At the Canadiens, everyone has played a little differently since the arrival of Martin St-Louis… and that includes Brendan Gallagher.
Posted at 5:41 p.m.
The difference in this case is that Gallagher is playing differently, but with fewer points.
Thus, since February 9, the date of the hiring of the new head coach, the attacker at number 11 is not exactly a regular on the score sheet; in 14 games, he had 1 goal and 3 assists, for a modest total of 4 points. By way of comparison, he had collected 10 points in 27 games under Dominique Ducharme at the start of the season.
At 29, Gallagher may not be the 50-point player he once was, but in St. Louis’ eyes, that’s no problem.
“He’s a guy who has always played with intensity,” noted the head coach after the 4-3 victory in Philadelphia on Sunday night.
“I know he’s a very good player in net, he’s very good on the forecheck, but I think he’s growing as a player, because he’s not only that. He’s good at playing his own way, but I’m asking him to grow as a hockey player. »
A necessity ?
Perhaps this new Brendan Gallagher is a necessity…because of Gallagher himself.
From a purely physical point of view, it was probably utopian to believe that the small attacker was going to be able to continue playing in his own way without ending up one day looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger towards the end of the second. terminator. On this subject, we guess that the management of the Canadian prefers a Gallagher with all his pieces, who will be able to continue to be an important player.
Especially since his $ 39 million contract, signed in October 2020, will be valid until the end of the 2026-2027 season, for an annual average of $ 6.5 million per season.
Basically, the Canadian may want to protect his investment…
He must not forget what made him successful. But he also has to play the other way a bit. He doesn’t just have to worry about being a first-line striker and a guy who rushes to the net.
Martin St Louis
If we can afford to read a little between the lines here, the situation seems quite clear: Gallagher will not be part of a huge garage sale that will take place (or not) between now and the deadline for trade in the NHL, March 21.
On the contrary, the attacker seems to be part of the plans, and the Montreal management, well aware that such a contract would undoubtedly repel even the most reckless general managers, hopes for some form of rebirth on his part… and a new style of game that will allow him to stay on the ice, and not in the clinic of the club’s therapists. In 10 NHL seasons, the winger has played full seasons only three times.
Without forgetting that the leadership of the player from British Columbia is often cited as an example by the players and the leaders of the organization.
The Canadiens’ next game, scheduled for Tuesday night at the Bell Center against the Arizona Coyotes, will be the 42and of the season for Gallagher, who, at this rate, will struggle to reach the very modest milestone of 10 goals, he who has 5 to his name since the start of the season.
But St-Louis doesn’t care.
“I think he will continue to improve his game with the game systems that we will continue to install,” he added on Sunday. It’s never too late to evolve. »