Even with current cap hit, there should be a market for Brendan Gallagher
Things might be changing in la belle province, with one longtime member of the Montreal Canadiens possibly on the move.
Forward Brendan Gallagher, the longest-tenured Canadien, is believed to be on his way out of the only franchise he has ever known. While he still has some gas left in the tank, Montreal seems more than ready to move on from his $6.5 million cap hit.
While some might think, given how the Habs hardly used the 34-year-old in their run to the Eastern Conference Final, that Gallagher is on his last legs. However, at a lower salary, and the fact that the salary floor is going to rise next season, a number of teams might be willing to acquire Gallagher’s services.
On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discuss why Gallagher should have plenty of suitors this offseason.
Tyler Yaremchuk: What’s interesting is that with the cap shooting up, there are a lot of teams that are going to need to get to the salary floor next season. There will be teams who look at $6.5 million, but only $4 million when it comes to total salary, and probably really like the idea of acquiring a Brendan Gallagher, and if Montreal were to retain 50%, then yeah, I think a rebuilding team will jump at it. What’ll be interesting for Gallagher is that he has that six-team no-trade list, which, if he wants, if he’s smart enough with it, he can sit there and throw teams that are tight to the cap on his six-team no-trade list.
There’s a world where he can maybe force his way into a buyout, and maybe, at that point, have his pick of the litter, and if he wants to win a Stanley Cup, if that’s the priority for him, he could go sign with the contender for $1-$2 million probably, and pick his landing spot that way. … I think there will be some contenders who look at him and are like, “You know what, great in the room, we want to have that piece.” He comes in, he’s no longer a $6.5 million guy, he’s a $1 million guy. The expectations are lower. I think there’ll be teams if he’s bought out as a free agent, they’ll line up for him.
Carter Hutton: Then there’s the other side of it. Maybe he doesn’t want to chase a Cup. Maybe he just wants to go somewhere and live in the sunshine and enjoy the fruits of the NHL in a city that’s a destination city. I think that’s a decision he gets to make, and it’s been well-earned with the money he’s made, as well, too. On top of that, because at 34, I just don’t know if he goes to a contending team, how much actual value he’s going to bring on the rink. I still think he’s serviceable, but I don’t know if he’s going to be that difference maker that pushes a team over the top to try to go for the Cup.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…