Five ways NY Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is making an early impact

How much of a difference can a coaching change make?

A significant one, the Rangers are hoping.

They're asking Peter Laviolette a take a roster that's largely unchanged from last season's first-round playoff exit and push them much further. There was some initial skepticism about a coach who's on his sixth NHL stop and coming off a disappointing three-year run in Washington, but the early returns are encouraging.

Laviolette seems to be winning players (and fans) over with more of a hands-on approach and nuanced playing system than we saw under previous head coach Gerard Gallant. Captain Jacob Trouba noticed it early on, telling reporters during training camp that the "energy," "enthusiasm" and "direction" Laviolette brings is "good for us."

"He's given us all the tools that we need to be successful," Trouba added.

They're still very much in the honeymoon period, with adversity sure to test them at various points in this still-young season. But there are tangible reasons to believe that the 58-year-old coaching veteran's arrival has improved their chance of ending New York's 30-year Stanley Cup drought.

Here are five areas where I've observed Laviolette make a positive impact while helping the Rangers win six of their first eight games:

Harder practices

From the first day of training camp on, it’s been clear there’s a new sheriff in town.

Laviolette’s practices have been faster paced and longer than we were accustomed to seeing under Gallant, with every drill aimed at creating a competitive environment. The team is always split in half – blue and white – and playing for something, with the losing side facing extra push-ups, bag skates or any other form of punishment they come up with.

That intensity has carried into games, with the Rangers blocking more shots, winning more 50-50 pucks and generally looking more engaged. It’s part of the hard-working identity Laviolette has repeatedly talked about – his belief that, to become a grittier team, those habits must be ingrained daily.

“When you're keeping score and there's something on the line, it brings the best out of you and ultimately prepares you for games,” forward Barclay Goodrow said. "I think having that compete in place from day one of camp was really beneficial."

Some Rangers’ players (and management) felt they weren’t being pushed enough last season. As center Vincent Trocheck put it during camp, “It was a little more laid back, and I think we were maybe not as prepared as we should have been.”

Now they’re getting what they asked for, and the results have been promising.

Direct communication

Another noticeable trend has been improved communication between the head coach and his players.

They enjoyed Gallant's hands-off approach at first, but over time, the need for more "direction," as Trouba put it, became apparent.

Laviolette isn’t shy about stopping in the middle of the drill if he wants to correct something or send a message, and he’s also made it a post-practice ritual to pull individuals – or individual lines – aside for one-on-one chats to talk through situations and lay out clear expectations.

“He's been very open,” veteran Jimmy Vesey said. “I think it's a strength of his coaching style – talking with players and kind of being transparent. Sometimes that can get lost in the shuffle of an 82-game season and managing 22, 23 guys. He's been good, along with the assistants.”

That’s carried over into his sessions with the media, where Laviolette has been detailed and firm with his messaging, and even non-practice days.

As much as the new coach has pushed the team, he’s also been giving them more off-ice days than we’re used to seeing. They’ll generally have a couple hard practices each week, then devote a day or two to team meetings and video review. Not only does that give them a physical break, it also allows time for teaching and getting everyone on the same page.

Empowering the kids

When it comes to many of the Rangers’ highly drafted young players, particularly the forwards, development hasn’t happened as quickly as initially hoped.

Part of that is undoubtedly on the players themselves, while another part is lack of patience from fans and media alike. But there has also been a lack of opportunity in New York, most notably with the trio of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière.

Under Gallant, they were largely relegated to the third line. It was fair to question whether they were being put in the best positions to succeed.

Through the first eight games with Laviolette, all three have been fixtures in the top six.

“The three younger forwards you're talking about, I think they're in a position now where, they're not in their first year in the league,” the coach said. “They're not 19. They’re not in their second or third year in the league. They're in a position where, they came off three of their best years, to take that confidence and with a little bit opportunity to try and push that – try to push higher.”

The results have varied, with Lafrenière off to the fastest start of that trio with four goals. His confidence, which has taken some hits over the years, seems to be soaring.

Chytil and Kakko are still searching for consistency in their new roles, but Laviolette is allowing them to work through it. The same can be said for rookie Will Cuylle, who impressed his coach during camp and got rewarded with a surprise spot in the opening-night lineup.

It’s past time for the Rangers to find out if these premium picks can handle more prominent roles − they'll frankly need them to if they're going to accomplish their lofty goals − with Laviolette making sure they get that chance.

Lineup consistency

It’s not just the young guys who are being given time to settle into their new roles.

The entire lineup has been virtually untouched through eight games, with the only minor tweak coming at right wing on the fourth line. Tyler Pitlick started two of the first three games there, but Vesey has now been used in five straight.

Eleven of the 12 forwards have been untouched, with the only change on defense coming when Ryan Lindgren had to miss the Oct. 14 contest in Columbus due to an upper-body injury. Otherwise, the D pairs have been the same for seven of eight games.

That consistency has allowed the lineup to develop chemistry and players to skate freely without fear that a mistake could cost them their spot. That became a source of frustration under Gallant’s constant lineup juggling, making Laviolette’s steady hand a welcomed change.

Defensive system

The Rangers still have work to do to open up their offense at five-on-five, but the defensive returns have been promising.

Entering play Monday, they were allowing just 25.9 shots against per game, which is tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for best in the NHL. Their 2.0 goals against per game ranks second, while their 10.29 high-danger scoring chances against per 60 minutes ranks ninth, according to Natural Stat Trick.

All of those averages stand as improvements over last season, when the Blueshirts were notorious for turnovers that fueled opposing teams' odd-man rushes. They've gone from an average of 10 giveaways per game in 2022-23, which ranked second-to-last in the league, to an NHL-best 4.34 this season.

“If you're limiting shots, controlling the zone play, limiting odd-man rushes, your team is going to put itself in a position to succeed,” Goodrow said. “The results have shown that.”

Not only have they tightened up in their own zone; their ability to prevent opposing teams from getting there in the first place has been much improved. According to NHL EDGE, the Rangers rank in the 78th percentile for offensive zone time (42.6%) and 62nd for D-zone time (40.1%).

That stems from a combination of two forechecking systems they're using based on situation.

When the opponent is going for a line change, or the Rangers are forced to dump and chase a puck in the offensive zone, they aggressively send two forecheckers ahead to pressure and hunt for turnovers. But when those opportunities don’t present themselves, they sit back in Laviolette’s 1-3-1 lock and clog the neutral zone. That’s served to frustrate opposing teams and slow them down in transition.

The next step is getting the 5v5 offense to click, with the Blueshirts averaging just 1.74 goals per 60 in those situations so far. But shoring up the defense is a good starting point, which, along with a potent power play and high-level goaltending, has made them a tough team to beat through the first few weeks of the season.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 5 ways NY Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is making an early impact