- Canadiens trade Brendan Gallagher to the Canucks for future considerations
- Montreal retains 50% of his $6.5M cap hit, leaving Vancouver with a $3.25M number
- Read below for what the BC kid brings to a retooling Canucks roster
Brendan Gallagher is heading back to British Columbia.
The Canadiens traded their longest-serving player to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday for future considerations, closing the book on a 14-year run in Montreal. Rick Dhaliwal had it first.
Montreal retains 50% of Gallagher’s $6.5 million cap hit, so the Canucks take on just $3.25 million for the final season of his deal. New Vancouver GM Ryan Johnson made it official a short time later.
The 34-year-old was born in Edmonton but raised in Tsawwassen, just outside Vancouver, and he starred for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants before Montreal drafted him. Now he gets a year back in his backyard.
Kent Hughes thanked Gallagher when he announced the move.
“He is the very definition of a warrior, always putting the team’s success ahead of his own individual accolades,” the Montreal GM said. “He always conducted himself like a true Montreal Canadien, both on the ice and in our community.”
Gallagher put up seven goals and 16 assists in 77 games last season. His best scoring years are behind him, with a career-high 54 points back in 2017-18 and two 30-goal campaigns, but he still plays a lot bigger than his 5-foot-9 frame.
The trade wraps a busy day for Vancouver, which also shipped Nils Hoglander to Nashville earlier Monday. The Canucks keep reshaping their forward group and add a familiar face who knows the market.
There’s one year left on the deal at that $3.25 million number before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer. He gets to play it out close to where he grew up.
