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Brendan Gallagher is a natural Canucks trade target

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
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May 26 2026, 7:28 pm
Brendan Gallagher is a natural Canucks trade target
Eric Bolte/Imagn Images

Brendan Gallagher has been a warrior for the Montreal Canadiens for 14 seasons.

But in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 34-year-old winger can’t seem to get into the lineup.

Gallagher has appeared in just three playoff games this spring, playing under seven minutes in three consecutive games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Since then, he has been relegated to the press box.

On Monday, he was passed over in favour of Joe Veleno, who plays centre but only had two goals and three assists in 61 regular-season games.

With 23 points (7-16-23) in 77 games, Gallagher is coming off the least-productive season of his NHL career. And with one year left on his contract that carries a $6.5-million cap hit, expect the 5-foot-9, 185-pound winger to pop up in trade rumours.

That’s where the Vancouver Canucks come in.

The Habs would need to attach a sweetener to offload his contract, but the Canucks have space for it.

As a rebuilding team looking to improve its culture, the Canucks should target a player exactly like Gallagher. Can you think of a better culture-carrier?

“Our leadership group’s amazing, and I think one guy in particular is Brendan Gallagher,” Habs defenceman Lane Hutson told reporters last season. “He’s been the heart and soul of our group all year. The way he works every night — you can’t teach work ethic, and he just has it. He leads by example, and he’s a huge part of our team.”

“He fights for the team, he goes into every battle, he plays hard,” Juraj Slafkovsky said earlier this season. “And in the locker room, he’s a good guy. I sit really close to him. We spend a lot of time together, and yeah, he’s a great human being.”

Gallagher was even praised for his professionalism as his minutes dwindled this season on a deep Canadiens team.

“He’s been a big part in that leadership role and helped our young guys to evolve,” said head coach Martin St. Louis. “He’s played hard. Gally’s a pro.”

Needless to say, these are qualities that have been in low supply for some time in Vancouver. While those attributes aren’t worth $6.5 million, the Canucks should happily accept that contract if it comes with a draft pick. And in terms of real dollars, he’s only owed $4 million.

Gallagher has a modified (six-team) no-trade clause, so he does hold some control. But a move to the West Coast would be a homecoming for the former Vancouver Giants star, who was born in Edmonton but moved to Tsawwassen at age 12.

While his role diminished in Montreal, Gallagher is just one year removed from a 21-goal season. He’d surely get more ice time with the Canucks.

There’s a world where Gallagher rebuilds his value at the trade deadline and could fetch the Canucks another draft pick if they retain salary.

But even if he doesn’t, Gallagher is the kind of guy who could help repair Vancouver’s broken dressing room. We’ll see if new Canucks GM Ryan Johnson makes a call to Montreal before the draft, which is just one month away.

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