Brendan Gallagher: The Habs might not have to pay much to trade him

Marc-Olivier Cook
Brendan Gallagher: The Habs might not have to pay much to trade him
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The Brendan Gallagher situation is one of the most pressing issues on Kent Hughes's desk right now. The Canadiens' GM has a clear plan for his veteran player, but we're all asking the same question when we think about how it will play out:

What will the Habs have to give up in addition to Gallagher to trade him?

Gally's salary ($6.5 million) complicates matters, which is why we expect the Canadiens to throw in a sweetener for the team willing to trade for his services. That said…

That said, Marco D'Amico discussed this this morning on BPM Sports: the Canadiens might not have to shell out much to trade him.

The veteran is a respected figure throughout the National Hockey League… and D'Amico, who has spoken with other people in the NHL, put it quite clearly this morning: 

Even at $6.5 million for a one-year contract, I'm told that if the Habs have to add something, it won't be anything significant. – Marco D'Amico

D'Amico also went on to say that no, the Habs might not necessarily need to absorb part of Gally's salary in order to send him elsewhere: 

Last year, before the start of the 2025–26 season, the Canadiens traded Carey Price to the Sharks.

And Kent Hughes managed to send him to San Jose with a fifth-round pick in exchange for Gannon Laroque (without retaining any salary), a player who had little to no professional experience.

But Gally's situation is different.

The fact that Gally is still capable of playing and can still make an impact on a roster changes things a bit. His salary will count for $6.5 million against the cap next season, but he'll only earn $4 million in actual salary, and that, too, could help the Canadiens in a way.

I really wonder how Kent Hughes is going to handle the Gallagher situation.

The Habs' GM wants to do the right thing; he wants to send Gally somewhere where he can make a difference… but we know his contract complicates things a bit.

But the more we hear about it, the more it seems there's a way the Canadiens can still come out ahead. Whether that's by sending him elsewhere with a little sweetener… or by sending him elsewhere without having to absorb a single dollar of his contract.

To be continued.


In a nutshell

– Yes.

– It's going to be a wild one.

– Oh, really?

– He needs to get back in position.

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