This was supposed to be the year of the 5th Stanley Cup championship. The New York Rangers have officially fired head coach Gerard Gallant after just two seasons as the team sputtered and failed to get out of the First Round.
Unlike with the Bucks’ Mike Budenholzer, this firing really was justified.
After getting upset 4-3 by their archrival New Jersey Devils in the First Round, the New York Rangers have sent head coach Gerard Gallant packing after just two seasons in charge. And, even though Gallant has a fantastic record with the team, this firing was necessary given the surrounding circumstances.
I know a lot of Rangers fans are probably going to be a little annoyed with the team firing a head coach that amassed a regular season record of 99-46-19, a playoff record of 13-12, two straight Stanley Cup playoff appearances, two straight Top-3 finishes in the Metropolitan division, and two straight 100+ point seasons (2021/22: 110 PTS; 2022/23: 107 PTS), but it was clear Gallant’s message was getting toned out.
The Rangers choking away a 2-0 series lead and then getting blown out 4-0 in Game 7 against a Devils team they already scored 17 goals against showed that the players were crumbling under the pressure of competing with expectations and at the highest level, which is something that didn’t happen to this team last season.
Aside from the trade deadline acquisitions (ex: Vlad Tarasenko, Patrick Kane), everybody on this roster was on last season’s roster that reached the Eastern Conference Finals and narrowly lost 4-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Now, one could say that last season was just a fluke, which I would push back against as the Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins (2017 and 2018 SC Champions) and the Carolina Hurricanes (back-to-back Metro division champions, who look set to reach the ECF this year) to reach the ECF, but no one can say the Rangers this postseason looked like they would beat the Devils after NJ tied the series 2-2.
The Rangers players looked like they lost all heart and confidence in their abilities in Game 5-7 as they only scored a grand total of 5 goals (they scored 12 in the four games prior) and were shut out in Games 5 and 7 to officially cement their Stanley Cup hopes.
Just by glancing at the Rangers bench a few times during the games and watching the close ups, you could see there was very little communication, all the players either were looking straight out on the ice or their heads were down, and Gallant’s commands/instructions seemed to go in one ear and out the other during the Game 5 and 7 losses.
So, when you see reports of Rangers players supposedly writing down that a new voice was needed behind the bench in their exit interviews, it’s pretty clear to see Gallant’s days behind the bench were numbered as soon as the final horn in Game 7 rang.
I’d hate for this to be Gallant’s last opportunity in the NHL as I think he’s a great head coach, but I’m not sure his style of coaching can gel with the modern game as he’s now been fired for pretty much the same reasons (player dissatisfaction, underperforming playoff results, general underachieving with extremely talented rosters) in his stints with Columbus (2003-07), Florida (2014-17), Las Vegas (2017-20), and now New York (2021-23).
In fact, his time with the Rangers only came to an end a year before his average firing date as he was relieved of his duties after just three seasons with the Blue Jackets, Panthers, and Golden Knights.
Nevertheless, as for the Rangers, I think this roster needs a few more veteran playoff performers in the bottom half of the lineup (ex: Bottom-6 forward core, Bottom-6 defensive core) to get back to the 2022 playoff level. Whether Kane or Tarasenko resign or not, this is still an extremely talented squad with the ability to make serious headway in the playoffs if given the right guidance and leadership.
Evidently, that was not something Gallant could do anymore.
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