Rangers and head coach Gerard Gallant decide to split: What went wrong and what does New York’s future hold
The New York Rangers announced on Saturday that they and head coach Gerard Gallant had mutually decided to split ways after two seasons. What you should know is as follows:
Gallant was fired following the Rangers’ 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, which saw them eliminated from the first round. After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, New York fell short of the rival Devils in four of the following five games.
The Rangers placed third in the Metropolitan Division and third overall (47-22-13) at the end of the regular season. Gallant finished his career with New York with a 99-46-19 record.
Gallant made his debut with the Rangers last season, and although New York made it to the Eastern Conference playoffs, they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Gerard and I agreed that a change would be advantageous for both of us after talking through my assessment of the season. I’m hoping for the best for him and his family going forward. We are going to start looking for a new head coach immediately.
The front office and Gallant, as well as some of his most significant players, never appeared to mesh completely, despite the Rangers having two of their most successful regular seasons in recent memory and making it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals the previous year. Gallant had a very laissez-faire attitude toward his group, which helped the veterans but might not have been ideal for the young players at the center of the squad; the Rangers found little resistance and a change in strategy against the Devils. Gallant and the players share some of the blame for it, but the coach is not protected by a no-move provision.
