Why Rangers can’t rush this coaching decision

The Rangers are not, cannot, and should not be in a rush to fill their head coach vacancy.

Firstly, they are not in a rush because they are still digesting this season, the first missed postseason in seven years. It was a successful five-year run for Alain Vigneault, but the organization has decided on moving in the direction of rebuilding with youth, and felt the timing was right for a change.

Now general manager Jeff Gorton and his staff need to decide exactly what they want for the future, and what they want in a candidate. The only criterion given thus far is that the candidate have head-coaching experience — sorry, Mark Messier — but other than that, the field is wide open.

Secondly, the Blueshirts cannot be in a rush because there is still a lot going on in and around the league with the postseason set to commence on Wednesday night. Not a single other coach in the NHL had been fired this season, and that means a handful of NHL-level candidates might become available in the next few weeks — either from playoff teams, or from non-playoff teams with a delayed layoff. The AHL playoff is yet to start, too, so a hot prospect like the Marlies’ Sheldon Keefe still has a lot on his plate right now.

The college coaches who are mentioned as NHL possibilities — the likes of Jim Montgomery from Denver, David Quinn at Boston University or Tony Granato of Wisconsin — have all just completed their seasons and probably want a little time to assess their own wants. There is probably quite a bit of homework the Rangers would have to do on each of them before considering them as a legitimate candidate for such a high-profile job.

Finally, the Rangers shouldn’t be in a rush mostly because there isn’t another NHL job open right now. They aren’t competing with anyone else — at least not publicly — for any candidate. If the likes of Dan Bylsma, Patrick Roy or Dave Tippett is itching to get back in, the Blueshirts don’t have any obvious threat pushing them to make the call.

All that said, there is still value in the Rangers having a head coach sooner rather than later. Gorton has said that he would like one in place by the June 22 draft, and that is more than enough time to let the dust settle on this season and see just exactly what the landscape holds.

This might be the most important decision Gorton has made since he took over the everyday duties for Glen Sather on July 1, 2015 — and certainly Sather, still team president, will have ample input. But it’s not a decision to be rushed, and it won’t be.