Here are the options for Brendan Gallagher in the final year of his contract

Mathis Therrien
Here are the options for Brendan Gallagher in the final year of his contract
Credit: NHL.com

The aspect that drew the most criticism following the Montreal Canadiens' elimination in the conference finals—aside from their lack of shots on goal—was Martin St-Louis's inaction.

Indeed, the Habs' head coach was criticized for not making any changes to his lineup in Game 5 after suffering three consecutive losses to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Many fans and analysts would have liked to see one or two changes, such as bringing in Arber Xhekaj or Brendan Gallagher.

In the end, St-Louis did nothing, which speaks volumes about Xhekaj and Gallagher's place in Martin St-Louis's system.

It's a shame, especially in Gallagher's case, given that he is a highly respected veteran in the locker room but no longer seems capable of making a difference in a game.

With one year remaining on his contract, the Habs' options for him are fairly limited and not very advantageous, even though he's still very involved with the team, as evidenced by his presence last night at the Luke Combs concert.

In the end, Gallagher will have played in only three of the Habs' 19 playoff games.

In my opinion, Kent Hughes and the Habs have four options regarding Brendan Gallagher.

Option 1: Status quo

Brendan Gallagher stays with the Montreal Canadiens for the final year of his contract and is used as a depth player, seeing action in about two out of every three games—or even fewer.

Martin St-Louis keeps him as a backup and brings him in if there are injuries or if he needs to shake things up within the lineup.

Option 2: Make room for Gallagher

Although slim, there is a possibility that Kent Hughes will make a few trades this summer, which could indirectly lead to a spot among the team's top 12 forwards opening up for Gallagher.

With a few moves, #11 could find himself on a fourth line, but right now, there's quite a bit of congestion ahead of Gallagher, on top of the young players pushing up.

Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Alex Newhook, Phillip Danault, Jake Evans, Josh Anderson, and Zachary Bolduc represent nine players clearly ahead of Gallagher.

Next, with the 2026 draft class, Alexandre Texier clearly deserves a spot on the roster, especially with his two-year contract.

And finally, Joe Veleno, who performed well late in the season and in the playoffs, as well as Kirby Dach, who presents a major dilemma, could be re-signed.

If that's the case, that makes 12 forwards, not counting the young players who will earn a spot in Montreal at training camp, or the players acquired by Kent Hughes over the summer.

It would therefore take several major decisions and big moves for there to be a spot for Gallagher.

Option 3: Trade

This is a very real option, as Gallagher's $6.5 million contract weighs heavily on the salary cap, which could push Kent Hughes to want to trade him.

However, with such a contract at age 34, and a body that no longer moves like it used to, I don't see how Kent Hughes could come out ahead in a Brendan Gallagher trade.

He'd likely have to take on some of the salary, or throw in a draft pick or prospect to sweeten the deal for the team acquiring Gallagher.

Option 4: Contract buyout

Personally, I don't see this option happening, but it remains viable, given that the Habs absolutely need cap space right now.

By buying out Gallagher, he would no longer be a member of the Habs, and the impact on the payroll would be spread over two years:

  • 2026-2027: $3,833,333 impact, saving $2,666,667
  • 2027-2028: $1,333,333 impact

In short, there are ultimately four options, but I sincerely believe that only two of them are realistic, considering that Gallagher is a club legend and that he deserves to be respected until the end of his contract.

Options 2 and 3 are the most likely in my view, as either playing Gallagher or trading him represents the best course of action for the 34-year-old veteran.

Buying him out or keeping him as a backup would be somewhat disrespectful after everything Gally has done for the Habs.

In short, this is a very interesting situation that remains worth following closely.


In Brief

– Stay tuned in Philadelphia.

Ouch.

– Read more.

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