New York Rangers Rumors: Insiders Link Team To 3-Time Cup Champ

It doesn't take long after a Game 7 elimination for speculation about a head coach's job status to start up. For the New York Rangers, Gerard Gallant's name will now be a hot topic of discussion. And if the Rangers do decide to move on from him, one name that's already been linked to them is three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville. 

To further Darren’s point: The Quenneville chatter around the Rangers this series was deafening. As was, in the end, the chatter that Gallant could have coached his last NYR game on Monday. https://t.co/9dJbUhlX2m

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 2, 2023

Two plugged-in Insider sources have talked of strong "chatter" around the Rangers involving Quenneville. But as Darren Dreger alluded to, Quenneville hasn't yet been officially cleared for a return to the NHL after his part in the Kyle Beach/Brad Aldrich sexual abuse case forced him out over 18 months ago. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced at the time that Quenneville would have to get his blessing to return to work in the league. Dreger notes, however, that a "formal interview request will likely encourage the commissioner's approval."

"Coach Q" led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups in the 2010s, and had a 7-0-0 record with the Florida Panthers to start the 2021-22 season before his removal in October of '21.

As for the Rangers, Gallant's job could come into question after a massively disappointing flameout in the first round. Gallant has a 99-46-19 record as bench boss—the best in franchise history among coaches with at least 100 games coached. But whether he can survive the end result of this 107-point season remains to be seen. 

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