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The New York Rangers don’t intend to interview Patrick Roy as part of their coaching search, according to the New York Post‘s Mollie Walker.
“John Hynes and Peter Laviolette remain the front-runners for the open job behind the Blueshirts bench,” Walker reported.
Roy is widely considered one of the greatest goaltenders ever. He was a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and lifted the Stanley Cup on four occasions.
The 57-year-old made the transition to coaching in 2013-14 and guided the Colorado Avalanche to the playoffs in his first season. He unexpectedly resigned as head coach and vice president of hockey operations in August 2016.
The full circumstances behind Roy’s departure aren’t known. At the time, he cited philosophical differences between himself and other Avs officials.
The Hall of Famer hasn’t coached in the NHL since then, with Walker speculating teams might be concerned history would repeat itself in terms of how his Colorado tenure ended.
Roy is fresh off leading the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts to a Memorial Cup triumph, though, which helped to rebuild his stock a bit. The head coach and GM indicated the 2022-23 season would be his last behind the bench for the organization.
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IT’S A GATORADE SHOWER FOR PATRICK ROY! #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/AxhGKKoIuS
It was easy to connect the dots and see how Roy might be preparing for a return to the NHL. Leaving the Remparts would give him the freedom to pursue any new opportunities.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post argued why his presence would greatly benefit the Rangers, who moved on from Gerard Gallant after just two seasons. New York lost to the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs after getting to the conference final in 2022.
Based on Walker’s report, the Rangers don’t see Roy as a serious candidate, however, so his comeback won’t be unfolding in the Big Apple.
