Let’s talk about Brendan Gallagher

Patrik Laine… Juraj Slafkovsky… David Reinbacher… Cole Caufield… Kirby Dach… Lane Hutson… Logan Mailloux… Arber Xhekaj… Justin Barron… Jayden Struble… Alex Newhook… Joshua Roy… Oliver Kapanen…

It seems like every player has been getting his due in Montreal sports news since the start of the Canadiens’ training camp. Everyone except one: Brendan Gallagher.

Yet Gallagher is a veteran of the organization who has never played for another team in the Bettman circuit. He’s also one of the club’s highest-paid forwards ($6.5 million for three more full seasons).

Why haven’t we heard anything about Gallagher in the last two weeks? Perhaps because, for the time being, he’s on track for a very limited role on the fourth line. Currently, DailyFaceoff has Gallagher on the left side of the four (even though he’s a natural right-winger). If Laine and Harvey-Pinard were healthy, would Brendan be in the press gallery?

On the other hand, having a guy who makes $6.5 million a season on four should get more press than that. It’s far from an ideal situation for the team.

At the same time in 2022, 2023 and 2024, Brendan Gallagher and the club were telling us how he was in the best shape of his life, the Gally…

But this year, we’re hearing none of that.

We’ve barely heard a peep from Brendan Gallagher since the start of camp.

(Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Gallagher has played two preparatory games so far. On September 24, he was blanked from the scoresheet in just over 14 minutes on the ice…

And on Tuesday, it was the same thing: no points in 13:02.

Yet Gallagher ended the 2023-24 season on a high note, collecting five goals and three assists in his last five games. In fact, 2023-24 was his best campaign since the pandemic (apart from his plus/minus record).

Gallagher is 32 years old. A few veterans told me over the summer that they were aching all over… and although I haven’t spoken to Gallagher, I’m pretty sure it’s the same for him. The weight of the years and the many surgeries he’s had to undergo are clearly taking their toll.

When the rebuild is complete and the club wants to win, it’s clear that guys like Brendan Gallagher will no longer have a place in the lineup.

The Montreal club wants to be in the mix this year… and then start winning on a regular basis next year.

Buying out his contract could well be an option in June 2025. Especially since Gallagher’s annual salary will drop from $9 million to $6.5 million, then $4 million thereafter. The cost of a potential buyout will therefore be more affordable next summer.

Brendan Gallagher may be playing out the remainder of his career in 2024-25. If not, the possibility of having his contract bought out – or being placed on the LTIR for the final two years of his contract – will be seriously considered in the off-season.

What good is Brendan Gallagher in 2024? Good question…

Let him answer it starting next week!

Right now, all I see is a guy who’s struggling to keep up with the pace and whose camp highlight was getting in front of the opposing goalie when Jake Evans was taking a shot. A guy who will unfortunately slow down a little more each season… and who, no, doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who won’t give everything on the calendar to explode once the regular campaign begins.