What is the knock on Gerrad Gallant, and why is Berube considered such a better coaching candidate?

[Roo Returns]

Gallant is to NHL coaches what Rick Rubin is to producing albums: no technical ability, no Xs and Os, no theory, he sets a tone and a mood. For some people its great, but for others who want to be coached, need input, it's not a good fit.

 

[Jauffre]

Gallant comes in, players appreciate him at first because they have more freedom. He's a "player's coach" (which is just the nicer way of saying he's not a tactician).

By year 2-3 his teams are figured out, and his players grow tired with the lack of accountability. Gallant is usually the last person to blame himself. Players feel like they're left out to dry when things aren't going well.
No adjustments, in-game or otherwise. The Rangers were begging for help against the Devils as they beat NYR in 4 of the last 5 games in last year's opening round. They were more likely to find help from up above than from Gerard Gallant.

 

[WojtekWolski86]

Couple of observations that didn't set well with fans, players, or the organization.

1. He never gave any insight or answered basic questions to beat writers. For example line up changes he had the same answer along the lines of "you'll see tonight.

2. Along point above, there was a moment where he snapped at NY Post Reporter, Mollie Walker after she asked about a lineup decision. It was rude and condescending. Considering the Rangers management is tight lipped and will occasionally strategically leak information to NY Post and Larry Brooks I'm sure that moment didn't sit well.

3. There was a game where Zibanajad was pissed at a non call. Absolutely barking at the ref after the game. Gallant not only yelled at Mika but made him look bad in the presser by not sticking up for him either time. At the time, Mika probably needed to move on. I think the boards agreed. But looking with the lense now it probably didn't go over well in the room.
4. Scratching Kakko in Game 6 of ECF for no good reason. Gallant put in a plug that was an absolute non factor and the fact that Kaako has struggled with confidence in his career probably rubbed the room the wrong way.
5. His handling of the kids was terrible. They would play well with Mika or Panarin and then get pulled off the top 6 when Mika and Panarin had a bad game.
6. His only strategy or tactical adjust was when we struggled to just put lines in a blenders. Zero actual tactical adjustments to what the other team was doing.

 

[FlameChampion]

I do wonder with Vegas winning a cup and Rangers looking better under Laviolette, if Gallants days are numbered.

Couple of observations that didn't set well with fans, players, or the organization.

1. He never gave any insight or answered basic questions to beat writers. For example line up changes he had the same answer along the lines of "you'll see tonight.

2. Along point above, there was a moment where he snapped at NY Post Reporter, Mollie Walker after she asked about a lineup decision. It was rude and condescending. Considering the Rangers management is tight lipped and will occasionally strategically leak information to NY Post and Larry Brooks I'm sure that moment didn't sit well.

3. There was a game where Zibanajad was pissed at a non call. Absolutely barking at the ref after the game. Gallant not only yelled at Mika but made him look bad in the presser by not sticking up for him either time. At the time, Mika probably needed to move on. I think the boards agreed. But looking with the lense now it probably didn't go over well in the room.
4. Scratching Kakko in Game 6 of ECF for no good reason. Gallant put in a plug that was an absolute non factor and the fact that Kaako has struggled with confidence in his career probably rubbed the room the wrong way.
5. His handling of the kids was terrible. They would play well with Mika or Panarin and then get pulled off the top 6 when Mika and Panarin had a bad game.
6. His only strategy or tactical adjust was when we struggled to just put lines in a blenders. Zero actual tactical adjustments to what the other team was doing.

The not having any insight, answers to questions and resorting to the “you have to trust the process” reminds me of Woodcroft when things would go off the rails.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Berube just hasn't been a head coach long enough to be one of the guys passed around the NHL enough to become hated. 2, maybe 3 fan groups get to not like you, then you've got the mark. Then you're the retread. Gallant used to be the cool new guy. Everyone wondered, why did the Panthers leave him on the corner that one night? What are they, stupid? Like a Bettman franchise knows hockey or something. Then 2 or 3 teams later, and it's ok, alright, we get it.

Winning cures all. Be it coach, player, GM, owner. You suck until you win. All the flaws come out when you lose(or don't win). Then the second you don't win again, we find those flaws again. Which, of course, were always there, even when you won, but you happened to win. Whatever you did to win must've been right, even if you do the same thing later and lose.

 

[Kimota]

Berube is pretty overrated. He became the Blues coach by default and during the cup run, it was basically what was needed at the time for one magical moment. But he never was special before that or after that.

It's similar with Gallant. He was nothing special until he brought the new Vegas team to the cup. His legend grew from there. But he's been failing ever since.

 

[JimmyG89]

It depends on what your team is looking to become. With the Rangers the big difference was that in year 1 he got the guys to be more physical. Under Quinn they were soft and he set that tone.

The biggest negatives are that he won't change anything except lines hoping it works. The blender can come out quick. Also practices were not his thing. Laviolette got these guys working hard all the time. The Rangers beat reporters talked about how much more intense practices were this year.

He does want his players to play hard though and there are teams that could use a coach like that for a few years. He does need veteran players. It's why Vegas worked for him. Those guys got cast off and were in their physical prime.

 

[FMichael]

Reportedly not much of a system, X and O coach, and more of a motivator/cheerleader. I mean, both are good skills to have.

So I guess it’s probably about balance between the two and him maybe not having good balance in those 2 skillsets.

Yeah - was gonna post the same - not much of a tactician and from what I get his firey personality rubs off the wrong way with mgt/owners.

 

[GrumpyKoala]

It has less to do with Berube and more to do with Gallant. Gallant loses the room very quick. Why hire a coach that will only last 2 seasons?

Isn't this the new life shelf of a coach anyways?

 

[Satoru Gojo]

Berube is good coach obviously but it feels like he's becoming a bit overrated

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Berube has proven that he can motivate a team to get over the hump. Anyone saying he 'caught lightning in a bottle' or 'got lucky' with the Blues Cup run hasn't paid attention to the team in the years that followed. The following season they were the best team in the NHL pre-COVID. They followed that up with a couple more strong seasons and shortened playoff run where they were the only team that made Colorado sweat on their way to the Cup. The Blues had sustained success under Berube so to discount the years following the Cup win tells me that some people weren't paying attention.

What Berube has yet to prove is that he can change his approach when team performance slips. Until he does he'll always be looked at as a guy who can get a team over the hump, but is he a guy who can evolve along with a roster when performance dips? Then again, with the short life cycle of NHL coaching, does that really matter anymore?

Time will tell.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

My impression from local talk is that Gallant is a player-friendly "Have fun out there!" coach who is able to elevate teams for a year or two before the players catch on that they really don't have to give 100% all the time, or even most of the time, or really ever. Because of this approach, pressure from the organization on Gallant to get his team to perform better stops at Gallant and he will not crack the whip on his players. Thereafter, his relationship with the organization deteriorates until he is fired, usually it seems a few weeks into season 3 when it becomes apparent that he will not change his ways.

But Gallant can be really fantastic for his first year -- why struggling teams that didn't make the playoffs don't regularly hire that guy on a one-year contract (giving them a full year to find a permanent coach that can take them to the next level) is a mystery to me.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Gallant got a bad rap in New York. The team sucks as you can see by this year's version. Not anywhere near a contender. He got the most he could from them.

 

[HolyHagelin]

@WojtekWolski86 nailed it. The line blender is his only move.

Additionally the players in NY were essentially begging for structure in the coaching and he refused to provide it.

The kakko thing in g6 against tampa should have been an immediate firing offense… but then we wouldn’t have lavi now, soooo…

As far as coaches not winning with more than one team - well yeah, it’s really hard to win to begin with. And if you do, as noted above, teams will keep the coach. This seems like a weird point to me.

Like, laviolette has gotten 3 teams to the finals and won a cup with one of them, that doesnt make the rangers less likely to win this year. The fact that its f***ing hard to win makes every team less
Likely to win every year.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

I think that finding the right coach is about finding the right fit at the right time. That's a very tough task. It's a ton of variables that go into that. Sometimes a coach might not have clicked with one team, but could click with another.
Gallant IMO, was the right fit for us at the right time. I think Gallant's time with us get's an incomplete grade. Due to our ownership stepping in for some reason and micromanaging and throwing things off track.

 

[joestevens29]

I think that finding the right coach is about finding the right fit at the right time. That's a very tough task. It's a ton of variables that go into that. Sometimes a coach might not have clicked with one team, but could click with another.
Gallant IMO, was the right fit for us at the right time. I think Gallant's time with us get's an incomplete grade. Due to our ownership stepping in for some reason and micromanaging and throwing things off track.

For me I wish GM's spent the time in the process. Interview a variety of different types of guys and really get a feeling for what the majority are thinking with your current makeup of your club and about the direction you are going.

I feel the interview process is a free time to get input from various minds out there. Seems far too often coaches are hired and fired fairly early because they weren't the right fit.

GM and coach should be on similar vibes otherwise you have a coach being forced to coach a way he doesn't want to or you have a coach coaching a team that isn't capable of how he wants to play.

 

[HanSolo]

Is Vegas where they are today without Gallant? Was that 17-18 team really that good on paper or did he have them play a certain way that had a long-lasting impact?

That first year he stressed speed and fitness and that got the team by a lot by having a bunch of guys he turned into gym nuts with chips on their shoulders outwork their opponents. Then the rest of the league got the "speed kills" memo and the Knights started regressing.

 

[Machinehead]

Gallant is to NHL coaches what Rick Rubin is to producing albums: no technical ability, no Xs and Os, no theory, he sets a tone and a mood. For some people its great, but for others who want to be coached, need input, it's not a good fit.

Yeah I was trying to come up with the words but this is perfect.

Gallant is a vibe.

Everyone feels good the first year and if he has talent on the roster, they do their thing.

By the second year, he's just yelling, and without much of a system, he's yelling about nothing.

He loses the players and he never gets along with management.

 

[Machinehead]

That first year he stressed speed and fitness and that got the team by a lot by having a bunch of guys he turned into gym nuts with chips on their shoulders outwork their opponents. Then the rest of the league got the "speed kills" memo and the Knights started regressing.

Gallant walked into his first camp with the Rangers, looked at Zibanejad and Kreider and was like "you two score goals" and I don't know if said another word after that.

He even used David Quinn's lines the whole time he was here.

 

[DelZottoHitTheNetJK]

He's great on a team with bonafide talent/leadership that already pre-exists, a la Vegas. He just shuts up and lets them cook.

Not great for a team like the Leafs that needs their thongs pulled over their heads every other game for lack of effort

 

[HanSolo]

Gallant walked into his first camp with the Rangers, looked at Zibanejad and Kreider and was like "you two score goals" and I don't know if said another word after that.

He even used David Quinn's lines the whole time he was here.

I've tried not gloating about it until now but it drove me absolutely insane seeing so many people say that Vegas f***ed up by firing Gallant that first year he was in NY. Mostly not even Rangers fans actually. I kept saying "let's see how he looks after this year"

His quick departure and now this thread feel vindicating.

So it's not entirely reveling in vindication, I'll say that I really don't know where he fits in in today's NHL. You don't want him on a rebuilding team because he's less than adequate when it comes to youth development. You don't want him on a contender because he just doesn't have the mind for tactics and game to game adjustments. You don't really want him on a playoff hopeful team on the bubble for basically the same reason. Maybe a one year deal to give your team a boost. I think maybe a middling team could use him for the same short term effect.

 

[Machinehead]

I've tried not gloating about it until now but it drove me absolutely insane seeing so many people say that Vegas f***ed up by firing Gallant that first year he was in NY. Mostly not even Rangers fans actually. I kept saying "let's see how he looks after this year"

His quick departure and now this thread feel vindicating.

So it's not entirely reveling in vindication, I'll say that I really don't know where he fits in in today's NHL. You don't want him on a rebuilding team because he's less than adequate when it comes to youth development. You don't want him on a contender because he just doesn't have the mind for tactics and game to game adjustments. You don't really want him on a playoff hopeful team on the bubble for basically the same reason. Maybe a one year deal to give your team a boost. I think maybe a middling team could use him for the same short term effect.

I think the Rangers were ideal.

A recent rebuild that was ready to step into contention.

We got the first-year vibes from Gallant and he basically served his purpose of getting the team some playoff experience. Then we moved on when we really got serious.

Vegas had a similar arc. Got their feet wet Gallant in that crazy first year, and then they got serious.

Maybe for team like, say, Ottawa, where the teardown is done but they need to just win some games, it might not be a terrible hire.

He would be screaming at Tkachuk yesterday, although maybe Tkachuck could stand to be screamed at.

You have to be careful, though. He almost killed Lafreniere before Laviolette had the brilliant idea of *checks notes* playing him.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Gallant walked into his first camp with the Rangers, looked at Zibanejad and Kreider and was like "you two score goals" and I don't know if said another word after that.

He even used David Quinn's lines the whole time he was here.

To be fair, Lavi used David Quinn D pairings most of the season and also Zibanejad and Kreider.

 

[Silver Tuna]

Wasnt GG nominated for the jack adams with 3 different teams?

Seems like hes pretty good to me

 

[Curufinwe]

And coaches that win a cup usually win it early on in their career with the first or second team they coach. Teams really should not hire re-treads.

Is it too late for Dallas, Vancouver, Florida and the Rangers to fire their retreads?