Following two seasons behind the bench for the New York Rangers Gerard Gallant has been let go. Chris Drury will now once again search for a new head coach. Gallant had two fantastic regular seasons, and currently has the highest winning percentage of any Rangers head coach in team history, of anyone who coached more than one season. He led them to the Eastern Conference Championship last year but after blowing a 2-0 series lead against their opening round series against their Hudson River rivals Chris Drury decided to make a move. Who could possibly take over? Will Chris Drury go with a former Stanley Cup-winning coach? An in-house option? How about a team legend? Maybe a young up-and-coming coach? Let’s look at who could be interviewed soon.
Mike Sullivan
The two-time Stanley Cup Champion and former Rangers assistant coach would be the perfect hire. He has the Stanley Cup pedigree and has a great reputation. The only problem is he is still under contract with Pittsburgh. There have been rumors that he could be let go and with a change in the front office that could happen this summer. If Sullivan is let go, I have to think Drury goes after his fellow Boston University alum.
Peter Laviolette
Stanley Cup champion with 20-plus seasons as a head coach. He has had a winning record in all but two of those seasons, in which he coached a full year. Laviolette was just fired by Washington after three seasons. Drury and Laviolette have been involved with USA Hockey so there could be a connection there. The Rangers could do worse than a coach with three Stanley Cup Finals appearances.
Bob Hartley
Could Chris Drury draw his old coach out of retirement? Hartley was in the mix two years ago before the Rangers hired Gallant. The former Stanley Cup-winning coach has won in every league he has coached. He has an AHL, NHL, Swiss, and KHL championship. Hartley “retired” after last season but said he would return to the bench for the right job.
Claude Julien
Another Stanley Cup-winning coach on the market. Following a decade-long run with the Boston Bruins, Julien did not have the same success with the Montreal Canadiens. After sitting out the last two NHL seasons, Julien has stated he is interested in returning behind the bench.
Kris Knoblauch
Could the Rangers look in-house? The Hartford Wolf Pack head coach is highly thought of in the organization. He has also filled in as head coach with the Rangers when the coaching staff was sick. Drury hand-picked Knoblauch to turn around Hartford when Drury was overseeing the team. Knoblauch currently has the Wolf Pack in the 3rd round of the AHL playoffs, one of the best seasons in the franchise’s history. He has also won championships in both the OHL and WHL.
Mark Messier
The Captain! Do they bring back the man that brought them their only Stanley Cup since 1940? Messier lobbied for a return to the franchise two years ago and he has been saying he would love a chance behind the bench for a while. The knock on Messier is his lack of coaching experience. Other than coaching the Jr. Rangers a couple of times over the years, his only senior coaching experience was with Team Canada at the Deutschland Cup over a decade ago. He does a great job as an analyst with ESPN so he is dialed into today’s NHL. If the Rangers are looking for a true locker room leader of men, they won’t find anyone better.
Andrew Brunette
The New Jersey Devils assistant coach is just one year removed from leading the Florida Panthers to a President’s Trophy. Florida moved on from Brunette after 50 wins but was swept in the Second-Round of the playoffs. Brunette played over 1,000 NHL games and is seen as a player’s coach. Lindy Ruff has spoken extremely highly of him this year in helping the Devils with their turnaround.
Jeff Halpern
The former New York Ranger, Jeff Halpern, has won two Stanley Cup’s as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A veteran of over 1,000 NHL games, if you could his playoff action, could Drury give Halpern his first head coaching job?
Travis Green
Green’s name was floated out there by my friend and hockey journalist legend Stan Fischler. Green has an up-and-down 5-year tenure behind the bench with the Vancouver Canucks before getting let go during the 2021-22 season. After a successful stint in the AHL, he was seen as a top-up-and-coming coach. Green led the Canucks to just one playoff appearance in his tenure. Could round two as a head man go better for him?
Other Potential Head Coach Options
Not listed above are Joel Quenneville and Darryl Sutter. According to other reports, the New York Rangers are not interested in either head coach. A few other names that I think could get floated. Jay Pandolfo, Boston University Head Coach. The Drury and BU connection always is an option. James Patrick, the former Ranger, he has helped turn around the Winnipeg Ice and put together a few successful seasons in the WHL. He was a coach in Buffalo while Drury played there. Greg Moore, the one-time New York Ranger has had a successful run in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies.
Be sure to bookmark our hockey page for hockey coverage and follow Belly Up Hockey on Twitter: @BellyUpHockey. Follow me on Twitter for more takes on the New York Rangers and USA Hockey: @KHallNY. You can also listen to my NY Rangers podcast The Broadway Hat Podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. for Rangers news and interviews with past and current players.
