Per Sportsnet, the Vegas Golden Knights are set to name Gerard Gallant the first head coach in team history. Gallant was recently the head coach of the Florida Panthers, a post he was fired from back in November. Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Steve Carp wrote a piece indicating Gallant as the choice while Dreger tweeted confirmation later. Though Vegas owner Bill Foley would not confirm Gallant as the next head coach, he did say that the press conference will take place Thursday.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted earlier in the day that Gallant was in the mix in Dallas, which eventually went to Ken Hitchcock, who is now in his second go around with the Stars. Gallant brings an impressive resume to Vegas, a team that will have one of the better competitive advantages in comparison to other NHL expansion teams, thanks to parity within the league. Gallant led Florida to a division title and the organization’s best finish in regular season history before being abruptly fired by then-general manager Tom Rowe in November.
Tomorrow’s press conference is set for noon.