Chris Drury finally got his guy.
What seemed like it was inevitable since his departure from Pittsburgh has happened, as Mike Sullivan has taken the helm of the Rangers bench.
The Boston native has a resume that speaks for itself, a multi time coach at the national team level and a back to back Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh, he brings plenty of reason for optimism on Broadway.
He also steps into a room that is loaded with players and people he has good connections with, mostly through USA hockey. You might even remember that Chris Kreider was dressed over 41 goal scorer Kyle Connor in the Four Nations tournament this past Winter. Take that as you will.
There is still a lot of smoke around John Tortorella making a return to the organization in some capacity, whether that’s an assistant or some sort of advisory role remains to be seen, if anything actually materializes. Tortorella is equally connected in the USA hockey sphere, and all the USA hockey connections ultimately lead back to Chris Drury, who was most recently the GM of team USA for the Four Nations Championship.
From my point of view, it seems like the Rangers are very quickly becoming a USA Hockey boys club. As an American, I do find that somewhat exciting, but USA Hockey, at the highest level, has developed the same reputation as the Rangers in recent competition, always being the bridesmaid and never the bride.
I’d also like to see Drury try to inject some sort of new energy into the mix, whether that’s on the bench or in the front office. I don’t even have a name to give as an example, but a guy like Drury should have his finger on the pulse of the game in a way that enlightens him to personalities that can help an organization succeed that us fans might not yet be aware of. I think we all get tired of the coaching/management carousel that is so prevalent in the game.
This is Sullivan’s team now, and he has his guys from USA hockey all over the roster. JT Miller being the key acquisition last season almost feels like a precursor to this hire now. Vinny Trocheck and Chris Kreider both slotted into the lineup and spent time on the penalty kill for Sullivan in Four Nations. Adam Fox is easily a top 3 American Defenseman right now and will be a key factor on Team USA’s blueline in the upcoming olympics.
I’ll be interested to see what Sullivan can extract from the non-American players on the roster, particularly Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreneiere, as well as Braden Schneider as he returns from shoulder surgery this summer.
It’s hard to not be optimistic, but after the way things unfolded over the last year, my gut still tells me something about this isn’t going to work. I look forward to seeing Mike behind the bench once the Vietnam flashbacks subside and the season gets underway in October.
The Morning Skate 