Suggestion Sunday: Why not Leetch for a specialist coach?

Bad PP? Wonder who could fix it?

I’m assuming the Rangers don’t have an issue with their former legend Brian Leetch and I’m assuming Leetch doesn’t hate Glen Sather for moving him out of New York to the Leafs all those years ago. So, why not get him on board and help right the wrongs of the current roster?

This is just food for thought on a lazy Sunday afternoon but other clubs have brought in specialist coaches such as the Sharks with Larry Robinson and Jim Johnson to directly deal with previous issues. The Sharks had a woeful PK (amid other things) and the new coaches helped right away. They dealt with their issues proactively.

Whether it’s Leetch or not, it’s both puzzling and frustrating that the Rangers don’t appear ready or able to think outside of the box to remedy several issues haunting the club for a while now. Despite quality individuals the Rangers have iced a mediocre powerplay (to put it very, very mildly) for several seasons. In addition, defensemen such as Michael De Zotto and Marc Staal have shown no improvement in their ability to put the puck on net effectively and thus the cry for a powerplay quarterback has never gone away and several Rangers blueliners struggle with their shots.

Leetch is the greatest defenseman the Rangers ever had and he’s still in fine shape. If he was willing to utilise his vast skills and experiences surely he could help and even if he couldn’t, he’s not exactly a sudden burden on the cap. It’s often the teams that continue to seek improvements and who are willing to embrace change that are the successful ones. Maybe the Rangers should strive to improve areas of weakness much like the Sharks did.

Coach Tortorella is a proud, passionate man. He’s loyal and that can be the only reason the coaching staff hasn’t changed. It needs change; it needs fresh impetus to help a quality team with some serious issues. No one is saying Tortorella is under threat (a ridiculous notion) and no one is saying Mike Sullivan needs to be tossed aside for a rookie coach like Leetch would be, but the Rangers need to address the powerplay ASAP, so why not Leetch?