Heading into the season with a revamped defense corps, a new-look 4th line, and a lineup without a true #1 center in the wake of the Derek Stepan trade, Alain Vigneault had the deck stacked against him heading into the 17-18 season. Assistant coach Jeff Beukeboom was replaced with veteran NHL coach Lindy Ruff in an attempt to further improve New York’s shaky blueline group, as well as remind AV that his 2014 trip to the Stanley Cup Finals was a long time ago, and that he could be out of a job quickly if things didn’t go the way Jeff Gorton envisioned.
2018 Report Card: Alain Vigneault
