Written by George Richards at Miami Herald.com
The Florida Panthers made another midseason coaching change as Gerard Gallant was fired following Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Gallant, 53, was in the midst of his third season with the club and comes following a front office upheaval over the offseason.
General manager Tom Rowe, who replaced Dale Tallon following Florida’s first-round playoff exit last season, will take over behind the bench. Florida also fired Gallant’s friend and assistant coach Mike Kelly.
Florida’s loss on Sunday dropped the Panthers to 11-10-1, two points out of a playoff spot.
The move was first reported by Canada’s Sportsnet and confirmed by the Miami Herald.
Gallant was not immediately available for comment and didn’t respond to text messages from the Herald. Gallant left PNC Arena in a taxi cab.
“I was let go,” Gallant told reporters who followed him outside the arena.
When someone mentioned he had done a good job in his time with the Panthers, Gallant simply said “I thought so too.”
The Panthers gave Gallant a two-year contract extension last season, one in which he was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for NHL coach of the year after the Panthers set franchise records for wins (47) and points in a season (103).
On the day Gallant’s extension was announced, the Panthers also signed then-general manager Dale Tallon to a three-year deal.
Tallon was replaced by Rowe following the playoff loss to the New York Islanders with Tallon being named president of hockey operations.
When asked about being signed through 2019, Gallant smiled and said “there’s no guarantee I’ll be here, but at least I have the contract.”
A source close to Gallant said he felt his job was in jeopardy for some time.
Gallant, who coached the Atlantic Division squad at last year’s All-Star Game, spoke to the media following Sunday’s game but that apparently came before he was told of the front office decision.
