The Vegas Golden Knights skipper is the early favorite for coach of the year.
When Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee was searching for a coach, he made it clear he wanted to get it right the first time. McPhee had a plan right from the beginning where he was going with his coaching search. After possibilities of Jack Capuano, Claude Julien, and Ken Hitchcock, the general manager made his decision on April 13th.
Instead of choosing one of those coaches with more of a pedigree, McPhee decided to hire the lesser known Gerard Gallant. He spent time coaching the Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers. He was also an assistant coach with the New York Islanders in 2007-09 and Montreal Canadiens in 2009-12.
Most NHL fans know him for the job he did with the Panthers in 2015-2016. He led the team to the playoffs, and he was Jack Adams Finalist the same season. However, the job he has done here in Vegas is truly a remarkable sports story.
Seriously, did anyone expect the Golden Knights to be in FIRST PLACE in the Western Conference? A ton of media members picked them to finish dead last in the entire NHL including USA TODAY Sports. Boy things have changed in a matter of a half of a season; now we’re talking about the team as potential Stanley Cup Winner.
TSN asked all 31 coaches to poll on who’s the MVP, Norris, Adams, etc. Come to find out that every single NHL Head Coach selected Gerard Gallant as the Jack Adams award winner. Afterall, he is the slam dunk choice.
Let’s not go too far ahead of ourselves; there’s plenty of hockey left. But Gallant deserves all the praise in the world for he has done thus far with an expansion club. He took castoffs from former teams and made them into stars.
Look at what the young defensemen of the Golden Knights are doing under Gallant’s tutelage. Nate Schmidt is playing the best hockey of his career putting up over 21 minutes a night consistently. The development of future number one defenseman Shea Theodore has been sensational to watch. And Colin Miller has really turned the page since leaving the Boston Bruins as he leads the entire Golden Knights defensive corps in goals, assists, and points.
That’s not all the head coach has accomplished. Alex Tuch is proving himself in a rising hockey market in Las Vegas as a rookie. Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault continue to be Gallant’s anchors. And we all know the story about William Karlsson. We can thank Gallant for his style of coaching as the reason why these players are thriving.
When times got tough for the Golden Knights when their number one, two and three goalies all went out due to injury, Gallant kept the team in check. With Marc-Andre Fleury out of the lineup, the team compiled a 16-8-1 record in his absence. For what fourth-string goaltender Maxime Lagace did for this hockey club, he potentially saved the Golden Knights season in that little stretch of time.
Plus the emergence of Malcolm Subban has been a crucial part of the Golden Knights success as well. An 11-2-1 record from the rookie goaltender is just another reason why Gallant is sleeping comfortably at night. Furthermore, this is all thanks to goaltending coach Dave Prior. Without Gallant hiring Prior, the outcomes of those games would’ve been different.
Next: Vegas Golden Knights Claim Number One Spot In NHL Standings
Overall, I’m not shocked at all. Gallant will take the Vegas Golden Knights as far as he can bring them. A date in the playoffs is almost 100% at this point. But he may just have enough talent around him to make a very deep run for Lords Stanley. It would be one of the most significant stories of the year if Gallant finally lifts the Cup after seven years of NHL head coaching.