Gerard Gallant, Rangers Agree To Part Ways
The smart hockey fans knew this was coming. I’ve been watching James Dolan my whole life. You played yourself if you thought a head coach was safe because of a 2022 Eastern Conference appearance. After the Rangers lost to the Devils in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the team and head coach Gerard Gallant have agreed to part ways.
The team was actually the first to report the news:
Just a week ago, Gallant laughed at the idea that he could be let go. He called the Rangers’ early playoff exit “one bad week”. It turns out that one bad week got him fired. Should it have cost him his job? I’d argue there was absolutely a case to fire him. The Devils are a really good team but they’re also young with no playoff experience and are way ahead of schedule. Carolina already seems to be making quick work of them. There were little to no adjustments coming from the Rangers all series long during the Devils series.
General manager Chris Drury weighed in more about why Gallant was let go.
“I want to first thank Gerard for his work and commitment to #NYR during his time as head coach. I have a ton of respect for Gerard as both a coach + person and truly appreciate everything he did for us on and off the ice these last two seasons.”
“After my evaluation of the season and discussions with Gerard, we mutually came to the conclusion that a change would be beneficial for both parties. I wish he and his family all the best in the future. Our search for a new head coach will begin right away.”
Gallant, 59, will now look for his next head coaching gig. Prior to his time with the Rangers, Gallant spent three seasons each with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights. Gallant’s best head coaching moment obviously being taking the expansion VGK to the Cup final. After the Rangers traded for Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and a cast of others, this result was never going to be good enough to stay behind the bench.
