Player Discussion Brendan Gallagher: all heart, no hands

[Harry Kakalovich]

The contract is only bad if you can't trade it. Gallagher is a very respected player league-wide. I personally worry about the contract and I think Gallagher could age badly, but I can also see the other (positive) side - if he puts up 100 goals in the next 4 seasons it'll be worth it. Definitely Gallagher is worth more than his point total, he brings a lot of other positives. As fans we have to hope it works out now.

 

[rickthegoon]

Gallagher will bounce back, no doubt in my mind.
But what I would like to happen is that he gets some time off nearing the end of the season so that he still has fuel in the tank when the playoffs come around. A gassed Gallagher like we always see in the playoffs is hard to watch.

 

[Phenom]

So you're tired of hearing about the exact reason he was trash? We'll just pretend injuries have no impact on a player's performance, especially a hand injury on a goal scorer?

Dude he can’t even skate. Is that due to the hand injury too?

Gallagher sucks. “No no, he’s injured!!”.

Give it up already..

 

[Kennerback]

I guess the injury could have drained all snap and power on his shot. But we need more info on why he could’nt create minimal time and space to even take a shot. His skating was grossly insufficient during the playoffs. Was it the groin? Something else?

 

[sandviper]

I guess the injury could have drained all snap and power on his shot. But we need more info on why he could’nt create minimal time and space to even take a shot. His skating was grossly insufficient during the playoffs. Was it the groin? Something else?

While Gallagher will always be hard on himself and probably say he has to be better, it was obvious he was hurt, especially what I think was his last shift in game 5 where he fell and you saw his face.

To answer the question, yes, he had a groin issue… I believe it was a tear and not merely a pull.

I want more production out of him like everyone else, but he had a messed up hand and a groin injury.

 

[McGees]

Dude was injured. Calm yourselves.

 

[lamp9post]

I was disappointed in Gallagher's production these playoffs, but let's not forget that he was playing alongside Danault and Lehkonen in a defensive orientation the entire time and did a solid job in that capacity. Gallagher is paid to score, so you hope he manages to bang in a few along the way, but it is what it is.

I think we're at a bit of a tipping point with Danault and Gallagher. I'm not a fan of the Gallagher contract and if Danault re-signs, I don't think I'll be a fan of that contract either. If they stay on the same line, that's going to be roughly $12M. If we bookend them with guys like Lehkonen or Evans, that's a highly paid line that won't generate much offence.

A couple options:

1. We acquire an offensive LW to complete that line, adding offense, but also adding more salary commitment.

2. We split up Gallagher and Danault. Build a purely defensive line with Lehkonen-Danault-Evans and build an offensive exploitation line with something like [offensive LW]-KK-Gallagher.

 

[Miller Time]

I was disappointed in Gallagher's production these playoffs, but let's not forget that he was playing alongside Danault and Lehkonen in a defensive orientation the entire time and did a solid job in that capacity. Gallagher is paid to score, so you hope he manages to bang in a few along the way, but it is what it is.

I think we're at a bit of a tipping point with Danault and Gallagher. I'm not a fan of the Gallagher contract and if Danault re-signs, I don't think I'll be a fan of that contract either. If they stay on the same line, that's going to be roughly $12M. If we bookend them with guys like Lehkonen or Evans, that's a highly paid line that won't generate much offence.

A couple options:

1. We acquire an offensive LW to complete that line, adding offense, but also adding more salary commitment.

2. We split up Gallagher and Danault. Build a purely defensive line with Lehkonen-Danault-Evans and build an offensive exploitation line with something like [offensive LW]-KK-Gallagher.

i think adding a guy like Granlund and then rolling a line of Granlund - JKO - Gally would be a perfect fit... the three players would complement each other quite well, pose lots of matchup issues for teams trying to stop them (with Suzuki/Caufield drawing the main attention) and would have the versatility to be used against other teams top lines if needed.

Toffoli might also fit there if we don't add a guy like Granlund, but his skating and so-so defensive play makes the fit a bit less enticing.

either way, putting Gally on JKO's wing makes a lot of sense... JKO's skill at zone entry and drawing attention from the d will create much better space for gally, giving him the opportunity to improve the areas he shoots from.

 

[Clumsyhab]

I don't get why that many people are surprised with Gallagher's production. Didn't we all expect this to happen? Even when he was in the early-mid 20s, we all said that he was not going to last long playing the way he plays.
He's getting close to 30 and I don't expect him to be a 30 goal scorer anymore. If he gets 20g-15a on average for the length of his contract, we'd be lucky.

I like the Callahan comparison. The guy was a leader/warrior for his team, plays a big game for a small guy, could score 20 goals in the regular season and is completely gassed out for the playoffs. Got his 35M/6 year t at 29 years old, and injuries forced him to miss plenty of games never scored more than 10 goals over the last 5 years of his contract. I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is Gallagher's follows the same path.

 

[Scriptor]

Gallagher will bounce back, no doubt in my mind.
But what I would like to happen is that he gets some time off nearing the end of the season so that he still has fuel in the tank when the playoffs come around. A gassed Gallagher like we always see in the playoffs is hard to watch.

Work it this way with Gallagher, who only knows one way how to play -- balls to the wall!

You know he, s not going to Pace himself during the season, so as soon as he scores his 20th goal, you rest him until the playoffs

If he's done that after only 20 games, though, I'd reconsider the approach

 

[salbutera]

Bounce back from what? He was on pro-rated pace for 30G+ (33) yet again...until the hand injury.

If anything they need to find a way to harness his game so he isn’t physically destroyed by the time the playoffs roll around

 

[salbutera]

Dude he can’t even skate. Is that due to the hand injury too?

Gallagher sucks. “No no, he’s injured!!”.

Give it up already..

No that was due to a groin tear, like Toffoli and it showed itself on the ice for both

 

[calder candidate]

Love Gallagher but the issue is that he isn’t worth the contract that he earn. He never was a great skater or play maker and Because of the way he plays he just won’t age gracefully he will bring leadership and experience but I think Perry bring more of everything + better results for a fraction of the price.

 

[Natey]

Bounce back from what? A playoff run he was likely rushed back too and forced to play with the absolute worst offensive center in the league?

 

[HuGort]

Hope they use Gallagher next season in top 6 role. Not a defensive role. They guy is 2 time 36 goal scorer. Be a waste of talent.

 

[abo9]

Bounce back from what? He was on pro-rated pace for 30G+ (33) yet again...until the hand injury.

If anything they need to find a way to harness his game so he isn’t physically destroyed by the time the playoffs roll around

But that's his whole game lol. That's how he scores those 30+ goals, not by sniping it... he doesnt have a shot even when 100% healthy.

The style he plays brings him success, but also injuries. Unfortunately, I don't think he has the tools to play any other way...

 

[Forum93]

Dude he can’t even skate. Is that due to the hand injury too?

Gallagher sucks. “No no, he’s injured!!”.

Give it up already..

Try skating with a groin injury, it's f***ing hell. I'm surprised he even laced them up, but that's the kind of warrior he is, he doesn't know what quitting is.

 

[Scriptor]

But that's his whole game lol. That's how he scores those 30+ goals, not by sniping it... he doesnt have a shot even when 100% healthy.

The style he plays brings him success, but also injuries. Unfortunately, I don't think he has the tools to play any other way...

Like Gionta. When Gionta stopped getting his nose dirty, he became irrelevant offensively.

 

[Film Noir]

He's a great player. Leader on the ice. Still capable goal scorer. But we need to make him a pair of bulletproof kevlar gloves. And find a tough as nails face puncher to play with him.

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

I've said it before. Gallagher plays the regular season like it's the playoffs. He gives his all every shifts. By the end of the season and beginning of the playoffs, he's banged up and out of gas.

If we want Gallagher to be good in the playoffs, we should Kucherov him for the last 2 months so he can be fresh and ready to go in the playoffs.

Almost every single playoffs, we say the same thing about Gallagher. Heart is all there but there's really no results.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Dude he can’t even skate. Is that due to the hand injury too?

Gallagher sucks. “No no, he’s injured!!”.

Give it up already..

He has a groin injury.

 

[HabsFather]

Alot of Gallaghers goals come off point shots.

Not sure why our dee didnt use their cannons maybe due to injuries. Either way Gallagher cannot create chaos unless the puck gets to him. So yes. I think he is still very effective

 

[Scriptor]

He has a groin injury.

Are you sure they weren't just pulling your groin with that one?

All the slow skates have groin injuries -- chronic ones from birth.

Seriously, players like Gallagher and Toffoli were really hampered by this type of injury.

They aren't fast skaters, but can be explosive for a few strides, sometimes enough to get a shot off (in Tofolli's case). Gallagher, in his case, needs the leg strength to cycle the puck with quick and strong back and forths along the boards as he does better than most NHL players -- it's what enables him to come out with the puck against bigger players.

 

[JianYang]

Dude he can’t even skate. Is that due to the hand injury too?

Gallagher sucks. “No no, he’s injured!!”.

Give it up already..

It was revealed that Gallagher was playing with an injured groin, among other things. That was pretty evident when watching him play anyways.

Hes a tricky case. It's in his dna to play balls to the wall on every shift, so he actually plays up to 82 playoff games before the real playoffs start, and thats just too taxing on the body especially as he approaches 30 years of age.

It might even be a blessing in disguise if Gally needs time medical time off, and enters the playoffs healthy (if they make it).

I put guys like Gallagher, price, Weber, and Perry in the same category. These guys can help you get through the playoffs, but they will need help from others to get them there first.

Unfortunately, Gallagher and Weber were nowhere near healthy when they entered the playoffs, but at least in Weber's case, he still showed to be an effective player.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

Hope they use Gallagher next season in top 6 role. Not a defensive role. They guy is 2 time 36 goal scorer. Be a waste of talent.

It's total waste indeed, if Danault is signed, Gally will be stapled to him. Danault will play too much or Gally will be in a defensive role...