The Florida Panthers have been given permission to speak to Montreal assistant coach Gerard Gallant about their vacant head coaching position, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin confirmed on Monday. James Rodriguez Jersey . Gallant has worked the last two seasons with head coach Michel Therrien behind the bench, after coaching in the QMJHL with the Saint John Sea Dogs. He led Saint John to to the Memorial Cup in 2011 and coached them back to the tournament in 2012. Prior to joining the Sea Dogs, Gallant served as an NHL assistant coach with the New York Islanders during the 2007-08 season. He also spent seven years on the coaching staff of the Columbus Blue Jackets, serving as the teams head coach from 2004 to 2006. He was also behind the bench as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Russia, capturing gold at the tournament. Before joining the Blue Jackets, Gerard was an assistant coach with the American Hockey Leagues Louisville Panthers and led the Summerside Western Capitals to a Kent Cup Championship in 1997 as the MJAHL teams head coach. Gallant appeared in 615 games in the NHL as a member of the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning. Marcelo Real Madrid Jersey . As the lowest-ranked of nine unseeded European qualifiers, France was expected to go in the Africa-dominated draw pot — meaning it could not be placed in the same group as a top-seeded European team. Keylor Navas Real Madrid Jersey . Appearing on TSN 1050 on Monday, Steve Simmons and Darren Dreger weighed in on whether Brendan Shanahan is considering keeping his bench boss, despite earlier statements from Tim Leiweke that the team needed a change in culture.The NHLs Mar. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out todays trade-related reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates. Be-Deviled Devils beat writer Randy Miller of NJ.com makes a case for New Jersey to acquire veteran forward Daniel Briere from the Montreal Canadiens, saying that Briere may not be happy with his playing situation in Montreal, could be a top-line centre with the Devils and would be closer to his sons who live in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Miller suggests that swapping Briere for defenceman Anton Volchenkov could work, as Volchenkov carries a $4.25 million cap hit through 2015-16 and Briere has a $4 million hit through next season. But not so fast... TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun says that while Briere wasnt happy about spending time in the press box, hes had an impact since returning to the lineup and the situation with both sides seems to have settled down for now. A source told him that a conversation Briere had with GM Marc Bergevin reassured him of his role and value to the team and with forward Alex Galchenyuk out for six weeks, Briere now should have a chance at regular ice time. Canucks Want List As written by LeBrun on ESPN.com, the Vancouver Canucks would like to add a centre before the trade deadline and, if not a centre, a top-nine winger. LeBrun says that Brad Richardson has been terrific as a No. 3 center for the Canucks, but feels if they can have him centring the fourth line and can upgrade the third center spot, theyd feel better about their playoff chances. If the cant they could keep Richardson in the No. 3 hole and upgrade the fourth-line centre job. He adds that the Canucks are deep on defence throughout the organization and could put a blueliner out there to make a meaningful deal. Patient Penguins The Globe and Mails Eric Duhatschek writes that the Pittsburgh Penguins could be interested in acquiring help on the wing with veterans like Ales Hemsky, Michael Cammalleri or Matt Moulson available, but will want to see how rookie Beau Bennett plays coming back off injury first. Gareth Bale Jersey. Hes expected back at some point next month and Duhatschek adds that GM Ray Shero would like to have him play a short stint in the minors before NHL play starts up again after the Olympics. The Penguins will expected to have Paul Martin back in the lineup by then, which leaves them with a surplus of defencemen. Sizzling Sens With six wins in their last eight games, the Ottawa Senators are in a dogfight for a postseason spot and re-signed general manager Bryan Murray is looking for another piece - most likely a forward - to make a run this spring. "Just watching the progress in the last month and a little bit, I think that the objective now is certainly more than it was a month before," Murray said on a conference call. "We are available to make a deal." On The Island According to Arthur Staple of Newsday, the New York Islanders have had some contract discussions with Thomas Vaneks agent, but both sides are waiting to see what direction the team goes in down the stretch. Im sure well talk, but Im trying to stay out of it," Vanek said. "Until something gets close, I need to focus on the games." Vanek is in the final year of a seven-year, $50 million contract he signed with the Buffalo Sabres. Staying In Denver? As per Adrian Dater of the Denver Post, centre Ryan OReilly and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to wait until the summer to discuss a new contract. OReilly, whos making $6.5 million this season, is still a restricted free agent in July. On Feb. 28 of last year, the Avalanche matched a two-year, $10 million offer sheet from the Calgary Flames meaning the team cant trade OReilly for one year from the date they matched the offer. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '