If BrindAmour doesn't shake loose from Carolina, Gallant would be my pick over any other experienced candidate. That first season in Vegas is exactly the way I'd love to see this Rangers team play. Relentless on the forecheck, tough in the corners, with everyone buying in for the team concept.
The reasons he got canned here never really became clear, but I'm not sure him & mgmt were on the same page. The owner seems meddlesome & impatient, they are hell bent on chasing All Stars & high ticket free agents.
Replacing him with DeBoer has been a mixed bag & I'm unconvinced the team is better for it. They beat up on bottom feeders & it showed last year in the playoffs when they couldn't score. They still have those same issues, only the power play is now a lot worse. Unless Colorado lays a huge egg tonight, Vegas is gonna have all they can handle to get past the Wild in round 1.
With that said, Gallant must have his warts. If anything I think he might be too much of a players coach. When the misfit mentality dies The team in year 2 started to coast & then turn it on when they felt like they could cruise past lesser opponents. I also think he was badly out-coached in the Stanley Cup Finals after Game 1 where Trotz made adjustments & the Knights didn't. Could've simply been the Caps were the better team. You can also play the what-if game...Tuch ties the score late in Game 2 & Vegas wins in OT, Gallant is now a legend, so there's a fine line of how he's viewed. Hopefully a year+ out of the game has given him time to tweak his style & make adjustments.
