Rangers’ next coach must find way to fix the defensive chaos

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Regarding the Rangers, about to embark on their first visit to Lotteryland in Toronto on Saturday:

1. Watching Dan Girardi play a safe, sane and effective game for the Lightning reinforces my belief that while the Rangers do require a coach who can teach and develop the mass of young inventory on its way to Broadway, they are equally in need of an individual who will introduce and oversee a sound defensive-zone structure.

This hybrid man-on-man, overload, chase system the Blueshirts employed under Alain Vigneault not only produced constant chaos most of the past three seasons, but also placed added stress on pretty much every one of the club’s defensemen. This adds a significant degree of difficulty to the individual evaluation process.

I am especially anxious to get a look at Brady Skjei, on whom the sky seemed to fall while everything broke down around him in his sophomore season, playing under a more structured environment. The same holds true for Kevin Shattenkirk, who presumably will be healthy this time around, as well as for Tony DeAngelo, who seemed more NHL-ready on his second tour of duty before it was cut short by an ankle injury.

If the head coach is not a defense guru, then it is incumbent upon him to hire an assistant who has a pedigree in that area. I have touted him before, but if Scott Stevens is not a candidate for the head job, then surely the three-time Stanley Cup champion and member of the NHL’s Greatest 100 merits consideration to run the blue line.

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2. General manager Jeff Gorton is keeping his list of candidates for the top job as confidential as possible. It is known that college coaches David Quinn (Boston University), Jim Montgomery (Denver) and Scott Sandelin (Minnesota Duluth) are under consideration, but few other possibilities have seeped into the public forum.

Sheldon Keefe of the Marlies could elevate his candidacy if he hits it out of the park in a post-AHL playoffs interview, but numerous sources have expressed skepticism of his readiness for the assignment.

That same skepticism holds true about handing over the Rangers to a coach directly out of college, though perhaps mitigated if the individual has NHL experience as an assistant (as does Quinn).

There have been only four coaches ever to go directly from college to running an NHL bench: Cornell’s Ned Harkness, who lasted only 38 games in Detroit (12-22-4) in 1970-71 immediately after a 32-0-0 NCAA championship season with Big Red; Minnesota’s Herb Brooks, who took over the Rangers in 1981-82 after winning a 1980 international tournament for Team USA in Lake Placid with which you might be familiar; Wisconsin’s legendary Badger Bob Johnson, who made the leap to Calgary in 1982 before winning the Cup with the Penguins in 1990-91; and North Dakota’s Dave Hakstol, who just finished his third season in Philadelphia.

Again, the Rangers need a coach who can develop talent, but one who is also going to prepare them to win games.

For as Chris Kreider said on breakup day: “The NHL, as it was explained to me early on, isn’t a developmental league.”

3. The Blueshirts likely have interest in talking to Columbus assistant coach Brad Shaw, but the Blue Jackets might be reluctant to grant permission to the individual perceived as John Tortorella’s heir apparent.

The Rangers indeed offered the assistant’s job to Shaw two summers ago, but he went instead to Columbus because, according at the time to individuals familiar with the decision, he felt that he’d have a quicker route to the head job with the Jackets. The Blueshirts then turned to Jeff Beukeboom to fill the position.

4. Brendan Smith had a train wreck of a season in 2017-18, waived to the AHL in early February, but No. 42 has been working out this week at the club’s practice facility in the first steps toward redeeming himself and resurrecting his career.

“He is committed to being Brendan Smith again,” Anton Thun, the 29-year-old defenseman’s agent, told The Post on Thursday. “Last season was like a perfect storm that blew not only him but the Rangers backwards. Brendan has only one goal in mind and that is to getting back to being the guy he was his first year with them after the trade.

“He will be training and working all summer. He is determined and confident that he can be not only that Brendan Smith again, but a better Brendan Smith.”