Montreal Canadiens
Gallagher’s Last Chance To Show Canadiens He’s A Go-To Guy?
Brendan Gallagher played very little in Montreal’s Game 4 loss and there’s talk the Habs might not see him as a long-term solution.
To say that zero goals in six periods of play should be laid at the feet of forward Brendan Gallagher is an unfair assessment of how little chemistry the Canadiens forwards as a whole have seemed to muster in two games against the Flyers. Montreal is now down three games to one in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarter Finals series and tension is mounting as the team teeters on the brink of elimination.
So, while the Canadiens lack of success isn’t exclusively on Gallagher, he seems to be capturing a lot of the focus on Wednesday.
Gallagher was clearly frustrated after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss. He and linemate Jonathan Drouin were benched for most of the third period as the Canadiens tried to tie the game up (they were unable to do so). When asked by media about not being called upon by temporary head coach Kirk Muller, Gallagher remained professional, but there was no mistaking his tone. He wasn’t in agreement with the decision not to let him try and help.
Gallagher said:
“If the coach feels other guys are going to do the job better than you, that’s his job. It doesn’t mean I sit there and accept it, but my job is to play, so when I’m put on the ice, I’m just trying to help out.”
Muller’s response as to why Gallagher (and others) rarely saw the ice: “I had to go with my gut on who I thought was going.”
This is the kind of thing that happens all the time in professional sports. The athlete wants to play and the coach isn’t sure the player has it. Typically, these kinds of issues don’t last long. And conceivably, Gallagher cold return on Wednesday night in Game 5 and light it up with an inspired performance.
But what if he doesn’t?
Related: What If the Montreal Canadiens Still Had Ilya Kovalchuk?
This Is a Bigger Question for the Canadiens GM
As Arpon Basu points out (subscription required) in a recent article on The Athletic, questions about Gallagher’s lack of production in the playoffs has to be concerning for GM Marc Bergevin. No goals in eight games and one in his last 16 playoff contests is him not coming through at crunch time. Basu points out that Bergevin has to have noticed.
Bergevin has a saying: “there are guys who get you to the playoffs, and there are guys who get you through the playoffs.” Right about now, he’s got to be wondering which one of those players Gallagher is?
The small but feisty forward has a reputation for being a high-energy leader. In many ways, he’s the heart and soul of the Canadiens. But can Bergevin simply ignore the numbers?
Basu writes:
But Gallagher has now scored one goal in his last 16 playoff games, dating back to the second round of the 2015 playoffs. His contract is up at the end of next season. If Bergevin truly believes that saying of his, what was he thinking as he watched Gallagher stapled to the bench in the third period Tuesday?
Basu adds that if Bergevin already had some doubt as to whether he should re-sign Gallagher, these last few playoff games really have to give him pause. That Muller didn’t go to him might mesh with the thinking that Gallagher isn’t part of the solution.
Only 29, moving Gallagher would be a risk. That said, if he doesn’t score again tonight and the Canadiens are eliminated from the playoffs, no one should be surprised if there’s real talk that Gallagher could be moved.
Next: Insider Suggests Joe Thornton an Option for the Maple Leafs Next Season
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