Brendan Gallagher: “It’s extremely unlikely” that the Canucks will pay for him

Félix Forget
Brendan Gallagher: “It’s extremely unlikely” that the Canucks will pay for him
Credit: NHL.com

Where will Brendan Gallagher end up? In the eyes of many, Vancouver is a logical destination for the veteran.

The team needs leadership, Gally grew up in the area, and he's a former teammate of Manny Malhotra, the team's new head coach. Oh, and we know the Canucks are interested, too.

That said, it's interesting to wonder what such a trade would look like structurally. Because we know that, according to some executives, the Habs could even get something in return for Gallagher's services.

Except that the Canucks, unlike other teams, are in a position where it makes less sense to trade assets for veterans. And Gallagher, in fact, fits that profile.

And Iain MacIntyre, who covers the Canucks, echoed this sentiment in an article for Sportsnet: he states that it would be “extremely unlikely” for Vancouver to pay anything to acquire Gally.

MacIntyre suggests instead that the Canucks, in a deal for Gallagher, might try to offload one of their problem players to the Habs in return. And the name he mentions is Jake DeBrusk.

The forward is far from a bad player and still scores around 20 goals and 40 points per season… but he's still making $5.5 million a year for five years. And the Canucks, who are looking to rebuild, probably wouldn't say no to getting rid of that contract.

One has to wonder if the Habs would really benefit from considering such a trade. Because even if the club wants to do the right thing for Gally and accommodate him, taking on a $5.5 million-a-year contract through 2031 isn't exactly ideal.

It's more viable in an NHL where the salary cap is skyrocketing (and in a context where DeBrusk is still a quality role player)… but it's mainly the length that's not ideal. Let's see what Kent Hughes thinks about it.


In a nutshell

– Well deserved.

– Note:

– What do you think?

– Goaltenders to watch.

– Obviously.

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