Alain Vigneault is known for having a much friendlier demeanor than the fired John Tortorella.
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UPDATE: June 18, 11 a.m.
After a verbal agreement over the weekend, the Rangers have reportedly inked Alain Vigneault to a deal to officially become their next head coach.
The deal is for five years and $10 million, according to multiple sources.
Vigneault, 52, reportedly received a similar offer from Dallas, where he interviewed for the vacant job as well.
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The Rangers have moved on from Jon Tortorella and reportedly have found their new man in charge.
Multiple sources are reporting former Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault will take the same position with the Rangers. While he has accepted the position, he has yet to officially agree to a contract and the Rangers have not commented.
General manager Glen Sather had remarked at the time of Tortorella’s firing that they wanted to have a coach in place prior to the June 30 NHL Draft. Former Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff and Rangers legend Mark Messier, who has never coached but publicly expressed interest in the job, were among the final candidates for the job.
Vigneault was fired by the Canucks on May 22 after his team was swept by San Jose in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. But Vigneault had tremendous success in hockey-crazed Vancouver, despite not having won a Stanley Cup. Vigneault was with Vancouver since 2006 and made the playoffs every year but 2007-08.He won the Jack Adams Award as top coach in 2006-07.
He led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final against Boston in 2011, but lost in a seven-game series.
The Canucks had the best record in the NHL in both 2010-11 and 2011-12. His team suffered a disappointing first-round exit to the eventual Cup champions Los Angeles last season.
Vigneault is a very different coach, in demeanor, than Tortorella, who New York fired May 29. He has a light-hearted demeanor and often joked with the media. Tortorella had become infamous for his confrontational stance with the media.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
