Nothing about the Vegas Golden Knights firing Gerard Gallant made sense. However, three things in particular don’t quite add up.
In case you haven’t heard, the Vegas Golden Knights have decided to move on from head coach Gerard Gallant. Yes, the same Gerard Gallant who took over a bunch of misfits in October of 2017 and had them in the Stanley Cup Final in 2018. The same one who won the Jack Adams in 2018. The same one who helped an injury-plagued team make the playoffs last season.
To say the firing took the hockey world by surprise is an understatement. Everyone’s jaw, mine included, hit the floor when the news came out. Nobody expected the Knights to fire Gallant, especially since there were reports of the two sides discussing an extension just a few months earlier.
The life span of NHL head coaches is painfully short. How short? Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins was hired in December of 2015. I vividly remember the day the Penguins got rid of Mike Johnston and promoted Sullivan.
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Sullivan is the fifth-longest tenured coach in the NHL. John Tortorella, who was hired in October of 2015, is the fourth-longest tenured coach.
But even if you consider the woefully short leash coaches get, seeing Gallant on the open market again is odd. Seeing the man he hated so much, Peter DeBoer, replace him is even weirder.
Sure, the Golden Knights weren’t living up to expectations. But even then, they were still very close to the postseason. And it’s not like Gallant has control over the roster or injuries, both of which have cursed the Golden Knights this season. The Knights are gambling on DeBoer, who wasn’t good enough for the Sharks, one of the worst teams in the NHL.
Something didn’t quite add up about the Knights firing Gallant. Three things in particular stood out to me. I’m going to uncover those pink elephants in the room that everyone seems blissfully unaware of.