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What\u2019s old is new again with the New York Rangers\u2019 coaching staff. And MSG Networks television analyst Dave Maloney thinks that\u2019s a good thing for the Rangers next season.<\/p>\n
Mike Sullivan and David Quinn returned in new roles to the organization this offseason. Sullivan, a Rangers assistant under John Tortorella from 2009-14, replaces Peter Laviolette<\/a> as Blueshirts bench boss. Quinn, who was Rangers coach for three seasons<\/a> from 2018-21, is back as Sullivan\u2019s assistant, the same role he had last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.<\/p>\n So there\u2019s both a freshness and a familiarity with Sullivan running the show in New York, with Quinn as his sidekick.<\/p>\n \u201cLet alone about Mike Sullivan\u2019s maturation after being an assistant coach here and to go on and coach two Stanley Cup winners and elite players,\u201d Maloney told Forever Blueshirts<\/a> on a RINK RAP podcast in July. \u201cI think it\u2019s beneficial that he and David Quinn have been in the market. There\u2019s no kind of learning period. OK, how do I get from Westchester to the rink on game day? Where am I going to live? \u2026 I just think that\u2019s a first step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Maloney does seem to be on to something. It\u2019s not just the literal lay of the land here in New York. It\u2019s the collective knowledge for Sullivan and Quinn of working in the Rangers organization, including with team owner James Dolan. It\u2019s understanding the media and the heavy scrutiny that comes with coaching under the glare of New York\u2019s Original Six franchise.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not even mentioning the 31-year Stanley Cup drought or the fact that the Rangers have won one championship in 85 years. That\u2019s some serious pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s even harder to win in New York,\u201d Maloney simply stated.<\/p>\n Related: Matt Rempe \u2018still learning\u2019 as he prepares for training camp, Rangers reporter says<\/a><\/p>\n Mike Sullivan could fill leadership \u2018vacuum\u2019 as Rangers coach, MSGN analyst believes<\/p>\n After the dismal 2024-25 season, when the Rangers missed the playoffs<\/a> one year after winning the Presidents\u2019 Trophy, Maloney firmly believed the organization needed to shake things up. That starts with the coaching staff, even though Maloney had respect for the previous regime.<\/p>\n But things were so rotten that drastic measures needed to be taken. The fact that Sullivan and Quinn bring a a clean slate \u2014 along with championship gravitas in the head coach\u2019s case \u2014 and respective Rangers backgrounds, is all the better for Maloney.<\/p>\n \u201cCoaching elite players \u2014 and Sidney Crosby will go down today as one of the greatest players in the game, and you throw [Evgeni] Malkin into the mix, you throw [Kris] Letang into the mix \u2014 I just think that experience, when we look back on last season, there was just a little bit of a vacuum when it came to leadership, particularly when things went wrong,\u201d Maloney said. \u201cBetween the experience of Quinn and Sullivan, and the rearranging of the core, I think it\u2019s a step that had to be taken.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year\u2019s done, it\u2019s over, finished. Time to move on. Then you say, what are you going to do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n General manager Chris Drury was aggressive, firing Laviolette almost immediately. And he landed his dream coach, Sullivan, in short order after he mutually parted ways with the Penguins after 10 years.<\/p>\n Then, Drury traded forward Chris Kreider<\/a> and defenseman K\u2019Andre Miller,<\/a> and signed free-agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov<\/a> to continue the roster makeover.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Chris deserves credit for moving contracts without holding money,\u201d Maloney offered. \u201cIt\u2019s a fresh start. I like what\u2019s been happening in the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n The changes included one that couldn\u2019t have been easy for those involved. Quinn returned to be an assistant, a step back from his previous role here. That took swallowing some pride and ego. And it couldn\u2019t have been easy for Drury either, since his first major move after being named Rangers general manager in 2021 was to fire Quinn.<\/p>\n But yet, here we are today.<\/p>\n \u201cI give credit to both of them for being [leaders],\u201d Maloney said. \u201cI give David Quinn an awful lot of credit. To me, I know it was tough when he got let go, that hurt. But you know what? \u2026. You roll over, you continue to fight. If you take that event as a learning step along the way and make it work. So, I give David Quinn a lot of credit, and also my understanding is that Chris right away reached out when Mike had presented it. Both of them are stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n And with that, Maloney believes the Rangers are in a better spot heading into the 2025-26 season with Sullivan and Quinn back on the coaching staff. A fresh yet familiar re-start for the Blueshirts.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\tJim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of … More about Jim Cerny<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: David Quinn<\/a> Mike Sullivan<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Syndication:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Syndication-Westchester-County-Journal-News-26121830-788x590.jpg\")
Peter Carr\/The Journal News \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/p>\n