Rangers, coach Gerard Gallant part ways after first-round playoff exit
New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant, center top, looks on during the first period of Game 7 against the New Jersey Devils in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Monday, May 1, 2023, in Newark, N.J. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
Five days after their season ended with a 4-0 loss to the Devils in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series, the Rangers announced Saturday that they have agreed to part ways with coach Gerard Gallant after two seasons.
“I want to first thank Gerard for his work and commitment to the Rangers during his time as head coach,” president and general manager Chris Drury said in a statement. “I have a ton of respect for Gerard as a coach and a 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 to both parties. I wish he and his family all the best in the future. Our search for a new coach will begin right away.”
On a Zoom call with beat reporters Saturday evening, Drury wouldn’t share any details of his meetings with Gallant. He also would not say if moving on from Gallant was something he had been considering for a while or if he made the decision because of how the playoffs turned out.
Asked if he believes he will need to make changes to the roster for next season, Drury said that is still being evaluated. Asked if he has a time frame in mind for hiring a new coach, he said no.
“I certainly want to be as thorough as possible,” he said. “I don’t have a set date in mind yet to get the right person.”
Drury wouldn’t say if he is looking for an experienced coach, but with former Islanders coach Barry Trotz off the market — Trotz is taking over for David Poile as GM of the Nashville Predators — the name of Joel Quenneville has arisen. Quenneville still is under suspension by the NHL for his role in the cover-up of the Kyle Beach sex scandal with Chicago in 2010. He would have to ask the league to be reinstated before any team could hire him.
Calgary recently fired its coach, Darryl Sutter, so he is available.
Drury hired Gallant in the summer of 2021 shortly after taking over as team president and general manager in the wake of the firings of president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton by owner James Dolan.
Dolan believed the time had come for the Rangers’ three-year rebuild to be over. Drury fired coach David Quinn and hired Gallant, who had led the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season of 2017-18.
Gallant, 59, an old-school coach, led the Blueshirts to 52 wins and 110 points last season. He then guided them to the Eastern Conference final before they lost to the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Expectations were high for Gallant’s second season, but the club slipped from second in the Metropolitan Division to third, behind the upstart Devils, despite adding stars Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko at the trade deadline. Then the Rangers couldn’t get past the Devils in their first-round matchup.
The Rangers won the first two games of the series, in New Jersey, by identical 5-1 scores. But they lost Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in overtime after Devils coach Lindy Ruff changed goaltenders and turned to 22-year-old rookie Akira Schmid.
They lost Game 4 at the Garden, 3-1, and Gallant ripped his players for a subpar effort after the game.
The Rangers were shut out, 4-0, in Game 5, recovered to win Game 6, 5-2, but dropped Game 7 in New Jersey on Monday to lose the series.
At the Rangers’ breakup day Wednesday, Gallant spoke to the media and defended his performance the past two seasons. He said he found it “disappointing” that the media was speculating that he would be fired. He said he had not yet spoken with Drury at that point.
In the release announcing the move, Gallant thanked Drury and Dolan for hiring him two years ago.
“The experience of coaching an Original Six franchise with such rich history and an incredibly passionate fan base is something I will never forget,” he said.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
