Stick ranger level order8/1/2023 ![]() ![]() The appeal is obvious: Quenneville won three Stanley Cups as Chicago's head coach from 2008-18, and the Rangers are very much in win-now mode. That seems to be some truth behind it, but there are some very glaring concerns. And, yes, I have also heard the whispers about Joel Quenneville. If the Rangers do choose to move on, it would stand to reason that they have a preferred replacement candidate. ![]() It's possible that Drury has already made up his mind, but he could also be waiting to seek input from players during Wednesday's exit interviews before finalizing any decision. That has to count for something.īut multiple people with knowledge of the situation have told, part of the USA TODAY Network, that a firing is being mulled after just two seasons with Gallant on the bench. He can't coach guys into skating faster − and he did lead a largely inexperienced Rangers' team all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals just one year ago. Of course, it's valid to point out that he may not have had the personnel to matchup with the speedy Devils. Could Gallant have done anything different to unlock Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and some of the other struggling stars? Part of the appeal when he was hired was that he keeps things simple systematically and allows players the freedom to be themselves, but it's worth wondering if there were more tactical moves to be made. His adjustments − at least what he was saying publicly − mostly consisted of calling on his team to play harder and asking for more pucks to the net. While Ruff got his team to turn up their puck pressure, clog the middle of the ice and take away the Rangers' primary weapons, Gallant struggled to find effective counter moves. It blew a 2-0 series lead, with Lindy Ruff − yes, the same Ruff who Blueshirts' fans ran out of town when he was an assistant under former head coach David Quinn − outmaneuvering Gallant. While Jersey got better as the series wore on, New York got worse. The Rangers were outskated and overmatched against the dynamic young Devils. Drury went big at the trade deadline by bringing in four new players, most notably star-level forwards in Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, which only intensified the pressure on Gallant to lead this team on another run.īut we all saw what happened. Regardless, once they righted the ship, the focus was all about what was going to happen in the playoffs. ![]() Whether the turnaround was more about the coach, the fiery helmet toss and impassioned plea from captain Jacob Trouba or talented players simply finding their way is up for debate. They rattled off seven wins in a row and never fell out of playoff position again, convincing Drury to let Gallant see the season through. It didn't help that he was publicly deflecting blame, rather than taking responsibility.īut beginning with their comeback win over the St. There were concerns about Gallant's inability to navigate through that slump and whether his message was getting through in the locker room. They won just 11 of their first 26 games, with a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. As we reported at the time, there were organizational conversations about whether a coaching change might be necessary back in early December when the Blueshirts were floundering. Will Gerard Gallant stick around?ĭetermining the future of the Rangers' head coach is the first order of business on Drury's to-do list, with rumors already swirling that a change may be coming. There's a lot of work to be done for that dream to become a reality, beginning with these five pressing questions: 1. And wouldn't be fitting if the Rangers ended their drought next year, on the 30th anniversary of the 1994 championship squad?īut let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. ![]() Game 7 takeaways: Devils outrun the Rangers to capture the seriesĬan this year's step back spur the critical analysis needed to make the jump from contender to champion next season? Many recent Stanley Cup winners endured similar heartbreak and came back stronger for it. Major decisions loom as they prepare for a much longer summer than anyone anticipated. The wound is still fresh, with team president Chris Drury and the various powers that be in the midst of processing what went wrong in their first-round loss to the rival New Jersey Devils and what comes next. We're less than 24 hours removed from a bitter end to what was once a promising season for the New York Rangers. ![]()
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