The coach
Does anyone really believe that Gerard Gallant is about to get fired? Sure, Barry Trotz is sitting at home waiting for a phone call, but Gallant has not been close to bad enough to deserve termination. Sure, he has made mistakes and some bad calls, but in a salary cap era with volatile ownership, coaching an NHL team is a sticky wicket and Gallant is walking a tightrope.
It’s almost laughable to say that he is panicking when he starts changing lines and defensive combinations. Every single NHL coach does it. It’s not panic, it’s simply an attempt to find something that works. Jon Cooper does it. Jared Bednar does it. Mike Sullivan does it.
And again, right now, the Rangers are in the playoffs.