david quinn

David Quinn brings a new look to the Rangers bench. He’s tasked with an almost Tom Renney like goal, which is to bring a young roster that is not expected to make the playoffs into its own, develop kids, and tame the personalities of the veterans. Of course Renney’s teams wound up making the playoffs frequently because of some kid named Henrik Lundqvist and some Czech hockey player named Jaromir Jagr (and a healthy balance of skilled vets/kids), but the comparison still remains.

Quinn will be managing the personalities of seasoned veterans like Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal, Brendan Smith, and Mats Zuccarello. He will be in charge of bringing young veterans like Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad into the next stages of their careers. The rookies, the second year kids, and the third year kids are all looking to grow as well. We have been focusing on steady systems for most of the summer, but more important than that is accountability.

Under Alain Vigneault –and also under John Tortorella, but admittedly not as much– there was a big question about accountability. Trusted veterans were free to make mistakes game in and game out with minimal consequences. Rookies and young players alike made one mistake and saw a demotion, a healthy scratch, or a bus trip back to Hartford. Accountability didn’t seem to exist.

All eyes will be on Quinn when Lias Andersson or Filip Chytil or any other kid makes a mistake. Will there be a tough, screaming coach? Will there be a passive aggressive gum chew? Or will it be a learning moment, a time to teach the right decision to make? We don’t know, but all signs are pointing to the latter.

It is not an easy job to managing teaching, winning, and growing. Quinn seemed to do a good job of it at BU, although there was always the question about whether his teams lived up to their potential. For the Rangers, it isn’t about this year. It may not even be about next year. It’s about the year after that. Accountability and removing the fear of mistakes from players is what will get the players to that next level. All we can do is wait and see, and hope.

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