Where Does Peter Laviolette Rank Amongst NHL Coaches?

1. It's "Be Kind To Peter Laviolette Week" because he was the man in the Wheelhouse guiding the Blueshirts to a franchise-best 55 wins and 114 points. (Why has everyone forgotten that feat; I ask you?)

2. Lavvy is not the NHL's best coach simply because he busted during the "Stanley Cup Or Bust" expedition. (Yeah but 31 other coaches failed as well.)

3. Paul Maurice IS the NHL's top bench boss because he won The Cup and that's all that matters in June. (He's also a better after-dinner speaker than 31 other bench bosses. Funniest in the league; in fact.)

4. But steering the Rangers through 82 games and beating out pre-2023-24 season favorite Carolina means that Pistol Pete is better than Ever-Whining Rod Brind'Amour. (Brindy whines so much he makes you want to hug a zebra.)

5. Wise Rangers fans I know cannot believe that Kaapo Kakko wasn't traded during the Draft. (If the truth be told, they were rooting harder than ever for KK to go bye-bye.)

6. One of my pals figures that a long-shot move would be to put KK on a line with Vincent Trocheck, "to establish himself as Vin did with Alexis Lafreniere. (Superior idea, The Maven say; and why didn't I think of that!)

7. Since Matt Rempe got a lot of ink taking boxing lessons last month you have to wonder who he'll beat up in training camp. (Well, maybe not beat up; just a bit of jersey-pulling.)

8. I'd love to see a Rempe-Jacob Trouba one-rounder with no sweater-grabbing. (Remper will beat the captain on points.)

9. Something tells me that Jake The Rake just might prove that The Skating Giraffe's boxing lessons weren't worth Monopoly money. (Or wooden nickels.)

10. Out on the West Coast there's a Junior hockey savant named Jess Rubenstein who was asked about the Blueshirts signing of free agent Sam Carrick. Rubenstein's reply surprised The Maven. (Maybe you, too.)

11. Rubenstein's wise reply is that you don't spend free agent money on the third/fourth line center. In short, Chris Drury should have filled the spot with a prospect from his system. (I hope you're reading this, Chris.)

12. My 18-year-old grandson Ariel Fischler plays forward for Bruce Boudreau's Hershey (Jr.) Cubs. Ariel roots for the Rangers but also follows the Islanders. (And does it well.)

13. Therefore, I took Ariel seriously when he said, "Jacob Trouba is nothing more than an overpaid version of Scott Mayfield." (The Kid knows!)

14. Another gem from Grandson Ariel: "I'd give Kaapo Kakko 30 to 35 games to prove himself – and then trade him!" (Grandpa says 20 games.)

15. A longtime fan I know jumped off the Ryan Lindgren bandwagon the other day when the defender's $4.5 million one-year contract was announced. (He was uninjured.)

16. He added, "Now we have two overpaid, underperforming defensemen." The other being a nice fellow whose name sounds like a musical instrument named tuba. (Guess who?)