The Toronto Star's Damien Cox finds it less than ironic that the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks have essentially traded coaches, with the media-friendly Vigneault facing New York's media horde and John Tortorella all but certain to grumble, grouse and otherwise belittle the ocean of Vancouver scribes, mostly because Cox believes that NHL coaches are all essentially the same:

The fact that the Canucks and New York Rangers essentially swapped coaches — Alain Vigneault to Broadway, Tortorella to B.C. — tells you all you really need to know about the modern NHL coach.

There’s not much difference between them, and supply outstrips demand.

For the most part, they coach about the same way in a league in which offence and imagination is crushed at the altar of parity and keeping every games close.

What really decides the level of success of individual coaches is the players they have at their disposal.

Most specifically, the goalie they have at their disposal.

Cox continues at length, and I disagree with him, but I'm curious as to what you think. Is it the players that make the coach? I'm not so sure about that.