Life comes at NHL coaches fast after disappointing seasons.

Gerard Gallant walked into the news conference room at the New York Rangers' practice facility on May 3 and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine." Speculation about his job status had swirled in the media — traditional and social — after the Rangers followed up an all-in trade deadline by blowing a 2-0 lead to the rival New Jersey Devils in a first-round elimination. Could he really go from Jack Adams Award-nominated coach of a conference finalist to unemployed in the span of a year?

"I can't believe I have to answer some of these questions about me getting let go or getting fired, brought up by the media. Disappointing," Gallant said.

In a way, he was right. Gallant wasn't fired. He wasn't let go. Two days after defiantly defending his record as a coach — "If I can't stand by my record, and not just my record here, I think there's something wrong" — he had a "mutual parting of ways" with the Rangers, with another year and a team option left on his contract.

Again, life comes at NHL coaches fast. Almost as fast as it does for coaching candidates.

"Once a vacancy happens, the tendency is that guys want to get their names on a list, like ASAP. But everyone needs to take a deep breath because every situation is different," said Neil Glasberg, president and CEO of PBI Sports & Entertainment and a respected agent who represents coaches.

After a coach is fired, Glasberg connects with the general manager who will oversee the next hiring to get a sense of what that team is looking for — assuming it knows, which isn't always immediately the case.

"It's always a question of fit. That's how this business works. It's a three-letter word that means so much," Glasberg said. "Fit in terms of experience, in personality, in where they are in their careers, in their ability to match with the roster. And fit in terms of having won before."

That's something Glasberg pushes with clients: proof of concept. "Having won is different than knowing what it's like to win," he said.

As of Thursday morning, there are five coaching vacancies in the NHL. More could come as teams are eliminated, expectations aren't met and new general managers settle into their jobs. Here's a look at which teams needs a coach, what they are looking for … and some incredible speculation surrounding that Rangers job.

Anaheim Ducks

Pat Verbeek has hired coaches before. Prior to becoming the Ducks' general manager in February 2022, Verbeek owned the Junior B Sarnia Blast of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

"One time," he told ESPN, "I even hired myself."

While we'll never underestimate the self-confidence of NHL general managers, that's not the likely result of Verbeek's current coaching search of the Ducks.

Verbeek parted ways with Dallas Eakins after the coach's fourth straight losing season. The only surprise was that it took that long for Verbeek to seek his own head coach; Verbeek didn't hire Eakins yet picked up his option for the 2022-23 season. In the end, Eakins did his job this season: overseeing a roster built to maximize Anaheim's draft lottery odds. The Ducks finished last in the NHL and ended up with the second overall pick in June's draft after the draft lottery gave the Chicago Blackhawks selection No. 1.

"At the end of the day, I simply feel that a fresh perspective and new voice will be beneficial for the team," Verbeek said.

Whoever the Ducks add at No. 2 overall — and logic would dictate it will be Michigan center Adam Fantilli — that player will join an impressive collection of young stars and prospects. Forwards Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish as well as defenseman Jamie Drysdale are already making an NHL impact. This week, the Ducks became the first NHL team to have its prospects sweep all three defenseman of the year awards in the Canadian Hockey League: Olen Zellweger (WHL), Pavel Mintyukov (OHL) and Tristan Luneau (QMJHL).

The Ducks' future is bright. But how does being a team methodically building a contender impact Verbeek's coaching search?

"I'm trying to have an open mind about the whole process, going across a different spectrum of coaches that I'm going to interview," he said. "Not all of them are the same. They come from different backgrounds, different type of avenues, to how they've gotten to where they are."

Verbeek said he "wouldn't write a guy off if his track record's not long." He also said that having a previous relationship with a coach, while beneficial, isn't as important as work ethic and character.

Verbeek didn't indicate if he is leaning toward a young coach who can grow with this team — and he shouldn't have trouble finding one of those — or a former NHL head coach who could serve as a mentor to the prospects.

Whoever it is, Verbeek hopes to have a healthy relationship with the coach. Given the Ducks' slow growth back to contending, it could be a lengthy one.

"I think there has to be a decent amount of chemistry," Verbeek said. "I don't know if, I guess 'chemistry' is the word. It's about whether you communicate well together and the coach understands the vision that you have for the team."