The New York Rangers have reached an agreement to hire Gerard Gallant as their next coach, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the agreement.

Gallant was a highly sought-after coaching candidate three years after leading Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season. He is fresh off coaching Canada from an 0-3 start to the gold medal at the world hockey championship.

The 57-year-old Gallant replaces David Quinn with the Rangers, who was fired along with much of his staff by new president and general manager Chris Drury shortly after the regular season ended. President John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton were fired days earlier, with owner James Dolan citing the need for a “change in leadership.”

This is Gallant’s fourth NHL head coaching job after stints with the Blue Jackets, Panthers and Golden Knights. The 2018 Jack Adams Award winner as coach of the year, Gallant was fired by Vegas midway through the 2019-20 season and replaced by Peter DeBoer.

The Rangers getting Gallant keeps him from the expansion Seattle Kraken, who could have tried to replicate his success with the Golden Knights. The Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres are the other teams left with a coaching vacancy, though the Carolina Hurricanes don't yet have a new contract for Jack Adams finalist Rod Brind'Amour and the Montreal Canadiens have yet to remove the interim tag from Dominique Ducharme.

Columbus last week promoted assistant Brad Larsen to head coach.

Gallant has coached parts of nine seasons with Columbus, Florida and Vegas and been fired midseason at each stop. He's 270-216-4-51 in the regular season and beyond the trip to the final lost once in the first round each with the Panthers and Golden Knights.

By STEPHEN WHYNO and TOM CANAVAN

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