Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens continue to modify their lineup in a bid to improve upon their impressive results in 2025-26, which inevitably leads to difficult decisions.
Such as trading the heart and soul of the team, Brendan Gallagher, to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations. Or trading prospect Joshua Roy to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Maksymilan Szuber.
It’s not that either deal was a bad move.
Truth be told, it was quite clear that both Gallagher and Roy’s time with the Canadiens was coming to an end, but there was an era in which moving either player would have been seen as a hockey sin.
When Kent Hughes took over from the previous management regime, Roy was essentially the only forward prospect in the organization that had any chance of one day making a positive impact in the NHL.
Consequently, he received an overabundance of attention, not to mention the type of elevated expectations that are seldomly tied to a player who was picked 150th overall.
And while he probably didn’t deserve as much criticism as he received, the biggest issue in the prospect pool was not that Roy failed to defy the odds, to become a top-six player. The main sticking point was relying on a late pick to drive the charge, when most teams are focused on developing first-round talent.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
In that sense, Roy was a vestige from the failed era that preceded the current regime.
By moving on, the Canadiens are not only giving Roy an opportunity to find his rhythm with a new organization, they’re also washing their hands of some of the low-reward situations put in place by the former management group.
Of course, that’s not the case for Gallagher, a player who not only defied the odds, but produced almost 10 seasons of underpaid hockey before signing his most recent contract with the Canadiens. The $6.5 million annual average value wasn’t only offered by Marc Bergevin and Co. because Gallagher had become one of the best even-strength goalscorers in the league, it was a reward for playing excellent hockey while serving on a contract that carried a $3.75 million (AAV).
And while it was certainly the right decision to move Gallagher at this point in his career, we must remember that in the big picture, he was not overpaid by the Canadiens. He was underpaid for several years, before signing a contract that made up for his discounted campaigns.
Roy and Gallagher represented two polar opposites. One is an extremely talented player who doesn’t always find a way to motivate himself, while the other’s talent level is below replacement, but was bolstered with incredibly hard work, and a seemingly bottomless energy reserve.
And now that both players have found new homes, the Canadiens can focus on the task at hand: improving every detail of the NHL lineup, while taking advantage of the financial manoeuvrability offered by moving the hard-working Gallagher to the Canucks. The reality of the situation was impossible to ignore. You can’t take the next step, without dropping some of the extra weight, even if making such decisions can be unconformable for a team that likes to treat its players with respect.
The times, they are a changin‘.
