Nathan Smith
For the past 14 seasons, Brendan Gallagher has been a key piece of the Montreal Canadiens, with the former fifth-round pick exceeding all expectations with the Habs. In that time, he has posted 241 goals and 487 points across 911 games played, with the highlight of his career coming back in 2021 as the Canadiens made their way to the Stanley Cup Finals (albeit in a losing effort).
Given this, many expected him to be with the Canadiens for the rest of his career, but following their 2025/26 post-season exit, he addressed a potential exit, with the Alberta native immediately linked to many teams around the National Hockey League.
Following the playoff loss, Gallagher addressed his future in Montreal, and through plenty of emotion, he made it clear that he’s likely to split from the only NHL team he’s known this summer.
“There’s been ups and downs, but I don’t have a single regret. So it’s pretty clear I’ll be moving on here.”
Will Gallagher be traded to the Canucks?
Despite the fact that the Vancouver Canucks are a rebuilding team, they’ve been heavily linked to the 34-year-old forward who spent his WHL days in the city with the Vancouver Giants, and now, that potential move has been addressed by Gallagher’s agent, Gerry Johansson, on the Donnie and Dhali Show.
During the interview, Johansson noted that the Canucks themselves have expressed plenty of interest in the veteran, and while he admits there are moving parts that may hold up a deal, it appears as though things are now firmly in the Canucks hands regarding Gallagher.
“Vancouver has initially expressed interest, but lots of moving parts. It’s on their desk; they do have interest,” he said.
This past season, Gallagher appeared in 77 games for the Canadiens, posting 7 goals and 23 points in that time, and while the numbers aren’t flattering after a 38 point campaign the year prior, he is still a very effective player at 5v5 and on the powerplay. Given that Vancouver are a rebuilding squad, this will likely be the team taking on the final year of Gallagher’s current contract, one that is set to pay him $6.5 million for the 2026/27 season, although they may give up a draft pick to Montreal in any potential trade.
With Montreal’s young core continuing to evolve and develop, it makes sense for them to look to unload his salary as they target an upgrade at the 2C spot. While it’s unclear if he’ll go to Vancouver, given all that’s been said from Gallagher’s side, a trade could come very early in the off-season.
