Gallant preparing to lead Rangers back to Stanley Cup Playoffs

Welcome to NHL.com, the official site of the National Hockey LeagueBienvenue à LNH.com , le site officiel de la Ligue nationale de hockeyДобро пожаловать на NHL.com, официальный сайт Национальной хоккейной лигиTervetuloa NHL:n viralliselle nettisivustolle NHL.comiinVälkommen till NHL.com, NHL:s officiella web-sidaVítejte na NHL.com, oficiálních stránkách National Hockey LeagueVitajte na NHL.com, oficiálnych stránkach National Hockey LeagueWillkommen auf NHL.com, der offiziellen Seite der National Hockey LeagueBienvenido a NHL.com, el sitio oficial de la National Hockey LeagueGerard Gallant said he's preparing to help the New York Rangers become a perennial Stanley Cup Playoff team again, starting as soon as next season."It's a team that is ready to take off," Gallant said Tuesday.Gallant was officially named the Rangers' new coach, the 36th in team history, last Wednesday, replacing David Quinn, who was fired May 12. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Islanders.The Panthers improved by 25 points in Gallant's first season with them, in 2014-15.Gallant also coached Saint John of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to the Memorial Cup championship in 2011."I just think at the end of the day he was the perfect fit for what we're trying to accomplish here to move this team and this organization forward," Drury said.Gallant said he thinks the Rangers are built to play the same way the Golden Knights did under him: fast, aggressive, always pushing up the ice, smart defensively and rolling four lines and three defense pairs."I want it to be the hardest working team in the League," Gallant said. "I want us to compete hard, to battle hard, to make teams say, 'You know what, that team works hard every night, they compete for 60 minutes and that's why they're winning hockey games every night.'"He compared working with forwards Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, and defenseman Aaron Ekblad when they were young players for the Panthers to the opportunity he'll have to coach the Rangers' bevy of young players, including forwards Alexis Lafreniere, 19, and Kaapo Kakko, 20.Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, scored 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 56 games as a rookie this season.