The Vegas Golden Knights have fired head coach Gerard Gallant and hired Peter DeBoer as his replacement.
The Golden Knights fell to 24-19-6 with Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, their fourth loss in a row, and currently sit tied for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with the Winnipeg Jets, who have two games in hand. The team is, however, just three points back of the Arizona Coyotes for first in the Pacific Division.
Gallant is set to serve as head coach of the Pacific team at next week’s All-Star Game since the Golden Knights were first in the division when the coaches were announced on January 3.
Assistant coach Mike Kelly was relieved of his duties on Wednesday.
“In order for our team to reach its full potential, we determined a coaching change was necessary. Our team is capable of more than we have demonstrated this season,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “We would like to thank Gerard and Mike for their service to the Vegas Golden Knights. They were both instrumental to the success we have enjoyed in our first two-plus seasons and we wish them all the best moving forward.
“In Peter DeBoer, we have a proven, experienced head coach who we believe can help us achieve our ultimate goal. We are excited to welcome Peter and his family to the Vegas Golden Knights organization. We look forward to a strong finish to the 2019-20 season with Peter at the helm and a successful tenure in the seasons to come.”
DeBoer was fired by the San Jose Sharks last month after opening the season with a 15-16-2 record. He spent five years as head coach of the Sharks, reaching the playoffs in all four of his full seasons behind the bench and guiding the team to the Stanley Cup Final in his first year.
Prior to joining the Sharks, DeBoer served as head coach of both the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils. He has a career record of 415-329-111 record behind the bench.
Gallant was the first head coach in Golden Knights franchise history and led the expansion team to the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season, winning the Jack Adams Award. The Golden Knights made the playoffs again last season, posting a 43-32-7 record. Vegas was eliminated by DeBoer’s Sharks in their first-round series in overtime of Game 7.
Gallant becomes the seventh head coach this season to be fired. He previously served as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2003-2006 and the Panthers from 2014-2016. He has a career coaching record of 270-216-4-51.
