eighth game over their last 10 contests. After a 12-4-1 start, New York has fallen to 14-12-1 on the 2024-25 season. The pressure is mounting on this team to turn this thing around soon. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a single thing the team can point to an issue. Laviolette seemed to be searching for answers himself after the game on Monday.
“It could be fatigue, could be mental, could be anything – but regardless, it’s unacceptable,” said Laviolette, via USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano. “We've got to be better than that.”
Peter Laviolette on the hot seat as Rangers’ slump continues
Peter Laviolette came to the Rangers with the idea that he could help them contend for the Stanley Cup. And he did just that as New York made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024. The Rangers failed to get past the Florida Panthers, but they showed they had the talent to go on a deep playoff run.
In 2024-25, though, things have not gone well. The Rangers essentially forced captain Jacob Trouba out of town on Saturday. New York traded Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks after rumors of a potential deal in the offseason. Since the trade, New York is 1-2-0.
As a result of this losing skid, Laviolette finds himself on the hot seat. On one hand, it’s understandable. This is a team with Stanley Cup ambitions that is vastly underperforming. On the other hand, it’s hard to pin this all on the coach. New York’s core is aging, and the team made no significant moves to bolster the roster that made the East Final over the summer.
To be fair, the Rangers aren’t exactly out of the playoff race for 2025. In fact, they still occupy the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, according to ESPN. In saying this, they are tied on points with the New York Islanders. Moreover, the gap between the Blueshirts and the East basement-dwelling Montreal Canadiens is four points.
New York has the talent on paper to remain competitive. However, the Rangers have legitimate concerns moving forward for the rest of the year. If they are not addressed, Laviolette may unfortunately pay with his job.
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