MAJOR | An incident reportedly occurred between Gallant and Rangers GM during the first round and things heated up big time

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Cooper Godin
May 6, 2023 (9:43)

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The New York Rangers are watching the second round, and the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for that matter, from the sidelines after being eliminated earlier this week at the hands of the New Jersey Devils in Game 7.

There was a ton of optimism surrounding this Rangers team after adding Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane and there was genuine belief that they could end the franchise's 29-year Stanley Cup drought. Ultimately that didn't happen.

But something did happen during that first round series that is causing some concern amongst Rangers fans and there's a chance that a coaching change could be on the horizon.

Several sources have told The Athletic that following the Rangers' Game 4 loss, Gerard Gallant and General Manager Chris Drury got into a heated argument.

"Gallant's been on the hot seat since the Rangers were eliminated and even a bit before this postseason. The Athletic can confirm a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that Gallant and GM Chris Drury got heated after the Game 4 loss to the Devils, fueling speculation that a first-round exit might bring a change behind the bench." The Athletic's Arthur Staple said.

Gallant, 59, was hired by the Rangers in June 2021 and led them to a 52�24�6 record in the regular season and to the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. This year, the team took a small step back and some changes are expected to the roster, but it remains up in the air if Gallant will be back behind the bench for the 2023-24 season.

If the Rangers do make a change, their options are fairly limited, with Joel Quenneville, who needs to be reinstated by the league, and Darryl Sutter and Peter Laviolette all being potential candidates.

Source: The Athletic