The value of veteran Brendan Gallagher to the Montreal Canadiens

Having grown up writing about the Montreal Canadiens, I didn't know what it would take to make me the lone old guy defending veterans because fans are so obsessed with the youth movement. I think it took time. And Brendan Gallagher.

It doesn't seem so long ago when Gallagher himself was a staple of the youth movement. A spark that can play on any line and lift players around him. By climbing the ranks, Gallagher quickly established himself as a front-runner in his first stint. Not only that, but Gallagher was the backbone of the Habs' lineup, from Pacioretty and Desharnais to Tatar and Danaul.

In his prime, Brendan Gallagher was a two-way force from the wing and one of the most reliable offensive players in the NHL at 5-on-5. You may think I'm exaggerating, but since the lockout-shortened 2013 season through 2021, Gallagher's 1.08 goals per 60 minutes is 10th in the NHL among forwards with 3,000+ minutes (383 players), ahead of players like Steven Stamkos, John got a place. Tavares, Evgeni Malkin, et al. His 2.11 points per 60 minutes ranks 36th and leads the NHL in shots on goal, shot attempts and solo goals per 60 minutes. He also ranked 17th in on-ice goal differential against the team at the time and first in expected goal differential against the team.

The years since his run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021 have not been so kind to Gallagher.

In one night, he lost both teammates and his role on the team, and the injuries really started to mount. With all stability swept out from under him, Gallagher finally got a decent payday as things fell apart. Needless to say, the contract had a huge impact on fan reception.

Gallagher is not the same player

A look at Brendan Gallagher's past accomplishments will give you an idea of ​​how good he's been, but I'm not going to lie to you and say he's still the same guy. A series of injuries have taken a toll, and when you add age to the equation, there are times when Gallagher doesn't usually wrestle. The eye test at Gallagher tells us one story, but it's not the whole story.

Yes, Gallagher is trying to keep the game going at times, but we have to consider his context. The health situation over the previous two seasons has been dire for the entire club, and Gallagher is no exception. The quality of Gallagher's co-stars has plummeted. Gallagher never played big minutes, but his ice time also decreased.

None of this is to say that a changing of the guard is wrong with the Canadiens, it's arguably the right choice.

However, when we look at Brendan Gallagher as a hockey player in general, we need to consider all the factors before judging too harshly.

Better than you think

My impression is that Gallagher's season hasn't improved much over the last two years of injury. That's despite his shooting percentage returning to the normal range of 10 percent for his career. 15 goals and 29 points may not seem like much to write home about, but it's not a bad number for a player who has barely played with several of the team's offensive engines.

In fact, it might be interesting to learn that Gallagher ranks third on the Canadiens in goals per 60 minutes on 5-on-5 this year behind Joel Armia and Alex Newhook. Per 60 minutes, he is also third in shots on goal, first in expected goals, second in shot attempts, first in goalscoring chances, high-danger chances, quick shot attempts and balls created.

The results aren't what they used to be, but the returns aren't that far off, and I wonder how much the results would improve with better quality peers, or at least more stable ones. That's especially important when you understand the type of minutes the coaching staff will count on Gallagher.

Yes, sorry, I use Dom Luschin's teammate vs. opponent breakdown comes into play again, as I think it's worth noting that Gallagher is the only player who fits perfectly into the tight defense and tight offense quadrants, either offensively or defensively. He is skating in the mountains this season.

Say the word washed at your peril

I've written before about how Gallagher's earnings are looking good, even though production is down a bit. I think it's worth pointing out how it compares to the rest of his career.

When you graph Brendan Gallagher's impact on the Montreal Canadiens over the course of his career, the first thing you'll notice is that the blue-and-blue line representing goals is off the nose in 2023-24. Part of the reason for that was the performance of a group that included Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkowski, but much of that was due to Gallagher's team's 89.7% on-ice save percentage, the second-lowest. The team's on-ice shooting percentage is 7.22 percent.

Goals are the most volatile of these on-ice metrics and are the only downward trend in goals for Gallagher this year.

The second thing you'll notice is that Gallagher has never had a negative impact at 5-on-5 in his career, aside from this year's goals. Considering the last couple of years, this is truly a remarkable feat.

The focus is on the future, and Gallagher may not be part of that future in the long run. Not being a part of the future doesn't hurt him, but he still pulls the team in the right direction on a nightly basis. He does it without Max Pacioretty, without Phillip Dano, without Tomas Tatar, without any help at all.

It's no surprise that Lane Hutson's first NHL point was the result of Brendan Gallagher's foul play. He also made sure Hutson got the puck as a souvenir. Despite all the outside talk of trades, long-term injury reserve and acquisitions, Gallagher is still doing his job, and doing it well in a tough offseason. He bought into the culture that Hughes, Gorton and St. Louis were trying to create.

Brendan Gallagher played tough minutes with CH on his chest for the 12th straight year. A funny smile may be smiling often, but if you see the most volatile pointer pointing in one direction and the four pointing the other way, I think you are mistakenly thinking that the volatile pointer is pointing to something important. information.

I love how even though Brendan Gallagher scored last night, he told Lane Hutson to skate in front of him for a skate glove shot from the Habs bench after his first career NHL assist. pic.twitter.com/3MH9VW6lI2

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) April 16, 2024