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As the NHL's coaching carousel continues to turn the Dallas Stars search appears to have hit a snag.
General manager Jim Nill told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News on Saturday that former Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has removed his name from consideration for the Stars job.
"He’s a good coach, and obviously he’s had interest from other teams,” Nill said to Heika. "That’s just part of the process."
One of those other teams appears to be the New York Rangers. Even though the Rangers interviewed former captain Mark Messier, Vigneault appears to be the front-runner for that job according to the New York Post's Larry Brooks.
Vigneault was fired by the Canucks shortly after their first round exit against the San Jose Sharks. It was the second straight year Vancouver failed to advance past the first round, winning just one playoff game over the past two years.
Still, Vigneault put together an impressive resume during his time with the Canucks, twice leading his team to 50-win seasons and going as far as Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final two years ago.
The Rangers have been searching for a new coach since firing John Tortorella and general manager Glen Sather seems to want a new coach in place before the draft at the end of this month.
With Patrick Roy taking over in Colorado and Dan Bylsma staying in Pittsburgh, the Rangers, Stars, and Canucks are the only teams currently without coaches.
