Report: Gerard Gallant will be coaching in the NHL next season

According to a report from TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger, former NHL coach Gerard Gallant will be back in the league next season, it's just a matter of who he signs with. Dreger feels that the Washington Capitals are a frontrunner, but that the Seattle Kraken could also scoop him up in advance of their 2021-22 expansion season.

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Dreger on TSN1050 says Gerard Gallant is coaching in the NHL next season, he doesn't have any question about that. The only question is will the Capitals or another team get him before the Kraken gets a crack at him.

To be honest, if I'm Capitals GM Brian MacLellan, I'm not sure that Gallant is the right fit. For one, Gallant is a known "players coach" and he's not exactly the "fire and brimstone" type coach that Capitals fans and analysts feel is needed in D.C. Wouldn't someone like Peter Laviolette be a better fit? Someone who can step in right away and deliver results? Just look at what Alain Vigneault has done for the Philadelphia Flyers in the past calendar year after taking over for Dave Hakstol. That's the type of hire that the Capitals need.

Now, that's not to say that Gallant isn't a worthy candidate. The guy is absolute stud of a coach and I have no doubt that Dreger is correct in his assessment. I could absolutely see Gallant behind an NHL bench as a head coach next season, I'm just not so certain it'll be with the Capitals. Gallant's ties to the Detroit Red Wings are simply too strong to ignore. After all, Gallant is a former Red Wing himself and he is a very close personal friend of Red Wings GM and franchise icon Steve Yzerman. The fit is simply too good to pass up for either side. The Red Wings were historically bad this past season, but after a few seasons of drafting and with some solid structure under Gallant, I could see them emerging back in contention.

The Kraken idea is interesting of course because of Gallant's history with the Vegas Golden Knights. He was Vegas' first coach in franchise history and he knows exactly what's involved in getting an expansion franchise up and running.