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Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. The Stanley Cup Final is set to get underway with a matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes. Though the Stanley Cup has not been awarded yet, that hasn’t stopped other teams from focusing on next season. One of those teams is the Montreal Canadiens. In this edition of NHL Rumours, we focus on the Canadiens and the status of their veteran forward, Brendan Gallagher.
All NHL Rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
Rumour: In their year-end exit interviews, an extremely emotional Brendan Gallagher spoke on his future with the organization. After thanking the fans, the city, coaches and teammates for the 14 years he’s played in Montreal, Gallagher stated: “It’s pretty clear, I’ll be kind of moving on here.”
Analysis: This all but confirms that Gallagher will be donning a new jersey next season. It’s truly the end of an era as Gallagher has spent his entire 14-year career with the Canadiens and became a staple in their lineup through so many ups and downs with the team. However, it’s not overly surprising, given the lack of playing time Gallagher received during the Canadiens run to the Eastern Conference Final. Gallagher sat out all but three games during the Canadiens’ run, which were all played in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Even when the Canadiens were getting dominated by the Hurricanes and were down 3-1, the Canadiens still never made a change and put their veteran leader in the lineup, so his exit seemed to already be written on the wall. It was a very questionable move by coach Martin St. Louis, because the Canadiens surely could have used his voice on the bench and his energy on the ice; however, they decided to go another direction, and the rest is now history.
Gallagher scored 246 goals and 487 points in 911 games for the Montreal Canadiens. He was originally drafted by the Habs in the fifth round, 147th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
This is the number one question. Despite Gallagher mentioning he’ll be moving on, he is still under contract with the Canadiens for one more season. So for him to move on, the Canadiens would either need to buy him out or trade him to another team. The latter seems more realistic, as even though he may not have had a place with the Canadiens, there are a ton of teams that would acquire him for his leadership skills alone. Let alone his never-give-up work ethic. While the Canadiens likely won’t get much for Gallagher at this point in his career, especially considering his contract paying him $6.5 million next season, there will certainly be teams looking to acquire his services. He would be the perfect mentor for any young team and also serve as a nice addition for a team looking for a bottom-six energy player for a playoff run. Despite the Canadiens failing to use him as such.
Gallagher also controls this situation to an extent, as he has a modified no-trade clause. Gallagher did mention in his year-end interview that a move to Vancouver would certainly be something he would be interested in, but ultimately, it would depend on the teams looking to acquire him as well as what he and his wife felt was best for their family. This will certainly be a story to follow in the coming weeks leading up to the draft and free agency, as Gallagher sits down with his family, his agent and Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes to try to get a deal done that works for both Gallagher and the Canadiens.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Continue reading...
All NHL Rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours: Brendon Gallagher Confirms Future with the Canadiens
Rumour: In their year-end exit interviews, an extremely emotional Brendan Gallagher spoke on his future with the organization. After thanking the fans, the city, coaches and teammates for the 14 years he’s played in Montreal, Gallagher stated: “It’s pretty clear, I’ll be kind of moving on here.”
Analysis: This all but confirms that Gallagher will be donning a new jersey next season. It’s truly the end of an era as Gallagher has spent his entire 14-year career with the Canadiens and became a staple in their lineup through so many ups and downs with the team. However, it’s not overly surprising, given the lack of playing time Gallagher received during the Canadiens run to the Eastern Conference Final. Gallagher sat out all but three games during the Canadiens’ run, which were all played in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Even when the Canadiens were getting dominated by the Hurricanes and were down 3-1, the Canadiens still never made a change and put their veteran leader in the lineup, so his exit seemed to already be written on the wall. It was a very questionable move by coach Martin St. Louis, because the Canadiens surely could have used his voice on the bench and his energy on the ice; however, they decided to go another direction, and the rest is now history.
Gallagher scored 246 goals and 487 points in 911 games for the Montreal Canadiens. He was originally drafted by the Habs in the fifth round, 147th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
What’s Next for Gallagher and the Canadiens?
This is the number one question. Despite Gallagher mentioning he’ll be moving on, he is still under contract with the Canadiens for one more season. So for him to move on, the Canadiens would either need to buy him out or trade him to another team. The latter seems more realistic, as even though he may not have had a place with the Canadiens, there are a ton of teams that would acquire him for his leadership skills alone. Let alone his never-give-up work ethic. While the Canadiens likely won’t get much for Gallagher at this point in his career, especially considering his contract paying him $6.5 million next season, there will certainly be teams looking to acquire his services. He would be the perfect mentor for any young team and also serve as a nice addition for a team looking for a bottom-six energy player for a playoff run. Despite the Canadiens failing to use him as such.
Gallagher also controls this situation to an extent, as he has a modified no-trade clause. Gallagher did mention in his year-end interview that a move to Vancouver would certainly be something he would be interested in, but ultimately, it would depend on the teams looking to acquire him as well as what he and his wife felt was best for their family. This will certainly be a story to follow in the coming weeks leading up to the draft and free agency, as Gallagher sits down with his family, his agent and Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes to try to get a deal done that works for both Gallagher and the Canadiens.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Continue reading...
