Reports: Gerard Gallant to be next coach of New York Rangers originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The New York Rangers have reportedly reached an agreement to hire coach Gerard Gallant as their new head coach. The deal is believed to be four years, per Pierre LeBrun.
The move was first reported by Larry Brooks of the New York Post
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Gallant, 57, has been the coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights in his past. All three stints have been for three seasons. Gallant was the coach of the Golden Knights when they faced the Capitals in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, and has three playoff appearances under his belt.
The Rangers fired David Quinn on May 12 less than a week after they relieved president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton of their duties as well. Quinn finished the season with a record of 27-23-6 as the Rangers missed the playoffs.
New York has gone through major changes since May, which began with the Tom Wilson and Artemi Panarin incident at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were incensed that Wilson was not suspended and released a scathing statement the following day — though the firings of Davidson and Gorton were reportedly unrelated.
New York is looking to take the next step to become a playoff team after a youth movement over the last few years. The Metropolitan Division looks to be mighty tough once again next season with the division champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals and Boston Bruins and the league semifinalist New York Islanders all taking up Stanley Cup playoff spots.
Even if divisions revert back to pre-coronavirus form, that simply means swapping in the Carolina Hurricanes for the Bruins. Both teams made the league quarterfinals after winning playoff seres this spring. The Rangers lost to Carolina in the play-in round in the 2020 NHL bubble and otherwise have missed the postseason three of the past four years.
