Alain Vigneault is way ahead of you.

“Now that we have Lindy on board, I know what some fans and people in the media will say if we get off to a rough start or hit some bumps in the road,” the Rangers’ head coach told The Post by phone Monday after the official confirmation that longtime NHL head coach Lindy Ruff would be joining his staff as an assistant. “They’ll be saying that Lindy should replace A.V. and that’s the reason he was hired.

“You know what? That kind of talk doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve never taken things like that personally. I’m in this to win,” he said. “I want us to have the best coaching staff we can. For me to be able to bring in a coach like Lindy to take care of the defense makes us a stronger staff and gives our team a better chance to win.

“It’s great for us.”

The concept of hiring Ruff to replace Jeff Beukeboom — after No. 23 had spent one season behind the defensive end of the bench — originated with associate coach Scott Arniel, who had been Ruff’s assistant in Buffalo from 2002-06.

“Jeff and I were going through our player and coaching staff evaluations at the same time Arnie was interviewing for the head job in Buffalo and Florida,” Vigneault said, referencing general manager Jeff Gorton. “When Gorts and I decided to make a change with our defensive coach, Arnie suggested that we should consider Lindy.

“My first thought was, here’s a guy with more games and wins than I have (1,493-1,134; 736-614) and if I were fired, I wouldn’t consider being an assistant, I’d just stay home and wait for another offer [as head coach]. That’s what I told Arnie,” Vigneault said. “But he told me, ‘No, you should call him. I think [Lindy] would be interested.

“Arnie has a great network.”

Vigneault did some homework with a couple more friends. He spoke with Dallas GM Jim Nill and Toronto consultant Jacques Lemaire, a confidante since they worked together for the Canadiens two decades ago. Both encouraged Vigneault to pursue it.

So he did. And the 57-year-old Ruff, who has coached the fourth-most games in NHL history and owns the fifth-most victories, was interested after having been dismissed after four seasons in Dallas when the Stars failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Vigneault and Ruff first spoke for about a half-hour by phone. The coaches then spent an afternoon together in Ottawa, near Vigneault’s home. They meshed.

“We had great conversations,” Vigneault said. “Lindy brings so much to the staff in terms of experience and knowledge and the way he sees the game. And he has experience running the defense on the bench from his days as an assistant in Florida and with the [2014] Canadian Olympic Team.”

Vigneault said that he is more than open to adopting Ruff’s ideas regarding systems after the organization’s coaching staff meets during the first week of August.

“We’re all going to brainstorm and see what we should do to take advantage and get the most out of our personnel,” Vigneault said. “I’m very interested in Lindy’s ideas about how to play in the defensive zone. I think his defense has been one of the best in north-south play and in getting up into the play.

“We’re going to see what fits best for our group. There’s no doubt that [Kevin] Shattenkirk changes the dynamic for us,” Vigneault said of the free-agent signing. “I’m interested in seeing what [Anthony] DeAngelo, who we got in the trade with the Coyotes, can do.”

There are few coaches with Ruff’s pedigree who sign on as assistants. Pittsburgh’s Jacques Martin is one. It takes a certain type of self-awareness, self-confidence and ego to handle it. Same goes for the head coach overseeing him.

“Having Lindy makes us a stronger organization and stronger team,” Vigneault said. “That’s what it’s about.”