The Vancouver Canucks are setting their culture for a long roster rebuild and covet Brendan Gallagher, a 34-year-old hockey lifer who has a year remaining on his contract but isn’t part of the Montreal Canadiens’ bright future. Especially after playing just three of 19 playoff games in the club’s captivating march to the Eastern Conference final.
Gallagher will have destination options and has a six-team no-trade list, but his fondness for Vancouver as a former Giants’ standout is obvious.
“Certainly, Vancouver would be a great place,” Gallagher admitted.
That should trump expected interest from suitors, especially a young and rising team like the Utah Mammoth, to add a key presence in the 5-foot-9, 185-pound bowling ball following his 14 seasons in Montreal.
To understand Gallagher’s impact, rewind the tape to Year 2 of the rebuild in 2022-23. The Canadiens were destined to miss the playoffs again and would make it three straight the following season before returning to the post-season in 2024-25. Regardless, Gallagher’s motor always ran hot.
On a very long November night in Minnesota where the Canadiens fell 4-1, his bravado was on display. Gallagher battled blueliner Jared Spurgeon, got cross-checked into the crease, gave Spurgeon a good stick whack and was then levelled again as he exited the offensive zone.
“He knows what a sweater feels like in the washing machine now,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis quipped to The Montreal Gazette. “You need guys like that. Gally, some of the stuff he does sometimes, it’s inspiring.”
Gallagher tops the Canucks’ wish list ahead of affable winger Curtis Douglas. The 6-foot-9 Group 6 free agent grinder provided protection for young players and improved the locker-room vibe after being claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 6. Douglas, 26, had two points (1-1) in 14 games and was challenged by foot speed and finish. He had a salary cap hit at US$750,000, but the Canucks may go in a different direction.
As for Gallagher, his agent Gerry Johansson has permission to broker a deal, so what’s at play? With the buyout window opening Wednesday, the Canadiens can save some money but the two-year commitment doesn’t address priorities. They need a second-line centre, so moving Gallagher’s US$6.5 million salary cap hit and US$4 million in actual salary could work.
The Canucks could push for a middle to late-round draft pick or prospect as a sweetener. If they attempt to get the Canadiens to retain salary, they might part with a modest draft pick. However, the Habs are in go-for-it mode and don’t need picks. And that probably spawned recent speculation by NHL podcaster Jeff Marek of rolling the trade dice on Filip Chytil.
From a financial perspective, it might make sense. From a health perspective, it could be a gamble. Chytil, 26, has a year left at US$4.4 million and it’s absorbable by moving Gallagher’s US$4 million. The cap gap might be a problem but a history of concussions is much more concerning.
When healthy, Chytil is a big presence with a strong stride through the neutral zone. He hangs on to pucks and makes smart plays, but the Canucks only saw glimpses of that. The Canadiens could bank on Chytil now being healthy after ample time to heal, but again, that was the same story here. Chytil was sidelined Oct. 19 in Washington by a brutal blindside hit and missed 44 games. He then played just 7:36 against the Mammoth on Feb. 2, looked slow in progressions through zones and finished with just one shot and a minus-3 rating.
He played left wing to take pressure off the two-way responsibilities of centre, but the wing requires heavy wall work and it’s there where something may have occurred to bring on migraine symptoms. He then suffered a freak facial bone fracture in a Feb. 18 practice drill at the University of B.C. when struck by a Brock Boeser slapshot that hit a skate, ricocheted off the Plexiglas and caught Chytil. All told, he would miss the final 26 regular-season games.
A Chytil exit would also add to the Canucks’ riddle in the middle. Elias Pettersson trade rumours persist, Teddy Blueger is an unrestricted free agent, but Aatu Raty is coming off a strong world championship with Finland that claimed gold. He had seven points (4-3) in 10 games, a plus-4 rating and dominated the faceoff circle at 64.3 per cent efficiency.
Do you advance the rebuild by tossing prize prospect Braeden Cootes, 19, into the deep end of the NHL development pool after a standout WHL season? Or, do you also prop up that position with a veteran?
