Top 5 New York Rangers head coach candidates: Best replacements for Peter Laviolette should Blueshirts fire him

What was considered by most to be impossible has now come to pass for coach Peter Laviolette's New York Rangers. They've been knocked out of playoff contention one season after winning the President's Trophy and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in what has truly been a miserable campaign.

While the Rangers started strong in 2024-25, with a 12-4-1 record, they entered a disastrous stretch, which saw them go 4-13 in their next 17 and never truly recovered.

“It’s disappointing for everybody,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “That certainly wasn’t anybody’s plan coming into the year, especially coming off of last year. And yet here we are. We had opportunities over the last 20 games to make our own noise and make our own way, and we didn’t do that. So it’s on us. We needed to do better.”

There's a strong possibility that New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury could move on from Laviolette after the season. There are a few candidates who could come in.

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Top five replacements for New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette should Blueshirts fire him

#1 David Carle

One of the bright young hockey minds who's a rising star, Carle has coached the University of Denver to two national championships in the past three seasons. He also helped Team USA capture consecutive gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championships.

#2 Drew Bannister

Bannister was named the replacement for Craig Berube when the St. Louis Blues decided to make a coaching switch last season. While he was under contract with the Blues, they moved on from him earlier this season when Jim Montgomery became available.

Bannister guided the Blues to a 30-19-5 record in 54 games last season and was 10-8-1 this season when the change was made. He will almost certainly look for a new head coaching gig for next season, and the New York Rangers could be a possibility.

#3 Rick Tocchet

Tocchet guided the Vancouver Canucks to the Pacific Division title last season, but difficulties arose this season, and the Canucks won't be in the playoffs.

Tocchet is on an expiring contract and could look for a new challenge. While he has been linked with the Philadelphia Flyers, who he played for in his NHL playing career, the New York Rangers could also come calling if he moves on from Vancouver.

#4 Joel Quenneville

While he been reinstated by the NHL, the former Stanley Cup-winning coach with the Chicago Blackhawks is yet to land a job, mostly due to the considerable baggage he carries since the scandal revealed in 2021.

However, the New York Rangers could choose to keep that in the past and bring in an established winner to guide their club like Quenneville, should they sack Peter Laviolette.

#5 Mike Sullivan

Mike Sullivan, who's the second longest-serving head coach in the NHL, behind Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, could be moved on from by the Pittsburgh Penguins after their third straight postseason miss.