Since taking over as general manager of the Rangers back in 2021, Chris Drury has helped change the culture of this team en route to one of their most successful seasons.
Chris Drury became the general manager of the New York Rangers back in 2021 and has since led this team back to prominence.
Apon Drury’s arrival to the Rangers’ front office, New York had something special brewing with players including Chris Krieder, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin already with the team.
What Dury did was build upon this already impressive Rangers squad by adding the likes of Vincent Trocheck, Jack Roslovic, Jonathan Quick and Alex Wenbberg, while retaining the majority of the team’s preexisting core.
Drury believes that this team that he had a part in assembling is not only skilled, but play as one cohesive unit and represent what it means to be a New York Ranger.
“Their love for each other,” Drury said via the New York Posts Mollie Walker. “I really do think they come to work everyday and they love being here, they love being Rangers. The way we end every practice, the way we start every practice, the compete. There's a lot of belief in that room and I think they all work for each other. It's been exciting to be a part of.”
You can have all the talent in the world but without the right coach it’s all useless. After a disappointing first round loss against the New Jersey Devils last year, Drury decided to part ways with coach Gerard Gallant.
Drury ultimately hired the veteran coach, Peter Laviolette.
“Well a lot of it started during the interview process going back to that process, it was meticulous, I took my time and did a lot of homework. Just so happened to be scheduling wise, Peter was the first person I interviewed and no one came close to knock him out of the box... A lot of it, to me, comes down to details and planning,” Drury said via Walker.
“And you saw right from the first minute of training camp, the details we were working on, the pace of which training camp was played. I think guys understood right from there, things around here were elevated and you better be ready to go.”
Laviolette helped lead the Rangers to the NHL’s best regular season record for the 2023-24 season and into the Eastern Conference Final where they are set to take on the Florida Panthers.
Yes, Drury inherited a very promising core, but it’s been impressive to see the growth the Rangers have made since he took over as general manager back in 2021.
The whole culture has changed as the Rangers are a team that plays with heart and passion, which is a true testament to the entire organization from the top down.
Drury deserves a lot of credit for this culture shift. The man who once served as captain for the Rangers may very well guide that very same team to their first Stanley Cup since 1994.