Only time will tell if the Rangers’ decision to move on from Gerard Gallant was the right decision.
Time, and of course, who president and general manager Chris Drury chooses as the successor.
This coaching search will not have the same implications as the one that brought in David Quinn five years ago, or the one that led to Gallant’s hiring two years ago. The Rangers do not need someone to usher in and develop new talent, nor do they need someone who is just going to get them over the hump of qualifying for the playoffs.
The Rangers are expected to win now, and they need a coach who is going to lead them to the Stanley Cup.
That is what the next head coach of the Rangers will be challenged to do. Nothing less will be accepted, nor tolerated.
“I’m just looking for the right fit,” Drury said on a conference call with reporters on Saturday. “We’re not going to limit ourselves right now to any specific type of style or coach or experience.”
The right person will be just as important as the right fit. If Gallant’s 110- and 107-point campaigns, coupled with a conference-final finish and a first-round loss, were not enough, think of how daunting taking this job must appear to those around the NHL.
It is going to take someone who will not be intimidated by the task at hand, but also someone who will be able to embrace the pressure and spotlight of New York. Someone who can command and give respect to the veterans in the locker room, while also empowering and motivating the team as a whole.
There will need to be more structure in the Rangers’ system and more of a commitment to certain aspects of piecing together a lineup.
That’s not to say Gallant didn’t do some or all of those things, but the conclusion the Rangers came to indicates that the organization thinks somebody else can do it better.
Word is that players’ exit interviews played a role in the decision to move on from Gallant, as well as Drury’s conversations with Gallant himself. There appeared to be a bit of a disconnect between the general manager and the head coach on certain matters, which definitely influenced the final verdict, as well.
It was obvious that the constant line juggling irked some of the players, who would often express a desire for combinations to stay the same as they prepared for it to change.
Gallant also probably took issue with the organization’s lack of support once the season ended, which led to him fielding questions about his job security in front of everyone. From the outside looking in, parting ways with Gallant may have been the only logical option.
If Drury truly meant what he said about not limiting himself to a certain type of coach with a certain amount of experience, however, the Rangers really could take this hire in any direction.
It will be imperative for Drury and his new coach to be on the same page and share similar philosophies when it comes to leading a team to a Stanley Cup. There should probably be some preexisting rapport between the two.
The Rangers have already made their decision to move on from Gallant, but it is their next decision that will put the whole situation in retrospect. Only time and the new coach will reveal if it was right.
“It’s obviously pretty early in the process, but we’re looking at a lot of different things,” Drury said. “We’re still going to evaluate what went on this season and what I think we need to work on and to get better at. Hopefully, we’ll have a good, long, robust list of candidates to interview.”