Three Keys to a Brendan Gallagher Resurgence in 2022-2023

Health

It seems rather obvious to point out that a player needs to stay healthy in order to be effective doesn’t it? Well, it is obvious, but it is by far the most important aspect to Gallagher’s resurgence. In the two best years of Gallagher’s career, he scored 30+ goals in each season. But he also played in all 82 games a feat he has not been able to repeat since.

Unfortunately for Kent Hughes and the Habs, there is nothing they can do to just magically get Gallagher to play in all 82 games, but they can do things to help him be a more effective player when he does play.

Gallagher has gained the reputation of a “warrior” in Montreal. The kind of player who, no matter how hard he gets knocked down, always gets back up. The kind of player that gives it his all every single game. And, in this context, most notbaly plays through some injuries. He doesn’t want to miss time if he doesn’t have to. But maybe the Canadiens need to take a more cut and dry approach with him in order to allow him to be at his best.

With Gallagher, he’s always going to want to play if he can, but that has and will continue to take a toll. on Gallagher’s body. Perhaps, in order to get the most out of Gallagher, the Canadiens should give him nights off when the situation calls for it. Namely when he’s nursing an injury that needs time to heal. FOr instance, in a back to back situation, maybe give Gallagher the night off for the second game in order to ensure he’s as close to %100 as possible.

The Canadiens have invested a lot in Gallagher, and whether they view him as a trade chip or a part of the future with the team, they need to do whatever they can to maximize his value. So even if this seems a little unorthodox, it might be worth a shot with the Habs forward.

The bottom line is, health is of extreme importance to any resurgence of Brendan Gallagher. Last year he was battling some injuries after coming off a very short off-season. Maybe the extra long off-season will help him this year. If his health remains a problem, not much else matters.  Some of that may be within the Canadiens control, but a lot of it comes down to luck.

Luck

Speaking of luck, that is also a pretty big thing when it comes to Gallagher’s success and unfortunately for him, it was hard to come by last season. In this context, luck could refer to his health, but it also refers to his on ice success.

Guys let’s face it, there are very few Brendan Gallagher goals that you would classify as “pretty” or “highlight reel.” He might be the face of ugly, garbage goals. And there isn’t anything wrong with that, but it does mean when luck is not on your side, you’re going to have a rough time.

Last season Gallagher was still highly effective at creating offense. So if he’s creating offense at an elite level, why are the goals not coming? Well, it could be a multitude of factors, which we will dive into later, but luck is definitely a part of it. Last season, Gallagher had a shooting percentage of 4.9%. For his career prior to this season he was shooting at 10.1%, so his numbers were essentially cut in half.

And yet, he was doing all the right things, the puck just wasn’t going in. But the message to #11 should not change. He’s got to keep playing the exact same way, it’s worked wonders so far. His luck is bound to turn around.

The last thing the Habs want to do is try and change what’s worked for 10 years because of one bad season. Instead of fixing Gallagher, they need to help him by putting him in a more favourable situation, which they didn’t really do last year.

Linemates

The best years of Brendan Gallagher’s career came when he played on a line with Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar. For three years, that line was the model of consistency, playing at an elite level at both ends of the ice night in and night out. So when both Tatar and Danault parted in free agency, it really wasn’t that surprising to see Gallagher’s game take a step back.

Gallagher showed incredible chemistry with his linemates who all seemed to make each other better players. It was almost expected that Gallagher would take a step back without them alongside him. Still, scoring just seven goals and 24 points was disappointing. But to be fair to Gallagher, he wasn’t put in the best situation to thrive.

Imagine telling someone that just a few months after making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, Gallagher would be playing on a line with Laurent Dauphin and Mike Hoffman. Those were Gallagher’s most common linemates last year, so is it any surprise that the winger struggled to produce like normal? Hoffman himself also had a bad year, and Laurent Dauphin is a fourth line forward at best.

It may not be fair to absolve Gallagher of all blame for his performance last year, but this certainly explains some of the reasoning behind his drop-off. If the Canadiens want Gallagher to succeed, which they obviously do, it would be wise to put him in a better position to thrive.

The bottom line is, whether the Habs plan on trading Gallagher, or keeping him a part of the core, they need to get the most out of him. Last season, things just didn’t go Gallagher’s way. Some of it was out of the Canadiens control. But there are things the Canadiens could do to help Gallagher find his form again. I believe that if these three things happen, Gallagher will bounce back.

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