Gerard Gallant Steps Down From KHL Coaching Position

Longtime NHL head coach Gerard Gallant has decided to bring his tenure in Russia to an early end. He will be stepping away from his role as the head coach of the Shanghai Dragons – the KHL’s newest club – for personal health reasons per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Gallant will be returning to Canada to recover at home, LeBrun adds.

Shanghai posted a 13-17-0 record with Gallant at the helm. The team ranked ninth in their 11-team conference and seventh-to-last in the league outright. They were led by former Calgary Flames prospect Spencer Foo and Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jake Bischoff serving as captain and alternate captain respectively. Nicholas Merkley leads the team in scoring with 33 points in 43 games.

It was a quiet year for China’s newest representation in the KHL market. Through the fog of a down year with a new club, Gallant’s move to Russia will be remembered as an interesting right-turn. He has not coached in the NHL since leaving the New York Rangers after the 2022-23 season. Before then, Gallant had 10 seasons of head coaching experience in the NHL under his belt. He was among the cemented veterans in the coaching circuit, but opted to take those talents across the world after losing interest in North America.

Now, the question of when and where Gallant will coach next will return. He recently turned 62 years old, plenty young enough to return to the bench when he’s back to full health. The nature of Gallant’s ailment isn’t clear but he should be a prime coaching candidate when he’s ready to put himself back on the market.