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Brendan Gallagher

Central Notes: Klingberg, Hall, McBain

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According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, a few more teams have entered the growing market for defenseman John Klingberg. Dreger mentions that the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars have inquired about Klingberg’s market, but he believes the Edmonton Oilers remain the favorites to sign him.

If Klingberg eventually signs with the Avalanche or Stars it’ll likely be with the latter. Dallas is weak on the right-hand side of their defensive core and while it’s difficult to call Klingberg an upgrade on their options given his lengthy absence, he has a positive history with the Stars. In his eight years in Dallas from 2015 to 2022, Klingberg scored 71 goals and 303 assists in 552 games and was an effective powerplay quarterback for many of those years.

Colorado could use some help on the right side with Josh Manson dealing with a recurring injury but Klingberg doesn’t project as the right option for the Avalanche. The team already gets plenty of offense from their top defensive pairing and Klingberg was never a solid shutdown threat even during his prime years with the Stars. The Avalanche will surely inquire about nearly any defenseman making close to or at the league minimum salary but it would be surprising to see them ultimately sign Klingberg.

Other Central notes:

  • Despite his public desire to sign an extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, veteran forward Taylor Hall is readying for a breakup. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports Hall believes he’ll be traded before the deadline saying, “I came into this year wanting to be a Blackhawk for years to come. I don’t know if that’s going to be the case anymore.” It won’t be the first time the former MVP has been involved in a mid-season swap having been acquired in the 2020-21 season by the Boston Bruins and the 2018-19 season by the Arizona Coyotes.
  • Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain will have more than just a minor penalty for high-sticking in last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they’ve fined McBain $4,166.67, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Brendan Gallagher. This is the first time the DoPS has fined McBain in his brief four-year career.

Evening Notes: O’Brien, Gallagher, Canadiens

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Arizona Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien has been designated as day-to-day with an upper-body injury by head coach André Tourigny, who added that O’Brien will be out of the team’s Wednesday night game against the Minnesota Wild. O’Brien has appeared in 49 games this season, leading the league with 116 penalty minutes – 14 more than Brady Tkachuk, the only other player to break 100 penalty minutes this year.

O’Brien has leaned into the bruiser style, recording over 100 penalty minutes in each of the last three seasons. He’s totaled 404 penalty minutes across just 173 career NHL games – recording more penalty minutes per game than any other NHL player to play in 50 or more games over the last five seasons. It’s a reputation that followed him through his stints in the AHL, where he’s totaled 653 penalty minutes across just 382 minor league games. The 29-year-old winger is serving as a daily lineup fixture for the first time in his NHL career, playing in all but two of Arizona’s 51 games this season. His absence will likely earn Adam Ruzicka an extended stay in the lineup after the waiver claim made his debut with the team on Monday. While he is still waiting for his first point as a Coyote, Ruzicka has managed nine points in 39 games with the Calgary Flames this season.

Other notes around the league:

Brendan Gallagher Suspended For Five Games

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Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has been suspended for five games for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech. He will also forfeit $169,270.85 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, per terms outlined in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Gallagher was given a match penalty for the hit, leaving the ice roughly 12 minutes before Montreal’s eventual win over New York.

Gallagher’s hit spread quickly around social media, where many were surprised to learn that the winger would only be having a phone hearing, limiting the largest suspension he could receive to just five games. He’s received said maximum punishment, marking the first time that Gallagher has been suspended across his 12-year NHL career. The only other disciplinary action that he’s faced was a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of the 2021-22 season.

Gallagher has had a productive career with the Canadiens, appearing in 723 career games and netting 411 points. His best year came during the 2017-18 season when the winger scored 31 goals and 54 points through 82 games. He followed it up with 33 goals and 52 points through 82 games the next year, marking the longest active streak of Gallagher’s career. Now 31, he’s lost the scoring kick that he once had – boasting just 16 points, split evenly, through 48 games this season. He still ranks fourth on Montreal in scoring, though the team is currently ranked 25th in the league in goals-for.

Jesse Ylonen will likely serve in a larger role with Gallagher out. The winger made his return to the lineup on Wednesday, after exiting the team’s Monday night game with an undisclosed injury. Ylonen has seven points in 36 games this year.

Brendan Gallagher To Have Player Safety Hearing

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Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Friday for an illegal check to the head of Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech, the department said in a statement. The hearing will take place over the phone, not in person, limiting a suspension to five games or less.

The incident occurred at 11:52 of the third period in Thursday’s 4-3 win for Montreal. Immediately after Pelech exited the New York zone with the puck and made an outlet pass through the neutral zone, Gallagher cut across the ice and raised his elbow to hit Pelech in the head, making no discernable attempt to lay a body check. Officials assessed Gallagher a five-minute major for a check to the head and a match penalty for intent to injure on the play.

Pelech skated off the ice under his own power and entered concussion protocol. He did not return to the game, which the Islanders tied on the ensuing five-minute power play after being down 3-1 but conceded a late tiebreaker from Sean Monahan at even strength.

Given the severity of the hit, many expected an in-person hearing for Gallagher today with the possibility of a six-plus-game ban.

The 31-year-old is in the third season of a six-year, $6.5MM contract, during which he’s produced only 54 points in 141 games. He’s slipped to a bottom-six role, skating third-line minutes alongside Jake Evans and Tanner Pearson in last night’s win, and his -21 rating is the worst on the team. His 48.9% Corsi share at even strength still ranks near the top of the team, though, and a horribly unlucky on-ice shooting percentage of 5.7 has likely had a decent effect on his point production this season.

In 48 games this year, Gallagher has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points while averaging 14:11 per game, the lowest since his rookie season.

Morning Notes: Lindholm, Varlamov, Anderson

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Mans Karlsson of Hockey Sverige is reporting that Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm spoke regarding his pending unrestricted free-agent status. Lindholm is less than six months away from hitting the open market and is currently sitting at number one on most hockey pundits’ trade target boards.

Lindholm conceded that he has had a hard time shutting out the noise around his contract status and the trade talk and it may have impacted his performance on the ice. The 29-year-old has just eight goals this season after posting 64 goals combined over the last two years. His assist numbers are in line with his average over the last two seasons (he has 22 helpers so far this season in 45 games) but he has been plagued by a shooting percentage of just 6.6%, which is far off from his career average of 12.1%.

There was talk earlier in the year that Lindholm was seeking a long-term deal with an average annual value of around $9MM, but that number might be a bit ambitious if the former fifth-overall pick continues to struggle to put the puck in the net.

Lindholm told reporters that he and the Flames have not discussed an extension since last summer, and while extensions can be worked out in a matter of days, it seems probable that the Flames and Lindholm could be headed in separate directions sooner rather than later.

In other morning notes:

  • Ethan Sears of The New York Post is reporting that New York Islanders’ injured goaltender Semyon Varlamov is back skating daily as he tries to work his way back into the lineup. Varlamov has been out of action since January 2nd with a lower-body injury and is progressing slowly. Ken Appleby has been replacing Varlamov in his absence but has seen just one period of action so far. Varlamov has been good this season posting a 6-4-2 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
  • Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson is practicing this morning with the team and could return to the lineup tonight against the Boston Bruins after a four-game absence. Anderson has been out with a lower-body injury and practiced today on a line with Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evans. The 29-year-old has struggled this season with just seven goals and five assists in 41 games as his shooting percentage has fallen to just 7.5%, far off his career average of 11.2%. Anderson will reportedly be a game-time decision for the Canadiens today.

Brendan Gallagher Returns For Canadiens

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Although no formal announcement has been made about his activation from the injured reserve, the Montreal Canadiens will welcome back veteran forward Brendan Gallagher to their lineup tonight. Seemingly injured for this entire season, the Canadiens can now employ one of their best players, both on and off the ice.

After being a strong emotional leader for the Canadiens during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, Gallagher was rewarded with a 6-year, $39 million contract extension from Montreal. Unfortunately, for both Gallagher and Montreal, he has been wholly unable to play a full season since that contract was signed. In only 25 games played so far this year, the forward has four goals and five assists for the struggling Canadiens.

Nevertheless, with the Canadiens in rebuild mode, Gallagher is a strong leader to put around the younger players coming up to Montreal. Given his injury history lately, $6.5MM a year is quite a lot of money to spend on a player that seems unable to play a full 82 games, but Gallagher’s leadership should make the contract a bit more palatable for the Canadiens. As the Canadiens take on Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, Montreal is 1-7-2 in their last ten games, remaining in the bottom five of the NHL league standings.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Greenway, Johnson

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The Montreal Canadiens have been absolutely ravaged by injuries yet again this season, missing key players for long stretches. While they have no playoff aspirations at this point in the season, there is still some promising news for the team health-wise. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin reports that forwards Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher were all at practice today, albeit in non-contact jerseys.

All three have missed significant stretches of time this season, especially Gallagher, who’s played just 25 games with intermittent lower-body injuries. His latest absence has kept him out since January 3 and is past his original estimated return timeline of six weeks. Evans exited the lineup a few weeks later and was issued a 10-week recovery timeline from a knee injury. Dach has been out since the end of last month with a lower-body injury and has no timeline for a return.

All are important players to Montreal in their own right, but Dach has especially been impressive in his first season in Montreal. The third overall pick in 2019 has taken a significant step in his offensive development since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, adding an even brighter star to an already bright future for the Canadiens.

  • Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Bleacher Report contributor Joe Yerdon, adding to a bumpy season for him. The 26-year-old has just one goal in eight games since the Sabres acquired him at the trade deadline, and the team is quickly plummeting out of the Wild Card race.
  • On a positive note, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson practiced in a regular jersey today, signaling he’s close to a return. Johnson has missed over a month with a foot injury but could draw back into the lineup soon ahead of the playoffs. The 34-year-old has seven assists in 51 games this season.

Montreal Canadiens Issue Injury Updates

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Once again this season, the Montreal Canadiens’ significant injury woes have forced them to make a set of announcements to update the hockey world on some of their players still working their way back to full health. Last time, the team issued four medical updates at once, and last night they officially announced new developments in the injury statuses of three players.

Firstly, the team announced that breakout forward Kirby Dach is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. As we wrote in our coverage of the last major Canadiens injury update, Dach has been out since February 14th, with his absence first attributed to a non-COVID illness. The team then discovered that Dach’s illness symptoms were actually consistent with the effects of a lower-body injury, hence this new development.

Dach’s progress this season has been an encouraging early success for the Canadiens’ stated goal of revamping their player development process, and he has at times this season looked like one of the more dangerous offensive options at coach Martin St. Lous’ disposal. While it’s unclear if Dach will return this season, if his season does end at the 54-game, 35-point mark, the team can consider his first campaign in Montreal to be a strong one.

The second update the team issued concerns one of the team’s core veteran leaders: Brendan Gallagher. He is out with his own lower-body injury on a three-to-four-week recovery timeline. This means that it’s possible that Gallagher misses the rest of the season, as their final game is on April 13th, meaning Gallagher’s current timeline will be cutting it close.

If this injury does indeed cost Gallagher the remainder of his season, it will end what has been a disappointing campaign. While Gallagher has maintained his tenacious style of play, that trademark style seems to have taken its toll on his availability. He’s been in and out of the lineup for the last three seasons, and while the underlying numbers paint a prettier picture than his box score stats, Gallagher’s productivity has suffered as well.

If he has played his final game of this season, he’ll finish with just nine points in 25 games. Armed with a $6.5MM AAV deal that runs through 2026-27, getting their heart-and-soul player back to his old, productive self will be an important priority for the Canadiens organization.

The final injury update relates to rookie defenseman Arber Xhekaj, who underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the team’s season. Xhekaj, an undrafted product who surprisingly made the Canadiens out of training camp, has quickly become a fan favorite in Montreal.

His bruising, exceedingly physical style of play quickly endeared him to both Canadiens coaches and the Montreal market, and the understated skill he brought to the table indicated that there could be more in his future than a career as a simple physicality specialist.

He’ll finish his rookie campaign with 13 points and 101 penalty minutes in 51 games, and Canadiens fans will turn their attention to the other promising first-year-pro defensemen in their lineup: Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, and Justin Barron.

While Xhekaj’s injury certainly takes a bite out of the entertainment value of the rest of the Canadiens’ games this season, seeing as the team won’t make the playoffs and is playing for pride alone over the next few weeks, having Xhekaj undergo surgery with an eye towards returning to full health for next season (rather than seeing him play through the injury/pain in order to help his team’s odds of winning, as some players have done in the past) seems like a wise course of action.

Brendan Gallagher Out Six Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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It’s been a year to forget so far for Brendan Gallagher. With just nine points on the season, he’s on pace for the worst total of his career. Now, he might not even get close. The Canadiens have announced that Gallagher will miss a minimum of six weeks with a lower-body injury.

Gallagher, 30, had only recently returned from an injury that kept him out a month, playing three games before hitting the shelf again. The energy forward was once the heart and soul of the Canadiens’ forward unit, now he seems an afterthought as they move toward a new core without his help. There have been a lot of miles put on his body over the year, as Gallagher played a give-everything-you-have style nightly, going to war in the corners and in front of the net.

After scoring just seven goals in 56 games last season, and not completing a full 82-game schedule since 2018-19, it’s easy to wonder what the future holds for Gallagher in Montreal. Unfortunately, at least for Canadiens fans, a year before Marc Bergevin’s time as general manager ended, he gave out a six-year extension to Gallagher that will keep him with the team through 2026-27. He carries a $6.5MM cap hit, and holds a six-team no-trade clause.

It’s hard to see any way that Montreal gets their money out of that deal, and while that isn’t a problem this season as they try for the first-overall pick, it could be in the future as they are trying to compete. The best-case scenario at this point is that Gallagher takes all the time he needs to get fully healthy and can come back to contribute down the road.

Montreal Canadiens Issue Injury Updates

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The Montreal Canadiens have issued some injury updates, news covering several key players. Firstly, the team has revealed that rookie defenseman Kaiden Guhle has suffered a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for a minimum of eight weeks.

Additionally, forward Brendan Gallagher has suffered a lower-body injury and will be out for at least two weeks.

Finally, both Mike Matheson and Sean Monahan skated this morning, and are considered to be progressing well. Even so, both are expected to remain out of action for the next two weeks.

These developments are not especially encouraging ones for the Canadiens, who have been on a nightmarish stretch as of late. After an impressive start, the Canadiens have now lost six straight games and nine of their last ten.

Losing Guhle for eight weeks is a particularly disappointing development given how much of an important role he has played for the Canadiens in what has been an impressive rookie season.

Guhle has averaged the second-most minutes played of any regular Canadiens defenseman this season, behind only veteran blueliner David Savard.

He’s seen significant minutes on the penalty kill, and has impressed many with the poise he’s displayed in such unforgiving circumstances.

He now faces a relatively long recovery process, and in his absence, the Canadiens will be forced to rely even more on veterans Savard and Joel Edmundson, while also putting their glut of rookie blueliners under siege to an even greater degree than they have already been.

For Gallagher, another two-week absence due to injury is an unwelcome development, especially given the fact that he had just recently returned from an injury-related absence. Various ailments have laid waste to the veteran forward’s past two seasons, and is now seemingly derailing a third-straight campaign.

As for Matheson and Monahan, the news that they are progressing well is an important positive development for the Canadiens. While they’ll still remain out for the next two weeks, getting the two veterans on track to eventually return is a nice boost.

Monahan has been great in Montreal, scoring 17 points in 25 games, while Matheson has played significant minutes in the few games he’s skated in this year.

Picture courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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