Stu Cowan: Are Brendan Gallagher's days with Canadiens numbered?

You have to wonder if the Los Angeles Kings might have interest in the veteran winger as Habs GM Kent Hughes looks to reshape the team.

Author of the article:

Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette

Publishing date:

Apr 20, 2022 • 15 minutes ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation

Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher tries to squeeze past Minnesota Wild’s Mitchell Chaffee, left, and Brandon Duhaime during the second period at the Bell Center in Montreal on April 19, 2022. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images

The Canadiens have only five games remaining this season and you have to wonder if they might be Brendan Gallagher’s last ones with the team.

“Winning has always been the most important thing and you can’t turn that off,” Gallagher said in January after Kent Hughes was hired as the new GM. “That said, being a Montreal Canadien is pretty important to me as well.”

There will be a lot of changes during the offseason as Hughes tries to turn the Canadiens around after a disastrous season in which they have the second-worst record in the NHL (20-46-11).

Hughes would probably like to unload the final five seasons of Gallagher’s six-year, US$39-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $6.5 million. The 29-year-old right-winger probably wouldn’t mind going to a team that has a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup in the near future.

This has been a difficult season for Gallagher, who has battled injuries and has only six goals in 51 games. His contract with him might scare away other teams but, if the Canadiens were willing to eat some of it, maybe a deal can be made.

You have to wonder if the Los Angeles Kings might have interest in Gallagher and the possibility of reuniting him with former Canadiens linemate Phillip Danault. Marc Bergevin, who signed Gallagher to his $39-million contract while GM of the Canadiens and is one of the player’s biggest fans, is a senior adviser to Kings GM Rob Blake.

Veteran Kings forward Dustin Brown, at age 37, is in the final season of his eight-year, US$47-million contract with a salary-cap hit of $5.875 million, which will free up some money during the off-season.

Danault is off to a fantastic start with the Kings in the first season of his six-year, US$33-million contract with a salary-cap hit of $5.5 million. The 29-year-old center has 25-24-49 totals in 76 games, shattering his previous career high of 13 goals.

“I’m really happy for Phil,” Gallagher said after practice Wednesday in Brossard. “Even talking to him, you can see that he loved his time in Montreal. I have loved being here, I have loved being a Montreal Canadien. He just felt like it was time for him to move on. It’s been good to see he’s been given some more opportunity. He’s been playing on the power play, he’s being put in new positions and he’s succeeding. He’s having a really good year for a good hockey team and he’s enjoying it. You’re happy for your friends whenever they have success and he’s definitely a friend.”

Gallagher has two 30-goal seasons during his 10 years with the Canadiens, but has only 20 goals over the last two seasons while missing 47 games with injuries. He’s looking forward to a long summer in order to get his body back in shape.

“My job as a player is to get myself ready and to be a good player and that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’m going to take care of myself. There will be conversations that happen, where (the Canadiens) see me fit and all that. But right now for me, it’s just getting back to what I can be and what I know I’ll be. It’s not really a concern. It’s just putting in the work and getting back to that level.”

Gallagher has always been known as a scorer, going back to his days with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. He still holds the junior franchise’s record for most career goals (136) and points (280) during the 244 games he played over four seasons.

“Going back to when I was as young as I can remember playing this game, that’s always been a part of what I’ve done,” he said. “It’s not my full identity and going forward it will continue to be a part of what I do. I still know I’m able to contribute more on the offensive side. I think there’s a lot more to the game that I take pride in and that I like to do on every single given night.

“The season is 82 games long,” Gallagher added. “Even if you’re a 40-goal scorer — not even counting multi-goal games — you’re only scoring in half the games. So what do you do in the other games? How are you helping the team? How are you contributing? There’s a lot more that you have to do. All those things add up to what I feel like I am as a player and contributing offensively is a big part of that. I know this year I haven’t done that. It has been frustrating but, at the same time, I haven’t lost any belief in myself going forward and that I’m going to be able to contribute the same way I always have.”

Five more games to go before a very interesting off-season begins for the Canadiens.

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