It has been one of the weirdest years for coaches in NHL history. We understand the firings of Bill Peters and Jim Rutherford. Teams cannot hold on to coaches, no matter how good, if they are a PR nightmare and an ethical dilemma. However, Peter DeBoer, Peter Laviolette, John Hynes, and now Gerard Gallant were all fired for on the ice issues, and it was a relief. Especially when the New Jersey Devils fired Hynes. Mike Babcock is still up in the air what happened there.
Either way, of all those coaches, the only one who really feels like a fit for the Devils and where they’re going is Gallant.