Article content

Marc Bergevin absolutely loved Brendan Gallagher as a hockey player.

“He means a lot to our hockey team,” the former Canadiens GM said after signing Gallagher to a six-year, US$39-million contract extension on Oct. 14, 2020. “Since Day 1 I became a general manager, he’s been on our team. I mean you saw in the playoffs (last year). He got cross-checked in the face (suffering a broken jaw) and he wouldn’t want to miss a shift … he didn’t want to leave. You have guys in the past I’ve seen, they get a slash, they got a fingernail missing and they’re finding a way not to play. This guy is just everything you want about a hockey player. … There’s not many Brendan Gallaghers in the National Hockey League. He’s a special one. You love him on your team and you play against him you just don’t like him. He’s special. He’s a hockey player through his bones and that’s what I love about him.”

Article content

Article content

Twice Bergevin came close to tears when talking about Gallagher.

Now, it’s Canadiens fans who are close to tears when they look at Gallagher’s contract, which has three more seasons remaining with a US$6.5 million salary-cap hit.

The summer after signing Gallagher, Bergevin failed to re-sign Phillip Danault, who went to the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent, signing a six-year, US$33-million contract with a salary-cap hit of US$5.5 million. To replace Danault, Bergevin acquired Christian Dvorak from Arizona in exchange for a first-round pick at the 2022 NHL Draft that the Coyotes later traded to the San Jose Sharks (forward Filip Bystedt) and a second-round pick this year. Dvorak has two more seasons remaining on his contract with a salary-cap hit of $4.45 million.

You can make a pretty good argument that Bergevin lost two players when he didn’t re-sign Danault. Gallagher hasn’t been the same player since Danault left. When Gallagher had Danault and Tomas Tatar as his regular linemates, they were one of the best five-on-five lines in the NHL.

Heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Gallagher had eight goals in 50 games and was on pace to finish the season with 13 goals. He had one goal in the previous nine games and had been demoted to the fourth line.

Article content

Article content

“Not easy,” Gallagher said after practice Tuesday in Brossard when asked about being on the fourth line, “I’m a prideful guy. I feel like you want to contribute. It was just one of those things that as a player for me it’s just another challenge and something you’ll have to earn that trust back and that opportunity back.

“It’s not a good feeling,” he added. “You want to be getting as many opportunities as possible. Hopefully you can earn that back and get back to what I’ve been for the majority of my career.”

Gallagher has a long history of injuries and missed 45 games last season after breaking his right ankle twice. He has stayed healthy this season, which makes his lack of production more frustrating.

“For me, right now it’s just kind of find some rhythm,” he said. “I feel like early on in the year I was maybe in a comfort zone. Stability in the lines and everything.”

Article content

Gallagher was productive early this season when he was on a line with fellow veterans Tanner Pearson and Sean Monahan, who was traded to the Winnipeg Jets this month. Gallagher scored five goals in the first 14 games.

“I feel like right now I’m just trying to find a home, sort of speak, find a little bit of chemistry with a line,” Gallagher said. “When you get comfortable, you get confident and the whole game flows. I was going pretty good there for a while. I think lately it’s probably dipped and hopefully I can get back to where I started the year at.”

Article content

One thing that will never change with Gallagher is his compete level and work ethic. He gives everything he has every shift, but he doesn’t have as much left to give as he did in his younger years when he was an underpaid 30-goal scorer with a $3.75 million salary-cap hit. Bergevin rewarded Gallagher for those years with his current contract.

Does Gallagher feel like he still has something to prove at this stage of his career?

“I think I’ve always said that I’ve never played with an attitude that I have something to prove,” he said. “I really understand who I am. I know my strengths, I know my weaknesses. I try to play towards it. I have a lot of people in my corner that are supporting me and you try to really play for those people. For me, it’s not the best feeling. But there’s enough people supporting me here and you just try to get back to being the player that I’ve been for the majority of my career. Get back to that and it will be a little bit more enjoyable.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/StuCowan1

Article content

Article content