Gerard Gallant ‘can’t believe’ questions about Rangers job status

NHL

By Justin Tasch

May 3, 2023 | 2:45pm

Gerard Gallant was seething Wednesday about the fact his status as the Rangers’ head coach is in question after the team’s first-round elimination at the hands of the Devils.

“I’m coming in here [off of] what I think was two excellent years. We had one bad week and it cost us. If I can’t stand by my record and what I’ve done, I think there’s something wrong,” Gallant told reporters at the Rangers’ break-up day.

“Did I have a tough two weeks? Did we have a tough two weeks? Yeah. But besides that, I can’t believe I have to answer some of these questions about me getting let go or getting fired brought up by the media. Disappointing.”

Gallant, 59, led the Rangers to 110 points last season, his first behind the Rangers’ bench, and on a surprising run to the conference finals, where they lost in six games to the Lightning after winning the first two games of the series.

The Rangers had 107 points this season, but after big midseason trades for Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, the Blueshirts lost to the Devils in the first round in seven games, again after winning the first two games of the series.

That was punctuated by a no-show in Game 7 on Monday.

“I’ve got no reason to think anything besides what people put out there,” said Gallant, who said he had not yet spoken to Rangers president and GM Chris Drury. “I read the same things as you guys. I see the same posts and all that. But nobody in this organization has told me anything.”

Gallant noted that the Bruins, the best regular-season team in NHL history, and the defending-champion Avalanche both lost in the first round.

“Boston was a pretty good team, they lost. Colorado was a pretty good team, they lost,” he said. “So it happens. Disappointed. Should we have won? In my opinion, yes. But it didn’t happen.”