At age 33, watching the Canadiens from the outside doesn’t get easier for Brendan Gallagher the second time around.
Or, it appears, the third time, either.
“Of course not. It’s never easy. You want to be in the lineup,” Gallagher said Wednesday after practice in Brossard. “You want to be contributing, especially coming down the stretch. It never gets easier.”
Gallagher was a healthy scratch for the second time this season on Tuesday, when the Canadiens defeated Florida 4-3 in a shootout. And considering he did extra work during Thursday morning’s pre-game skate, it appeared the veteran winger wouldn’t be activated for that night’s game against Tampa Bay.
“You never know when you’re going to get pushed out,” says veteran Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher, backhanding the puck into the Columbus Blue Jackets’ zone during third period in Montreal on March 26. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
Zachary Bolduc, who has scored one goal since Dec. 23, was also expected to be a healthy scratch, replaced by the hard-working Joe Veleno. Goaltender Jakub Dobes was slated to get a second consecutive start.
Gallagher has poured his heart and soul into the Canadiens for 14 seasons, but his physical style has started taking a severe toll on his 5-foot-9, 185-pound body.
While Gallagher continues going to the net, takes the body and does his best to create havoc, he appears to be labouring at the end of every shift and is having difficulty keeping pace with the Canadiens’ fast-skating style.
With the playoffs scheduled to begin in slightly more than a week, it behooves Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis to dress his strongest 18 skaters. That might mean Gallagher will simply be lending moral support when the post-season commences.
Gallagher said he hasn’t discussed his predicament with St. Louis. But he also sounds like a player who realizes his future could be in doubt — if not over.
“I’m comfortable with what I bring to this group,” Gallagher said. “If my number’s called, I know I can contribute. If not, you be a good teammate. I’m grateful for the amount of time I’ve had in this city. I’m really fortunate for it. Obviously, I understand. You never know when you’re going to get pushed out. I just try to take advantage of every opportunity I have. It’s a special place to play. I’ve really enjoyed it.
“A lot of people have contributed to this team,” he added. “Obviously, there’s some competition. That’s always a good thing. Experience does matter, especially come playoff time. You see it’s different hockey when you get there. Obviously, it’s officiated differently. The intensity ramps up even more. The physicality goes up. The margin of error in handling different levels of pressure, different situations — I think it matters. Hopefully, that’s something I’ll be able to bring.”
Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher handles the puck in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ zone during third period in Montreal on March 26. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
St. Louis, 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds in his playing days, can certainly empathize with Gallagher’s dilemma. While the coach wasn’t benched at the end of his 16-season career, his ice time gradually diminished during the last few seasons. St. Louis, who averaged 24 minutes at the height of his career, had his ice time cut from an average 18:30 to 17:34 over his final two seasons with the New York Rangers.
St. Louis admitted on Wednesday it created “some hard feelings to hide. You have to find a way to think about the group while being hurt individually,” he said. “And that’s not easy.”
The Canadiens were expecting a physical game from the Lightning, knowing it could be a potential first-round playoff encounter. Tampa Bay, which won consecutive Stanley Cups in 2020 and ’21 and reached the final in ’22, has changed its style and leads the NHL in penalty minutes, with 1,116 — 150 more minutes than Boston.
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