What's old is new again with the New York Rangers coaching staff. And MSG Networks television analyst Dave Maloney thinks that's a good thing for the Rangers next season.
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 as Blueshirts bench boss. Quinn, who was Rangers coach for three seasons from 2018-21, is back as Sullivan's assistant, the same role he had last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So, there's both a freshness and a familiarity with Sullivan running the show in New York, with Quinn as his sidekick.
"Let alone about Mike Sullivan's maturation after being an assistant coach here and to go on and coach two Stanley Cup winners and elite players," Maloney told Forever Blueshirts on a RINK RAP podcast in July. "I think it's beneficial that he and David Quinn have been in the market. There's no kind of learning period. Ok, how do I get from Westchester to the rink on game day? Where am I going to live? … I just think that's a first step in the right direction."
Maloney does seem to be on to something. It's not just the literal lay of the land here in New York. It's the collective knowledge for Sullivan and Quinn of working in the Rangers organization, including with team owner James Dolan. It's understanding the media and the heavy scrutiny that comes with coaching under the glare of New York's Original 6 franchise.
That's not even mentioning the 31-year Stanley Cup drought or the fact that the Rangers have won one championships in 85 years. That's some serious pressure.
"It's even harder to win in New York," Maloney simply stated.
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After the dismal 2024-25 season, when the Rangers missed the playoffs one year after winning the Presidents' 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.
But things were so rotten, drastic measures needed to be taken. And the fact that Sullivan and Quinn bring a a clean slate along with championship gravitas, in the head coach's case, and respective Rangers backgrounds, is all the better for Maloney.
"Coaching elite players — 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 — 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. So, between the experience of Quinn and Sullivan, and the rearranging of the core, I think it's a step that had to be taken," Maloney explained.
"Last year's done, it's over, finished. Time to move on. Then you say, what are you going to do about it."
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.
Then, Drury traded Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller, and signed free-agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to continue the roster makeover.
"I think Chris deserves credit for moving contracts without holding money," Maloney offered. "It's a fresh start. I like what's been happening in the offseason."
The changes included one that couldn't 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't have been easy for Drury either, since his first major move after being named Rangers general manager in 2021 was to fire Quinn.
But yet, here we are otday.
"I give credit to both of them for being [leaders]," Maloney said. "I 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? …. 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."
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.
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