Is it time to move on from Brendan Gallagher?

DansLesCoulisses.com
Is it time to move on from Brendan Gallagher?
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It may be time to move on from Brendan Gallagher.

He has been an icon of the team for many years, serving the team with pride, but he is simply unable to keep up with Montreal's level of play this season.

This was the subject of a debate on Monday's edition of Le Club du Matin on BPM Sports.

I say debate, but all the guys agreed that Gallagher no longer has a place on the team.

He no longer contributes offensively, except for a few exceptional games here and there.

Looking only at total points, you realize he's the 10th leading scorer on the Habs. That's not bad, but it doesn't take into account that the guys below him have been injured and have therefore missed several games. There are also players who have no place on the power play.

That's something that's still quite strange: Brendan Gallagher still has a place on the power play. In the last game, Oliver Kapanen didn't even have a place on the second wave of the power play, yet he produces much more than Gallagher!

You can also see that Gallagher no longer has a place when you watch him play. He lacks energy and is no longer the explosive player we have long appreciated.

And as the guys from the Club du Matin explained, the Canadiens are no longer in the middle of a rebuild where the presence of a veteran like Gallagher can be beneficial to the young players. The team wants to win now, and spots in the lineup should be earned on merit.

The Habs have the means to replace him in the lineup. Alexandre Texier, Joe Veleno, and even Patrik Laine would probably do a better job than him.

Gallagher deserves the respect of all fans, but like any good athlete, at a certain age, his legs can no longer keep up.

The worst part is that his contract weighs $6.5 million on the Canadiens' payroll until the end of next season. If Kent Hughes really wants to go to extremes, he could buy out his contract. It wouldn't cost the CH that much.

The only thing that could force the Canadiens to keep Gallagher in their lineup for every game is the famous mark of respect. That's what didn't happen to Andrei Markov, who never had the chance to reach the 1,000-game milestone.

If Gallagher plays every gameuntil the end of his contract, he will reach the 1,000-game mark in a CH uniform. So here's the dilemma: is this mark of respect worth slowing down a team that is trying to become a powerhouse in the NHL?


In a nutshell

– Wow.

— A nice gesture.

– Good news for Seattle.

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