San Jose Sharks: Gerard Gallant is a perfect candidate for head coach
Following the shocking firings of Peter DeBoer and Gerard Gallant, the former Vegas Golden Knight bench boss could find himself with the San Jose Sharks.
On January 15th, 2020, the Vegas Golden Knights made the decision to let go of head coach Gerard Gallant and hire former San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer. If an interesting turn of events takes place, Gallant could be with San Jose the next time the team heads to the fortress.
As a head coach, Gallant posted an impressive career record of 270-216-51 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights.
In Columbus, Gallant joined a franchise that had never finished higher than last place in their division. By his second season with the Blue Jackets, the bench boss guided the young franchise to a then-record 35 wins.
Down in the sunshine state, he joined a struggling franchise that lacked any recent success. In just his second season with the team, he led the Florida Panthers to their first Atlantic Division title and a franchise-record 103 points.
Out in sin city, Gallant continued his record-setting ways by joining the expansion Golden Knights. In the franchise’s first year he led the team all the way to the Stanley Cup.
This was the first time in major American sports history that a team made their league’s respective championship in their inaugural season.
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If he can do big things with organizations that put him at a disadvantage, imagine what he can do with a team that has made the playoffs in fourteen of their last fifteen seasons. The San Jose Sharks and Gerard Gallant could quite frankly be a match made in heaven.
He is a fantastic coach and brings great perspective to teams that need to rebuild from scratch. Given that the Sharks have no substantial draft stock and a roster that is supposed to win now, something has to improve.
While Bob Boughner has proved himself to be a valuable assistant coach, he is not capable of guiding this team to a playoff berth. Gallant can do that, given that he is currently available the team should do everything in their power to bring him into the fold.
Sitting idly by with Boughner will lead the team to nothing but subpar play in front of a fan base that came into the season with high expectations. It is time to revitalize the culture of an organization that is capable of doing big things.
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Gallant has a proven record of improvement and was fired at a questionable time during his tenure with Vegas. When a coach like that is available, it is crucial to make a move and hire said coach as soon as possible.
Take legendary coach Joel Quenneville for example, who won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season the Blackhawks decided to part ways with the legendary bench boss and he has since been hired by the Florida Panthers.
With Boughner last season, the Panthers finished the year with 86 points. This season with Quenneville, the Panthers are on pace to finish the year with 100+ points. Hiring a coach with a proven track record consistently results in success.
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It is time to make a mid-season move so the Sharks can return to the playoffs this season.