Kitchener Rangers axe coach Troy Smith, but extend GM Murray Hiebert

The way the Kitchener Rangers' season played out was, ultimately, a 50/50. At the time of the trade in January for overage goalie Jake Paterson, the move clearly looked like a quick fix intended to jump-start the Rangers' progress in the hope they could scratch out one playoff round win during a contract year for general manager Murray Hiebert and coach Troy Smith.

Ultimately, the Rangers missed the mark. They showed modest progress, but come playoff time, dropped the first three games of their series against the London Knights before falling in six. The fallout is that Hiebert has been re-signed for three seasons, but Smith will not return.

From Rangers radio colour commentator Mike Farwell (@farwell_ohl):

Among the Rangers assistant coaches, Mike Van Ryn has an option to return and the team is negotiating a contract renewal with Mike McKenzie. As for the coaching shake-up, the proof is in the progress, or lack thereof in the Rangers' eyes, since they began rebuilding following Steve Spott's final season in 2012-13.

On the one hand, it feels like a raw deal for Smith. The Rangers haven't had particularly bountiful draft crops in recent seasons. This season, it also moved two 19-year-old forwards to contenders, shipping leading scorer Justin Bailey to Sault Ste. Marie and dealing Brent Pedersen to the Oshawa. Teams usually don't make a move at this point in their development cycle, but it's tough to argue with the view that a different voice needed to be heard.

Hiebert got eight priority selection choices from the Bailey and Pedersen trades, as well as a potential 30-goal scorer in forward David Miller. The Rangers also have a decent 19-year-old cohort for next season led by Arizona Coyotes second-rounder Ryan MacInnis, so the new coach could inherit a decent roster.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.