Is Gerard Gallant on the hot seat for the New York Rangers?

The Rangers are in free fall. They’ve lost to bad teams. They’ve blown leads. There is no confidence in the room. The vibes are at record lows. It’s not an effort thing, it’s a speed thing. Slow teams look lazy, but the Rangers aren’t lazy. This begs the question, is Gerard Gallant on the hot seat? The Blueshirts simply can’t keep up, and aren’t making the proper adjustments to teams forcing them to play low event, dump and chase hockey. Adjustments are coaching, and it’s been a weak spot for the team since last year’s playoffs.

First things first, there are no indications or rumors that Gerard Gallant is on the hot seat. This isn’t even speculation. It’s a conversation about whether or not he could be, or what it could take for him to get there.

The case for Gerard Gallant on the hot seat

It’s easy to make a case that Gerard Gallant is on the hot seat. Honestly, it’s summarized in the introduction paragraph. The Rangers can’t hold leads and aren’t making adjustments when other teams adjust to them. That’s a coaching thing. The tactical adjustments are on the coaching staff to not only make the adjustments, but communicate them effectively. Gallant is a player’s coach and will publicly defend his players, but there comes a point where there needs to be accountability.

Gallant hasn’t made any players take accountability, at least not publicly, which is fine. He also isn’t taking any accountability or blame for the way the Rangers have played. That, like it or not, is a part of his job. As long as there are vague answers and a perceived lack of accountability with no concrete change on the ice, it will fall on Gallant whether it’s fair or not.

If Gerard Gallant is on the hot seat, it definitely lends credence to the narrative he outstays his welcome quickly. There were odd situations in both Florida and Vegas where we were able to make excuses, but this isn’t the case anymore. This is a team that is built for success, that Gallant may have galaxy brained their lines and confidence levels after one bad period.

The case why he isn’t yet

Gallant was Drury’s guy, and there’s no reason to believe what the Rangers are going through isn’t a simple (extended) rough patch. The coach doesn’t play the games, after all, and we can point to any player at any given time as evidence the team just isn’t performing. Artemiy Panarin isn’t shooting. The powerplay is stale. The leaders aren’t leading. Their captain is hurt and playing poorly. The list goes on and on. And this is on the players.

It’s also only a year and 2 months into Gallant’s tenure where he took this team to the Eastern Conference Final. It’s exceedingly rare for a team with recent success to be canned so quickly. Funny enough, though, Gallant has had this happen to him twice. When it comes to Gerard Gallant on the hot seat, it’s most likely a no simply because of this.

So if not now, when?

The million dollar question is when Gallant winds up on the hot seat. We all laugh at that one win over Vegas that basically saved David Quinn’s job a few years back, but are we at that point with Gallant? If so, what is that game? If it wasn’t the abysmal loss last night to Chicago, then when? Or was that the game that put him on the hot seat?

After St. Louis on Monday, the Rangers could very easily drop four in a row, getting thoroughly dismantled in the process. It’s Vegas, Colorado, New Jersey, and Toronto, all teams that are locks for the playoffs and riding high. Is that enough to move him to the hot seat? It’s not like the schedule is going to get easier.

Another thing to consider is who will take over. Barry Trotz is always the go to answer, but he’s not a realistic fit for this team. Any offensive creativity left would go out the window, and the team would be playing boring, slog games. There aren’t many other coaches that can take this level of skill at get the best out of it. Gallant is one of those coaches, and he’s failing this season. Plus, Trotz has said he doesn’t plan on coaching this season.

So is Gerard Gallant on the hot seat? Most likely not. But it does seem to be getting close with this massive disappointment to start the season.

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