Brendan Gallagher’s Season Hangs In the Balance

It’s been well-documented on this website just how many injuries the Canadiens have been forced to deal with this season. Perhaps the least surprising name on the long list is Brendan Gallagher. The 11-year veteran has been a staple on the Canadiens for his entire career racking up 198 goals, good enough for 25th all-time in franchise history. He’s also, unfortunately, been a staple on the injured reserve for much of his career, including each of the last four seasons. The Canadiens announced last Thursday that Gallagher, who’s only played in 25 games this season, will miss the next 3-4 weeks due to a lower-body injury.

Gallagher, 30, hasn’t played since January 3rd and has been dealing with a lower-body injury (LBI) ever since. With each missed game, it’s become more and more apparent that the carefree, hard-nosed style of play has finally caught up to the Canadiens forward. His body has taken several beatings over the years, and it appears his ability to recover is slowly fading away. It’s incredibly unfortunate, as Gallagher is a fan favourite for his work ethic and determination. He’s also seen as a great leader in the locker room and was considered a strong candidate for the Captaincy vacancy before it was given to Nick Suzuki. Perhaps this factored into that decision.

It’s unfortunate that Gallagher’s career has come down to this, but it’s also not that unexpected. Before the season began, I wrote about three keys to a Brendan Gallagher resurgence, which I still believed was possible at the time. The most important factor was his health, a tricky obstacle to navigate through for sure, but not impossible. In the NBA, for instance, we’ve seen players take nights off to nurse an “injury,” and I thought Gallagher could benefit from a similar strategy. But, obviously, that never ended up happening.

So now here’s the question, will we see Brendan Gallagher return this season? And also, how many years does he have left? The unfortunate reality is that Gallagher has been dealing with a ton of injuries over his career, all of them hard-earned. Those take a toll, and it begs the question of whether the Canadiens forward can keep going. The hope is that he can, but It’s getting tougher and tougher to believe it is still a reality. And even if he can get back on the ice, can he be the effective player he wants to be?

I think it’s safe to assume at this point that Gallagher will not end up playing for another team in his career, not with his current contract. And after having watched his entire career unfold, I know Gallagher will not give up easily. So I think it’s too early to wonder if He’s played his last game in A Canadiens uniform. But I do wonder what the future holds for #11 and how much longer he has.

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