@CrazyDuck4u
"Garrard Gallant is the guy you go after"
GDT is locked so couldn't reply there.
Absolutely not. Gallant is a guy you hire if you already have a playoff capable roster and you're just trying to have one really good season. Everywhere he's been he plays the taskmaster and finds a system that works for one year, then he settled into being a "player's coach" and his teams would get complacent.
No one thought Vegas' year one roster had that capacity but it was still a majority veteran team. I cannot think of one young player he has adequately developed and he was part of the decision making duo that set Cody Glass up for failure (who would've thought playing a lanky 19 year old on his off position on the third line with a Killornesque turnover machine (Eakin) would force the kid to play "go get the puck" from third and fourth line bruisers, causing three significant injuries he never really bounced back from?)
Past Cronin, there's few names I'd be less excited to have developing this youth core than Gerard Gallant. Stay the f*** away.
Edit: tbf I guess Alex Tuch developed all right under Gallant but he didn't really take off as a player until DeBoer stepped in. Shea was already significantly developed by the time he joined Vegas and his play didn't really hit the next level until DeBoer.