Montreal Canadiens: Brendan Gallagher in a unique spot during 2022-23

The Montreal Canadiens decided to name Nick Suzuki their team’s captain. The decision has been able to simmer a bit, but it leaves some food for thought about the Habs 2022-23 roster. One of the things that it draws attention to is veteran forward Brendan Gallagher.

While the Montreal Canadiens opted to reward the up-and-coming youngster with the captaincy, Gallagher would have been the choice if they wanted to go the veteran route. While there’s a debate that Gallagher deserved the “C” instead of Shea Weber, that’s all in the past now, anyway.

A recent article on the Montreal Gazette website from Stu Cowan talks about Gallagher’s 2022-23 season and how he feels after not being given the captaincy. According to Cowan’s article, Gallagher continued to be a great team player and gave a great answer about believing in the direction this team is going and trusting the leadership that Suzuki will bring.

Gallagher, a 10-year veteran of the NHL, has spent all 638 games of his career suiting up for the Habs. He’s embraced the team, the city, and the culture with open arms, becoming someone the Habs fans could easily become a fan of. But as the 2022-23 season draws near, he’s in an interesting spot.

Montreal Canadiens veteran Brendan Gallagher is in a unique spot.

Gallagher signed a six-year, $35 million contract extension ahead of the 2021-22 season and is going into year two of this contract. He’s dealt with injuries that have not made his life easier whatsoever.

As Cowan notes in the article above, the quick turnaround from 2020-21 into 2021-22 proved detrimental to his health. After making a cup run with the Habs in 2020-21, he was beaten down and injured, with a very small window to rest up and prepare for the 2021-22 season.

That led to a rough performance in 2021-22, seeing Gallagher manage just seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points over 56 games played. He was already limited in 2020-21 as well, finding his way into just 35 games over the 56-game sprint.

In the abbreviated regular season, he scored 14 goals and added nine assists for 23 total points for the Habs, where they made a run for the cup. For Gallagher, 2021-22 was not a year he wants to remember.

After not being named captain, there has to be a bit of bad blood. Even if he shakes it and is bought into where the team is going, it has to suck for him. In Cowan’s article, there are several articles about Gallagher claiming he wants to stick around with the Habs to finish out his career.

He also expresses his desire to win a Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens are not exactly positioned to make a run for the Stanley Cup during the 2022-23 season. It’s a rebuild that is not labeled a rebuild but rather rebuilding on the fly.

For Gallagher, there’s going to come a time when the want to win a cup overpowers the wish to finish out his career in Montreal. While he does not have a ton of say in it, with his contract being on the books for through the 2026-27 season, he may wind up in another uniform before his career ends.

Cowan mentions that the Habs GM Kent Hughes may try to move Gallagher if he comes out and produces well. It seems hard to believe that many teams would want to take on a $6.5 million cap hit forward who is approaching the wrong side of 30 years old.

A team may get desperate, but saying that Gallagher will get traded if he performs well seems a bit zealous. This leaves Gallagher in a tight spot. Without being in a contract year, or an upcoming contract year with five more seasons to go on his deal, he’s most likely staying put.

But, as mentioned, Gallagher wants to win a championship. For that to happen, he will have to do it in Montreal, which will take time as the influx of young talent will poke through in 2022-23, but this team will not be headed to a Stanley Cup Final.