Rangers fire head coach Alain Vigneault

The Rangers have fired head coach Alain Vigneault.

The team sent out a tweet announcing the move Saturday night, after TSN had earlier reported the news.

OFFICIAL: #NYR Head Coach Alain Vigneault has been relieved of his coaching duties.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 8, 2018

The Rangers finished last in the Metropolitan Division with a 34-39-9 record this season.

This marked the Rangers' first losing season since 2003-04 and the first time they have missed the playoffs since 2009-10. This was the first time in five years Vigneault has been the head coach the team did not make the playoffs.

New York was the fourth-worst team in the league with 263 goals allowed on the season.
The team has not announced the move yet and Vigneault said after the game he expects to be back next season.

"Yes, yes, without a doubt. I think my staff is the right staff for this job," he told reporters via the New York Post. "I think one of the strongest assets of this organization is its coaching staff and their experience."

Alain Vigneault went on a long postgame soliloquy. Asked he expects to be back as #NYR coach: "Yes, yes, without a doubt. I think my staff is the right staff for this job. ...I think one of the strongest assets of this organization is its coaching staff and their experience."
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) April 7, 2018

The Rangers made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014 under Vigneault and won the President's Trophy, which goes to the team with the best record in the NHL, in 2015.

New York went 226-147-37 with Vigneault as its head coach.

The Rangers were 226-147-37 in 410 games across five seasons with Alain Vigneault. He is third in wins and fourth in games coached in franchise history. They were 31-30 in the playoffs. He is third in playoff wins and playoff games coached in franchise history. #NYR
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) April 8, 2018