New York Rangers Eyeing Surprise Coaching Candidates Still Behind NHL Benches

The New York Rangers officially cut ties with head coach Peter Laviolette on Saturday, revealing that he and associate coach Phil Housley were released.

Of course, a hasty look turned to who would replace them. According to several NHL sources, a few interesting names are already being linked to the Rangers' head coaching search.

Most notably, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported the team is not just interested in available candidates but also in current NHL head coaches.

Kaplan unveiled a list of eight possible candidates, two of them being current NHL head coaches: the Vancouver Canucks' Rick Tocchet and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Mike Sullivan.

Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins, has an extensive background that includes coaching at the international level.

Yet, he has been in Pittsburgh for a decade, and it would probably take a lot of work to get him out of the organization. Tocchet's name is brought into the spotlight even more due to what has been going on in Vancouver lately.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman noted on the weekend that the dynamic between Tocchet and the Canucks had turned around entirely in the past 72 hours. Rumor is that outside interest, possibly the Rangers, could be behind it.

In addition to Tocchet and Sullivan, Kaplan's roster contains a handful of other notable names.

Former Flyers coach John Tortorella, former Oiler coach Jay Woodcroft, Rangers assistant Michael Peca, Bruins assistant Jay Leach, and former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, who remains a scandalous name for his part in the 2010 Chicago controversy.

While the Rangers search a wide range of possibilities, from veteran champions to up-and-coming assistants, their next head coaching hire is becoming one of the most closely watched subjects in the NHL.