Is Brendan Gallagher On His Last Legs?

Gallagher proved last season that age was just a number as he was playing some of his best hockey that he has played over the last four years since the team’s rebuild started in the 2021-22 season. The Montreal Canadiens forward potted 21 goals last year, which was his first 20+ goal season since the 2019-20 campaign when Gallagher scored 23 goals. It’s no secret that he’s an aging veteran, but nobody expected him to drop off as hard as he did after the first 5-6 games of the Habs season.

Through 19 games this season, Gallagher has yet to score and only has 7 assists. Honestly, the assists totals aren’t so bad, but it’s more so the fact that his skating is no longer keeping up like it once was. As a result, he is also getting to the net much slower than he ever has, which makes him a much less effective scorer. Gallagher was never really a sniper; he was always more of a grinder who got his goals at the front of the net.

The guy who was once the feistiest diminutive forward on the Habs for over a decade is no longer the same player. Even if he tries to still be that grinder in a bit of a lesser role, it just isn’t working out, as the skating is needed to accomplish the tasks that he needs to on the ice to be that guy. 

On the other hand, Gallagher did start the season out well when he was fresh and rested. Therefore, maybe it could be time to try playing Gallagher in fewer games as he finishes the last leg of his career. Sure, his $6.5 million cap hit is a lot to sit in the press box, but if they play him 2 out of every 3 games in a given week, the Habs are likely to get more out of him. Load management isn’t something that is known for skaters in the NHL and more of an NBA term, but for a player like Gallagher, who is getting older and has had his fair share of battles in the league, some rest every few games could allow the Habs to get the best of Gallagher to end his career over the next 2 seasons. 

It’s no secret that Gallagher is a leader on this team, and even if he’s not on the ice, maybe they can make sure he is in the room to provide his leadership to the guys in between periods, rather than staying up in the press box. Either way, it just seems like Gallagher’s body is no longer built to handle a grueling 82 games a season, despite how important his mentality and experience can be for the team.

Now the Habs obviously won’t leave him out as a healthy scratch any time soon with the injuries on the team but maybe giving him some rest if he still hasn’t refound the pace he played with during the first two weeks of the season in a month or two from now could be a good idea so that he will be fresh when he gets called upon again. Gallagher will always bring the work ethic on the ice, but will his body follow through constantly if he has to play every night?

Do you think taking a few games off here and there would be beneficial for Gallagher’s game moving forward?