Earlier this afternoon, the New York Rangers announced they have part ways head coach Gerard Gallant from his duties.
OFFICIAL: #NYR and head coach Gerard Gallant have mutually agreed to part ways.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 6, 2023
Gallant, 59, has coached the Rangers in each of the past two seasons, after a year of absence from NHL coaching following a three-year stint from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with the Vegas Golden Knights. New York won 99 of their 164 games under Gerard Gallant, with 52 wins in 2022 and 47 this season. Gallant led the Rangers to the conference finals last season and lost (perhaps prematurely) in the first round this season to the New Jersey Devils.
Gerard Gallant Departs From New York
A coach early in his tenure with a franchise exiting its rebuilding stage would generally be graced with some patience in their role, especially after averaging just under 50 wins a season between the two seasons in their head coaching role with the franchise. However, Gallant’s Rangers teams were similarly unusual in how they achieved such stellar seasons. Despite a below-average team at 5v5 play in both seasons (with 5v5 expected goals for percentages below 50 both seasons per Evolving-Hockey), the team floated on the monstrous goaltending of Igor Shesterkin and massive power-play production from top stars such as Mika Zibenajad, Artemi Panarin, and Chris Kreider.
In terms of postseason results, Gallant rode the aforementioned factors extraneous factors (at least from the perspective of 5v5 and even strength play) alongside the Rangers in their 2022, reaching the conference final before being stymied by Tampa Bay after game three. This season, however, Gallant’s tactical instability revealed itself in the last five games of the first-round series against the New Jersey Devils. After electric power play results in the first two games of the series, the Rangers power play began to falter, unveiling the poor 5v5 play in which the Devils directly targeted en route to a series win in seven games.
Rangers Coaching Future
Now, the New York Rangers face one of the most instrumental decisions in the franchise’s recent history. An excellent coach may bolster the team near its peak efficiency, utilizing a deep roster and generating more consistent 5v5 results and more likely deep playoff pushes. Inversely, an ineffective coach will continue to stymie the team’s output and suffocate the consistency of its play. Ultimately, the Rangers offseason poses as the team’s most definite contending establishment, and the replacement of Gallant as head coach of the team is the fundamental decision to what may perhaps become one of the NHL’s best contending teams.
Main Photo: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
