Speculation: Gerard Gallant fired

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Blashill just pooped a little.


I had to check and make sure this wasn't a resurrected thread from him getting fired by Florida. Man I never would've predicted this. Blashill is still standing, but feels like not for long.

 

[SirloinUB]

I was okay sticking with Blashill until a few minutes ago. Gallant pink slip is a game changer. Our crease situation is a disaster. Gallant knows what's going down in Detroit and I think Gallant would be willing to ride it out for Stevie.

Maybe they can hire him to a b.s. consultant gig if they really want to let Blashill finish the tank.

Whatever it takes to get Gallant.

I really like the idea of bringing Gallant in as a consultant to help build a vision for the team with Yzerman and eventually taking over the coaching job.

I don't love the idea of making Blashill a lame duck on a tanking team though

 

[FabricDetails]

Innocently asking - Anyone care to walk me though what they think that performance review entailed?

 

[MBH]

I could care less about who the coach or goaltender is on this team until the roster gets significantly better.

Some of us watch the team and give a shit.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Innocently asking - Anyone care to walk me though what they think that performance review entailed?

Presidents trophy or bust

 

[MBH]

Innocently asking - Anyone care to walk me though what they think that performance review entailed?

Look at his career. Looks like he comes on strong and fades.
Sounds like a motivator - not an x's and o's guy.

 

[jkutswings]

https://www.tsn.ca/vegas-golden-kni...-san-jose-sharks-coach-peter-deboer-1.1427748

I had to chuckle at this little wrinkle:

"Gallant is set to serve as head coach of the Pacific team at next week's All-Star Game since the Golden Knights were first in the division when the coaches were announced on January 3."

Definitely not a guy I expected to be available. We'll see what Yzerman decides to do.

 

[cjeagle]

Over Hockey Hall of Fame weekend, I was able to catch up with Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. I asked Yzerman about Gerard Gallant, who he played with on the Red Wings from 1985 to 1993.

HockeyBuzz: What can you tell me about ex-teammate Gerard Gallant's work as head coach of the Golden Knights?

Steve Yzerman: Gerard is one of the all-time great people in the game. He's very smart, he's very passionate about the game. He's a tremendous hockey man. But most of all, he's a good human being.

I think that's why -- I didn't play for him, but I've talked to a lot of players that played for him -- I've never heard [a bad word]. He's not easy, by any means, he's not your buddy, but he's straight-forward, he's honest, and the players really, really enjoy playing for him.

And his coaching resume, not necessarily long, but it's pretty impressive so far. He's a tremendous hockey man.

HB: Was there anything back then which made you see that Gallant was going to become a good coach?

SY: His whole life is hockey. Loves the game. Played it, played it hard. Watched hockey. It's all he wanted to do, he was engrossed in the game.

So I'm not surprised he stayed in. But it's hard -- I'm the general manager of a team, he's the head coach of a team -- back when we were playing together, the two of us would probably look at each other, and go, that'll never happen. But here we are today.

What we have in common is we enjoy being in the league and we love playing -- love hockey. That's what our life is.

HockeyBuzz.com - Sheng Peng - Steve Yzerman on Gerald Gallant's Success; Which Goalie Starts Tonight?

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Look at his career. Looks like he comes on strong and fades.
Sounds like a motivator - not an x's and o's guy.

He hasn't really had a chance to fade as a head coach.

In Florida they miss the playoffs, make the playoffs next season, then he's fired the season after that. In Vegas he took them to the Finals, got upset in the first round by ridiculous officiating and a terrible PK shift, then he gets fired the season after that.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

 

[jkutswings]

Some of us watch the team and give a ****.

Right. Because being honest about a dumpster fire of a roster means you're a bad fan.

Bringing in Gallant this afternoon wouldn't change the terrible options for who to insert in the lineup. Or the currently non-existent goaltending. Now maybe a better coach leads to losing by 1-2 goals instead of frequent massacres. But if Detroit's problems were a pie chart, the lack of talent on the roster would make up 90-95% of that pie.

 

[Hammettf2b]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

1. He's familiar with the organization especially Yzerman
2. The sooner the better

 

[TCNorthstars]

1. He's familiar with the organization especially Yzerman
2. The sooner the better

The sooner the better? The man is still getting paid to wait for the best opportunity for his career. Why would sooner be better for him?

 

[DInTheB]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

1. Trust. He’s been burnt twice now by GMs with short leashes. I can’t imagine there is a GM out there he would put more trust in than Yzerman.

2. This is something I’m less sure about, but it’s a low risk situation with zero pressure, so if he is taking the job for the long term, he has a half a season of data to head into the offseason with.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

Good questions.

1) Working for Yzerman is probably a draw. The roster is mostly garbage but the Red Wings have a good reputation as an organization (as in they probably won't fire him and make him catch a cab). Some promising young talent and a top 4 pick this summer. He's bounced around a lot in his relatively short head coach career and could find stability in Detroit.

2) Honestly it would be great if he took it this offseason. Let him relax the rest of the year and collect his paycheck from Vegas while Balshill rides out this craptacular season. I don't know if that can happen though because I'm sure he's getting calls from some teams immediately.

 

[Hammettf2b]

The sooner the better? The man is still getting paid to wait for the best opportunity for his career. Why would sooner be better for him?

Well if he values point #1 why wait to see if someone else comes along or even Blashill getting extended as unlikely as that may be

 

[Frk It]

Some of us watch the team and give a ****.

I watch this team despite them being terrible too.

But what does it matter? What coach is going to make something out of this team with the lack of talent? Why do we want a goaltender/coach to get this team to overachieve when that only hurts the rebuilding cause?

For me, I’m hoping we will be relevant sooner than later to start talking about this stuff... but right now? Who cares

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

I watch this team despite them being terrible too.

But what does it matter? What coach is going to make something out of this team with the lack of talent? Why do we want a goaltender/coach to get this team to overachieve when that only hurts the rebuilding cause?

For me, I’m hoping we will be relevant sooner than later to start talking about this stuff... but right now? Who cares

Because a good coach is available now and likely won't be for long.

They wouldn't be hiring Gallant to try and turn around this season. Or even the next one. You hire him to be part of the rebuild plan and he is available now.

 

[Mlotek]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

Far more likely in offseason.

Can't remove Tank Commander Blashill until his job is done.

 

[Hen Kolland]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

1. Steve is well respected as a GM and has a personal connection with Gallant, and the discussions would be based on long term perspective with a bit of a guaranteed runway for the building of the roster and development of the players.

2. Assuming that 1 is true, taking over right now allows him to begin to implement his system and build relationships. It also give him about half a season to take it all in himself and develop his opinions on players and where things need the most attention. Allows him to become comfortable with the situation and actively participate in conversations as to the free agents that are brought in, prospects that the team may draft, and trades that could happen at the deadline/in the offseason.

 

[Frk It]

Because a good coach is available now and likely won't be for long.

They wouldn't be hiring Gallant to try and turn around this season. Or even the next one. You hire him to be part of the rebuild plan and he is available now.

There are good coaches available every year. The last time he coached a rebuilding team (Florida) it ended poorly.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

1. Why does Gallant take this job?
2. Why does Gallant take this job right now as opposed to the offseason.

For the record I am fine with hiring him this afternoon if he is in fact Stevie's top choice.

1.) Put winning aside for now. Coaching in the NHL is a job. Like you or me in our own jobs, Gallant is going to work when he coaches in the NHL. Gallant and Yzerman have a respect and friendship for one another, so having your boss be your friend is not the worse thing. Detroit is also known to respect their employees, showing loyalty to them and offering growth from within.

Detroit is also a storied franchise with a rich history, one that Gallant is a part of. We can offer perks other teams can't (private jet) and I'm sure our incentives package is top notch. If Gallant is interested in returning a once powerful club back to its former glories then Detroit could be the place for him. If he is the guy who coaches this team to a cup in a few years it would cement his status as a great coach. We need the players first, but with Yzerman at the helm Gallant may be comfortable enough to take the job.

EDIT: I like Hen Kollands #2 better than mine, just a few posts up.

2.) Money.

 

[TheMule93]

I see the headline and I think

yes

 

[Hammettf2b]

Trust the Yzerplan!!! lol

 

[SoupGuru]

I don't think anyone is upset that this team is losing.

Some of us are upset about how the team is losing. They're not motivated, they just flail around, no one seems to know what to do with the puck, teammates aren't where they should be, there's no consistency, no coherence among the players.

You can hire a coach to address those problems and still lose more than you win.