Former Rangers HC Gerard Gallant linked to notable head-coaching opening

While four teams remain battling for the Stanley Cup, many organizations have turned their attention to the offseason and are working behind the scenes to fill out their managerial and coaching vacancies. One team with a high-profile opening behind the bench is the Calgary Flames. Darryl Sutter won the Jack Adams Trophy as Coach of the Year in 2022 and was fired by the team earlier this month.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN on "Insider Trading," a prominent person who could end up in Calgary is Gerard Gallant. He was recently let go by the New York Rangers following a 107-point season and is one of the most experienced coaches available on the open market. Gallant also has experience working with a couple of key players in Calgary, as he was the head coach in Florida when Jonathan Huberdeau and Mac Weegar played there. Both players struggled to play their best in their first season in Calgary and could be reinvigorated with Gallant behind the bench. 

Dreger mentions the Flames will look at internal candidates, such as Mitch Love who is the head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, but Gallant remains one of the top candidates for the Flames job.

Here are some other notes...

• Also on "Insider Trading," Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports Patrick Roy could be looking to take another swing at an NHL head coaching job. Roy is the head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL and just won a league title on the weekend. He will be behind their bench at the upcoming Memorial Cup, which begins Friday, but LeBrun mentions he recently changed agents, and NHL teams have already reached out to gauge interest in having Roy return to an NHL bench. LeBrun mentions the openings with the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals as jobs that would interest Roy, but we will see how things shake out in the coming weeks.
• Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports the Columbus Blue Jackets are not searching in the bargain bin for their next head coach. The team fired Brad Larsen after finishing 31st in the league this past season. Hedger reports the team is prepared to spend what it takes to land a new coach. He mentions the team is willing to hand out an annual salary of $4M for the right bench boss but the number would be dependent on the candidate. One potential candidate can be found in-house, as Hedger also mentions Pascal Vincent is in the running for one, or more, NHL coaching vacancies suggesting a few teams are looking at the Blue Jackets assistant coach.