NY Rangers Mark Messier.JPG

Mark Messier will be considered for the job as head coach of the NY Rangers as the team begins its search.

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The talk about Mark Messier as the next Rangers coach has gone from whispers to a dull roar about the feeling possibly being mutual, from confirmations that he's interested to full-blown candidacy.

ESPNNewYork's Katie Strang wrote yesterday that Messier "is emerging as a strong candidate for the job" and that he's "expected to compete" for the position. She also quoted a source that said Wayne Gretzky may not be "seriously interested" in the job since he would have spoken to Glen Sather about it.

Now that the news is out in the open, it's going to be complicated, as The Record's Andrew Gross wrote. "In the eyes of the fans, it'll either be Mark Messier or not Mark Messier," he said. "And while Messier was certainly one of the NHL's all-time greats and perhaps the greatest captain in terms of leadership qualities, there's no guarantee those talents could transfer behind the bench."

That's the potential problem in hiring Messier -- symbolically, it's the perfect story of the captain returning to lead the Rangers back to a Stanley Cup. But the experience isn't there like it is for someone like Alain Vigneault (whom the Rangers were granted permission to speak with). Newsday's Steve Zipay spoke with former player-turned-coach Ed Olczyk, who pointed out Messier would need to be surrounded by veteran assistant coaches to help should he be hired.

Olczyk pointed to Dave Tippett, the current head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes as a great fit. But his contract runs out by June 30 and GM Don Maloney told Strang that the franchise wants to bring him back.