The determining factor in Chris Drury’s massive David Quinn decision

The Rangers had no intention of firing John Tortorella following the 2012-13 season through which the coach battled incessantly with his top players, was unhappy with the makeup of a transformed roster and ended with a one-step-back, second-round defeat by eventual Cup runners-up Boston.

But when one high profile player after another after another (after another) told then-general manager Glen Sather that the team could no longer endure the constant tension created by the coach’s confrontational style and that a change was necessary behind the bench, Tortorella was out within 24 hours. Now, this reference does not relate to the possibility of a Tortorella II in New York, but it is about the impact of exit meetings. The Rangers will have theirs Monday with newly installed president-general manager Chris Drury. And the team’s high-profile players will have their say about life under David Quinn. Their input could be critical if Drury enters the meetings undecided about the fate of the head coach, who is three-fifths of the way through his five-year contract.