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Worst differential in Canadiens history: Brendan Gallagher is “well on his way”.
Credit: The weight of years is beginning to weigh heavily on Brendan Gallagher's shoulders

Good news: this season, Brendan Gallagher is healthy. The forward’s missed games are due to his suspension, not his precarious state of health.

For the player, this is wonderful news… and to some extent, for the club too. It gives the Rocket a chance to keep some players for a playoff push.

But when you watch him play, it’s clear that his contribution on the ice is… ordinary.

Look at his stats. He has fewer goals this season than captain Nick Suzuki has since returning from the All-Star Game. He has less than a point in three games so far this season.

But I also want to draw attention to his differential: -24.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

I know, I know: differential is worth what it’s worth. It’s not perfect, but it’s still worth something when it’s extreme. Like an MLB reliever’s win-loss record, for example.

And in Gally’s case, his differential is intense.

In fact, he’s currently at -24. He’s on a pace that could take him to -35 by the end of the season, which is almost -1 every two games.

That’s a lot, you say? Yes, it is.

Martin Leclerc, on the Tellement Hockey podcast, mentioned that being at -31 during a season has been seen before (Patrice Brisebois and Alex Galchenyuk) in Montreal in one season.

But -35? Never.

What’s fascinating, as the Radio-Canada reporter points out, is the fact that back in the days of the trio completed by Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault, the unit was dominant at 5 vs. 5.

But what happened? Is Martin St-Louis asking enough of his players defensively? Is Gally simply worn out? These are the questions… but who knows?


In short

– When to pull your goalie?

– Interesting.

– Nick Suzuki is less predictable. [BPM Sports]

– Ark.

– He’ll be traded, but when?

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