Gerard Gallant is left frustrated with the coaching market in the NHL after not getting called up for a new job despite possessing extensive experience. The 62-year-old discussed the matter on the "Leafs Morning Take" podcast and put his name in the hat for the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach role.

The Maple Leafs front office is currently searching for someone to replace Craig Berube after sacking him last month. Meanwhile, Gallant is looking to return to the coaching scene following a break earlier this year to take care of his health.

Nick Alberga, the host of the Leafs Morning Take, gave his assessment on Gallant in a post on his official X account, accompanied by a video on Wednesday, June 3.

“You could sense the frustration from Gerard Gallant,” he wrote about the former Vegas Golden Knights head coach. “Gallant told us he's fully healthy and looking to get back behind an NHL bench, but says nobody has reached out about any of the league's coaching openings. For a coach with 369 NHL wins and multiple playoff runs, he's clearly wondering what more he needs to do," Alberga said.

In the short video, when Alberga questioned Gallant about the behind-the-scenes in his bid to return to the NHL, the head coach had disappointment in his eyes and words.

“No, there’s been nothing. It’s been really quiet. And obviously, disappointed and frustrated with it. But it’s been really quiet on my end,” Gallant said.

Moreover, the Canadian was impressed with Berube’s time as the head coach at the Maple Leafs and felt surprised by his sudden exit.

“Craig’s a great coach; he did a great job, and he’s been a real longtime coach, and I was sort of surprised a little bit, to be totally honest with you. But when they make changes and the Leafs have a bad season, they’re going to make changes,” Gallant explained, as per Heavy.com.

Gerard Gallant’s Illustrious Career as a Head Coach in the NHL

In January 2004, Gerard Gallant got his first gig as head coach at the Columbus Blue Jackets. But it was marred by tough results and the 2004-05 NHL lockout before his eventual dismissal in November 2006.

Following a wait of nearly eight years, he joined the Florida Panthers as head coach in the summer of 2014. In the 2015-16 season, they won the Atlantic Division title with him at the helm, with the then club-record 47 wins and 103 points.

In November 2016, he got sacked by the Panthers after a mediocre start to the 2016-17 season. The biggest success in Gallant’s NHL coaching career came in the 2017-18 season after joining the Vegas Golden Knights.

As their first head coach, he took them to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season before losing to the Washington Capitals in five games.

For that, he won the coveted Jack Adams Award in the summer of 2018 before a tough start to the 2019-20 season led to Vegas sacking him in January 2020.

Shortly after securing the 27th world title for Canada as head coach in the summer of 2021, Gallant joined the New York Rangers a few weeks later. But despite coaching them to two 100-point seasons, he couldn’t take them in the later stages of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After a mutual agreement to part ways with the Rangers in the summer of 2023, the Canadian hasn’t been a head coach in the NHL.

It led to Gallant taking a break before making a return to coaching in 2025 with the Shanghai Dragons in the Kontinental Hockey League. Just a few months later, he had to step down from the job in China in early 2026 to look out for his health.

Gallant has now made himself available for coaching roles once again while speaking on the Leafs Morning Take podcast.

Will Gallant get the chance at the head coach role in the NHL once again? Let us know your prediction in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Ankita Yadav