Brendan Gallagher: The Habs could get assets in return (instead of giving them away)

Félix Forget
Brendan Gallagher: The Habs could get assets in return (instead of giving them away)
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

On Monday morning, it was reported that Brendan Gallagher had asked the Canadiens to trade him. The veteran, who has been sidelined in recent weeks, wants the chance to play on a regular basis next season.

And since that clearly won't be the case in Montreal, he wants to look elsewhere.

We know that Kent Hughes wants to make sure he handles the situation properly. He has given Gallagher's agent permission to talk to other teams, and the GM wants to trade him to a place that will suit Gallagher.

Earlier this week, Marco D'Amico discussed a scenario in which the Habs might not have to give up anything for another team to take on Gallagher's contract ($6.5 million for one final year). However, on BPM Sports, he also added that according to some executives, the Canadiens might even be the ones to receive something in return.

The reason? Teams see how respected Gallagher is in Montreal, and some of them might want his leadership.

D'Amico stresses that this doesn't mean Gallagher is in high demand across the league. That said, there does seem to be some market for his services, and the Habs (who would rather accommodate him than jump at the best offer) could walk away with a little something in return.

We're a long way from the not-so-distant days when teams had to pay top dollar to offload a bad contract to another club, hehe.

With the salary cap skyrocketing, it's easier for teams to absorb a bad contract. And at $6.5 million for one year, Gallagher isn't a massive long-term liability either: he's overpaid, but he's not untradeable.

Remember that last year, the Habs had to trade a fifth-round pick to the Sharks to get them to take on Carey Price's contract ($10.5 million for one year) even though he's unofficially retired.

With the salary cap rising and a $6.5 million Gallagher who is still capable of playing, it makes sense to think that this time, it's the Habs who might get a little something in return.


In a nutshell

– Still.

– Hehe.

– Interesting.

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