Rangers fire Alain Vigneault after missing playoffs for first time since 2009-10

The New York Rangers fired coach Alain Vigneault on Saturday night.

The announcement came after the Rangers closed out the season with a 5-0 loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia, finishing 34-39-9 and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

New York finished last in the Metropolitan Division with 77 points.

The Rangers said they will begin searching for Vigneault's replacement immediately. Associate coach Scott Arniel and assistant coach Darryl Williams were also let go while Lindy Ruff remains on staff, general manager Jeff Gorton said Monday.

The Rangers declared in a letter to fans before the NHL trade deadline that they were "reshaping" the team, which would bring an infusion of youth and would include some trades involving veteran players. They dealt captain Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning, forward Rick Nash to the Boston BruinsandMichael Grabner(their top goal scorer at the deadline) to the New Jersey Devils.

Gorton told ESPN in March that it was less a "reshape" than a "rebuild" for New York.

"When you make a statement like everyone is available, you're seeing what you can get for players and how that fits in to what you're doing when you're rebuilding," he said.

Vigneault won 226 games with the Rangers, the third most by a head coach in the team's history.He was hired on a five-year, $10 million contract with the Rangers on June 21, 2013, and signed a two-year extension in January 2017.

He was the first coach to be fired in the NHL this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.