Three Keys to a Brendan Gallagher Resurgence in 2022-2023
By Ryan Praught
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.
This is your reminder that Brendan Gallagher is still good at hockey. He was just really unlucky last year.
— Ryan Praught (@RyanPraught) August 2, 2022
He shot 5% last year, about half of what he normally does. pic.twitter.com/X4LJejlWyp
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.