NEW YORK — David Quinn did not survive the organizational changes made by the Rangers at the end of a fourth straight playoff-less season.
Less than a week after team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton were fired, Quinn, the coach since 2018, was let go on Wednesday, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Quinn’s coaching staff — with the exception of goaltending coach Benoit Allaire — also has been let go, two days after the players had their exit meetings with new president and general manager Chris Drury.
"I would like to thank David Quinn, David Oliver, Jacques Martin, and Greg Brown for all of their efforts and dedication to the Rangers," Drury said. "I wish each of them the best in their future endeavors. We will begin our search for a new head coach immediately."
Quinn, who was hired away from Boston University to oversee the development of the young prospects entering the lineup during the Rangers’ rebuild, departs with a career record of 96-87-25.
The Rangers’ only postseason experience during his three seasons came at the end of the 2019-20 season, which was ended prematurely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rangers were included in the 24-team field when the league restarted in the bubble environments of Toronto and Edmonton, but they did not advance to the 16-team playoff field, having been swept in three games in a best-of-five play-in series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Rangers were in contention for a playoff spot in the East Division this season until they were shut out in consecutive games by the Islanders on April 29 and May 1. In their next game against the Washington Capitals, they were beaten, 6-3, in the game where Capitals forward Tom Wilson attacked Rangers forward Artemi Panarin, injuring him and ending his season. The Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention that night when the Boston Bruins defeated the New Jersey Devils.
Two days later, Davidson and Gorton were fired, with three games remaining in the season, and just hours before the Rangers played a rematch against the Capitals. The Rangers lost that fight-filled game, and ended up losing five straight games before winning their season finale in Boston on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Columbus Blue Jackets fired coach John Tortorella, the former Rangers coach, and the Arizona Coyotes fired coach Rick Tocchet. Those two men, along with veteran coaches such as Gerard Gallant, will be at the top of the list of potential candidates to take over for Quinn.
