Panthers looking to ‘regroup’
Consistency the goal after Gallant shown the door in ‘emotional’ coaching change
There was shock across the NHL last Sunday when Gerard Gallant was given his walking papers by the Florida Panthers.
Like it or not, everybody has been forced to turn the page.
Florida general manager Tom Rowe has surrendered his managerial duties to focus on coaching and he’s hopeful the Panthers will show more consistency than they did through 22 games under Gallant.
“This is not a knock on Gerard, because he did a great job, but I just thought some guys weren’t bringing it the way they’re capable of bringing it every single night,” Rowe said Saturday before facing the Senators in Ottawa.
“There was too much inconsistency. We’d come out one period and play great and then we’d just sit back and be a little bit too tentative.”
Rowe said he knew this wouldn’t be a popular decision inside or outside the dressing room. He noted that veteran players Derek MacKenzie, Shawn Thornton, Jussi Jokinen and Roberto Luongo have done a good job helping the rest of the Panthers move forward.
“I was very concerned,” he said. “It was a big move, a very emotional move, the guys loved Gerard so I was really concerned. That’s why I didn’t get into a whole lot of discussion with them the first night. I told them, ‘Let’s all regroup, take a breath for a day.’ That’s what we did.
“It was a really tough week. We’re not going to hide from that, but I think it says volumes about the character that we have in our organization.”
Being on the road has helped promote togetherness.
“When you’re on the road for as long as we have been, especially after what happened last week, it’s always going to be positive,” Rowe said.
Time will tell if it’s the right move but heading into Saturday night, Florida had gained three of four points in two games since Rowe took over.
OFF THE GLASS
It was no surprise the NHL Players’ Association rejected the offer to extend the collective bargaining agreement for three years in exchange for the green light to go to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. So what happens next? “The players want to go and the owners don’t want to go, so that’s where it stands,” a league executive said Saturday. While it would be easy for the NHL to simply reject the idea of going, Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin has already declared he intends to head to Korea to play for Russia. If Capitals owner Ted Leonsis doesn’t stand in Ovechkin’s way, then look out. You have to worry about the domino effect if that happens. What if Connor McDavid tells Oilers owner Daryl Katz he wants to suit up for Team Canada and there’s no stopping him? This has the potential to get ugly if a resolution isn’t reached ... Two coaches that executives believe are on the hot seat at the moment: Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice and Buffalo’s Dan Bylsma. Sooner or later, both have to start getting better results. The Jets should be in a playoff position in the West, while the Buffalo Sabres haven’t been healthy but they should have a better record than they do.
AROUND THE BOARDS
The Philadelphia Flyers wouldn’t mind moving their defenceman Andy McDonald, but with a cap hit of US$5 million through the 201920 campaign, that’s pretty much an impossible dream ... As TSN’s Darren Dreger reported, Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka made an offer the Calgary Flames could refuse for defenceman Dougie Hamilton. The belief is that since taking over, Chayka has overvalued his players and that is not sitting well with his counterparts ... The Oilers have held talks with a few other teams about winger Benoit Pouliot, who still has two years left at $4 million per season. Edmonton isn’t actively shopping Pouliot, but it’s believed GM Peter Chiarelli is trying to see if there’s any interest ... The Bruins wouldn’t mind moving their winger Jimmy Hayes.
RUMOURS DU JOUR
Trying to make a deal isn’t easy, which is a familiar complaint the last few years. “It’s the same old thing,” a league executive told your correspondent Saturday. “The standings are so tight, nobody’s out of it and there’s so much parity that it’s hard to make a trade. It’s really no different than other years.” ... Islanders GM Garth Snow has been working the phones trying to find a winger to play with captain John Tavares. While there isn’t any great urgency in that area just yet, that’s going to have to happen at some point if the Isles want to keep Tavares in Brooklyn. He will be a UFA on July 1, 2018, and on a lot of nights, he looks like a man on an island, so Snow needs to find the right fit. The Islanders have been trying to move their winger Nikolay Kulemin ... The Maple Leafs have been offering around centre Peter Holland and his $1.3-million contract to anybody who will listen. GM Lou Lamoriello isn’t asking for much in return because Holland, who was left back home from the club’s trip to Western Canada, won’t draw much in return ... The talk is Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has been calling around the league looking for a defenceman to play in a pairing with Shea Weber, who has been with Alexei Emelin so far this year.
“It was a big move, a very emotional move, the guys loved Gerard so I was really concerned. ” — TOM ROWE NEW FLORIDA PANTHERS COACH