Rangers Fire Longtime NHL Head Coach Peter Laviolette

New York missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.

Laviolette just finished his second season as head coach in New York. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are making some major changes ahead of next season, as they fired head coach Peter Laviolette on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

While they've also parted ways with associate head coach Phil Housley, they'll reportedly allow assistants Michael Pen and Dan Muse the opportunity to interview and remain on staff.

#NYR have fired coach Peter Laviolette and associate coach Phil Housley.

Michael Peca and Dan Muse will have the opportunity to interview to remain on the coaching staff, but search will be “wide ranging.”

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 19, 2025

The Rangers are coming off a 39-36-7 campaign in which they finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.

Laviolette had just wrapped up his second season at the helm for New York and led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Final just under a year ago. One of the winningest coaches (7th, 846) in NHL history, Laviolette has previously manned the bench for the Islanders, Hurricanes, Flyers, Predators, and Capitals. He won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006.

New York will now embark on a "wide ranging" search to find its third head coach in four seasons.

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