On Friday, the Rangers announced the rest of the coaching staff, who will join Peter Laviolette behind the bench in 2023-24.

As expected, Michael Peca is one of the three new assistants that’s coming over from Rochester. He was an assistant coach for the Americans of the Sabres AHL affiliate. Peca played for Laviolette on the Islanders, helping lead them back to the playoffs.

The Rangers have also brought in experienced coach Phil Housley to handle the defense. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the former standout defenseman whose best days came in Buffalo and Winnipeg, has become a staple behind the bench. He’s been more successful as an assistant. He coached the Sabres for two seasons. Adding Housley should help a defense that struggled. It’ll be interesting to see what he adds.

Dan Muse also joins the staff as an assistant coach. Only 40, he was a former assistant for the Predators. He also recently served as head coach of the USA Under-18 Men’s National Team at the World Championships. He sounds like a good fit for the Rangers’ younger players, including potential new arrival Brennan Othmann.

As much as I wanted them to promote Kris Knoblauch from Hartford, I like what the Rangers have done since finally hiring Laviolette. He was excellent at his introductory press conference, emphasizing establishing more compete and an aggressive approach. Two characteristics that were missing from last season. He highlighted the need to play better defensively.

There’s no doubt that he’s an established coach who’s had plenty of success. It isn’t easy to take five different teams to the playoffs, including three to the Stanley Cup Finals. He won it all with the Hurricanes in 2005-06. The Capitals weren’t a good fit. They clearly regressed. I’m not sure how they’ll fare under new coach Spencer Carberry. They have an aging nucleus with Alexander Ovechkin chasing Gretzky.

Laviolette said it was great to return to New York, where his career started. There’s a lot to prove. His staff sounds impressive. I like the three additions. It sounds like he’ll have free reign to do things his way. I think Gerard Gallant, while a good coach, didn’t have full control, which is what led to the divorce between him and Chris Drury.

Obviously, Laviolette is more of a disciplinarian than Gallant. If a player isn’t playing well, they’ll sit. It won’t be run like a country club. This isn’t a knock on Gallant. He was successful in his two years on Broadway. But he was more laid back. Laviolette will keep the players on their toes. Sometimes, an experienced group needs that. A kick in the ass isn’t the worst thing. Especially for a team with high expectations in a tough Eastern Conference.

Now, it’s onto the NHL Draft. At least the Rangers have a first round pick. We’ll see what they decide this Wednesday in Nashville.

The off-season is underway. There was a trade made yesterday between Nashville and Colorado that sent Ryan Johansen to the Avalanche. There’ll be more activity. The latest rumors have Tony DeAngelo returning to Carolina, and Kevin Hayes possibly headed to St. Louis. As the draft nears, there should be more activity.

I’ll have another post on what happens.