Rumor: Reports that Joel Quenneville is set to replace Gerard Gallant in New York

In case you missed it last night, the New York Rangers bowed out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in rather undramatic fashion last night. The Rangers put up a lackluster effort against the rival New Jersey Devils and are now left wondering what exactly went wrong.

Rangers GM Chris Drury beefed his team up considerably ahead of the NHL's trade deadline, acquiring the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane in blockbuster deals. Still, the Rangers' offence came up short and the team had a difficult time adjusting to the quick transition game of the Devils.

And while the players are shouldering a fair bit of the blame, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant isn't above scrutiny either. The affable bench boss failed to adjust his team's strategy in this series and was outclassed on almost every level by veteran Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. Gallant simply didn't have it in this series, which leads many fans to wonder if he'll return next season.

To me, Gallant has always come across as a "players coach", someone whom the players love to play for because he's just like one of them. The problem is, that once that honeymoon period is over and the players realize that it's up to them to perform then things tend to fall apart quickly. Gallant, as good as he is, isn't a tactician or a coaching technician. He's an old school, 'motivate the boys' type coach, who gets buy on rallying his troops. Once the troops can no longer be rallied though, his voice gets stale and his teams stagnate. This is a story as old as the hockey puck itself.

So... if Gallant is out, who replaces him?

NHL insider Darren Dreger is suggesting today that former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville could be on the Rangers' radar, assuming he gets clearance from the league to return to action.

From Dreger:

More insight from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN:

On paper, Quenneville is a perfect fit for the Rangers. In real life though, he has more baggage than a carousel at JFK International. He's been iced out of the NHL since early last season after his role in covering up the Brad Aldrich scandal became public. 

Personally, I think Quenneville is one of the finest coaches in NHL history. But, I'd be damned if I wanted him coaching my team. I think any team that hires him better be ready for a PR backlash of epic proportions.