Laviolette departs with a 94–59–11 regular-season record and a 10–5–1 playoff mark in New York. He became the sixth NHL coach fired after two seasons or less with the franchise and the second straight Rangers coach to be dismissed after two years.

GM Chris Drury said the Rangers "failed to meet" expectations by missing playoffs after finishing with the league's best record in 2023-24.

Todd Nelson has won five different minor league championships as head coach in the last two decades. That includes back-to-back titles for the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, the past two seasons. He also aided the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 as an assistant who heavily guided team tactics.