Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant met with the New York media on Tuesday for his introductory press conference. He discussed numerous things he wants to happen while at the helm of the Rangers, including the style of play, and wanting the team to progress to the next level where they can become true contenders for the Stanley Cup.
"I want to be the hardest-working team in the league - to work hard, to battle hard, to make other teams say, 'That team works hard every night,'" Gallant said.
Last season, they qualified for the Stanley Cup play-in round where they were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes, but they haven't made it to the first round of the playoffs since 2017.
It was a transition year for New York this season, particularly in the crease. The departure of future hall-of-famer Henrik Lundqvist left many questioning who would get the majority of the starts in net during the 2020-21 season.
Igor Shesterkin played in 35 of the Rangers' 56 games during the regular season, Alexandar Georgiev played in 19, and
Keith Kinkaid played in 9. While the Rangers view Shesterkin as their future in net, there were many people across the league wondering how they would utilize the tandem of him and Georgiev throughout the year.
Gallant also believes that the Rangers can become playoff contenders. "I think it's a team that's ready to take off, get to the next level,"
Gallant said.The team has a young core, including Alexis Lafreniere,
Adam Fox,
Kaapo Kakko, and
K'Andre Miller, along with several NHLers with years of experience such as
Artemi Panarin,
Mika Zibanejad, and
Chris Kreider.
Now that they've hired Gallant as their new head coach, the Rangers will now turn their attention towards the 2021 NHL Entry Draft where they'll select 16th overall in the first round.
Source: theScoreADS
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