Panthers fire head coach Gallant
A slow start has cost head coach Gerard Gallant his job.
The Florida Panthers fired Gallant after Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, the club confirmed on Monday.
General manager Tom Rowe will take over behind the bench, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Assistant head coach Mike Kelly was also let go, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
Gallant was given extension last season, but this year he and front office disagreed on direction of the team. Things brewing behind scenes.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 28, 2016
The Panthers are 11-10-1 after Sunday's loss, and have struggled to score. Special teams have been an issue and injuries have taken their toll, as Jonathan Huberdeau's yet to suit up this season, and Nick Bjugstad's played only two games.
Related: Twitter reacts to surprising Gallant firing
Aleksander Barkov has only two goals in 22 games, while Jaromir Jagr has three. The club's leading scorer is Jonathan Marchessault.
The firing comes as a shocking move after Gallant led the Panthers to their best ever season in 2015-16, the club finishing with 103 points and atop the Atlantic Division. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, finishing second to Barry Trotz.
Related: Look: Gallant awaits cab after being fired
Florida lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Islanders in six games.
Not that it ultimately matters in terms of decision, but safe to say FLA players largely disappointed/unhappy at Gallant being fired.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) November 28, 2016
The Panthers are owned by billionaire West Point graduate Vinnie Viola, and have made numerous front-office changes over the past few months. The club has taken both a Wall Street-style and military-style approach to building a team, and Gallant's firing will no doubt feed into what many believe is a far too unorthodox method of management.
Gallant leaves Florida with an impressive 96-64-25 record in three seasons.