Drury Goes With Gallant

In the end, Chris Drury went with the bird in the hand. Before we go any further, let's get something straight. Gerard Gallant is no Barry Trotz, nor is he John Cooper or even Rod Brind'Amour. But with the first two gainfully employed for the foreseeable future and the third likely to remain in Raleigh, he was the best available option on the market. And to be fair to Gallant, it's not like he's the second coming of Jean-Guy Talbot. The man has won everywhere he's gone. His resume speaks for itself.

This is a good move for the Rangers; the smart move. The reality is that had Drury gone after Brind'Amour, not only would he have most likely struck out, he most assuredly would have lost Gallant. And with the Seattle Kraken still looking for a coach, that was a risk Drury was not prepared to take. So he played it safe and got himself one hell of a good coach. As I wrote in my last piece, I wouldn't have a problem if Drury inked him to a contract. Well, he did.

So now that the Rangers have found their head coach, they need to find his assistants. While Gallant has an excellent track record dealing with players, he's not terribly good with the X's and O's. And in this conference, with coaches like Trots, Cooper and Brind'Amour, having someone on the bench who can make adjustments on the fly is critical. Fred Shero had his Mike Nykoluk, so Drury and Gallant will have to find theirs.

Then there's the issue of input. How much of it will Gallant have with regards to the roster? The sad truth is that for all their talent, there is a dearth of size and grit on this team. In short, they're soft as hell, and no amount of coaching can overcome that. Even if Gallant manages to get players like Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin to buy in, Drury's going to have to get him the horses he needs to turn this ship around. Rangers' fans may not want to admit it, but the team playing in Uniondale is a far better representation of what a contender looks like than anything the Blueshirts bring to the table, and if they manage to win seven more games this postseason, they will hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1983. Imagine that nightmarish scenario.

But regardless of what happens over the next few weeks, we can honestly say that Drury's first hire is an unqualified success. With his coach in place, the President and GM can now focus on the Expansion Draft, the Entry Draft and free agency, all taking place next month. It would behoove him to find an assistant GM to help lighten the load. Remember, the reason Drury had so much on his plate to begin with is because his boss fired everyone else.

That's what happens when you work for an owner like Jim Dolan.