Bantering Points: 4/9/18

Here are today’s news and links:

Rangers News:

  • Larry Brooks breaks down the reason why New York needed to part ways with Alain Vigneault (NY Post)
  • Brooks also offers some thoughts on the organization’s coaching search, their pending free agents, and more (NY Post)
  • Justin Tasch argues that Jeff Gorton is slated to make the most important decision of his career (NY Daily News)
  • Colin Stephenson speculates that Vigneault’s defiant defense of himself prior to the season finale could have been sending a message to the rest of the NHL (Newsday)
  • Sean Hartnett highlights Vigneault’s supposed resistance to change as his biggest downfall (WFAN)
  • Dominick Renna thinks that Vigneault refused to read the writing on the wall throughout the  stretch run (Elite Sports NY)
  • Phil Kocher examines some of New York’s options with the Alain Vigneault era in the rear view mirror (The Hockey Writers)
  • John Williams discusses what went wrong en route to the Blueshirts’ Cup window closing (Blue Line Station)
  • Jess Rubenstein writes about why some of the rumored coaching replacements make sense, and why some don’t (Blueshirt Bulletin)
  • Greg Kaplan gives his thought’s on the end of Vigneault’s run as New York’s bench boss (Blueshirts Breakaway)/

Around the NHL:

  • The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 4-2, clinching the Atlantic Division for the Tampa Bay Lightning and setting the final two playoff series in stone (Video via NHL.com)
  • Justin Cuthbert relays the schedule for the First Round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Puck Daddy)
  • Ryan Dixon hands out awards for comeback player of the year, biggest breakthrough season, and more (Sportsnet)
  • Craig Morgan lists ten intriguing storylines to follow as the playoffs get underway (FanRag)/