The problem was they weren't thinking.
This is what I posted on July 20, 2016:
My only problem with Gallagher is his physiology. In hockey parlance, Gallagher is a 'one and done' player. One foray up the ice and his effectiveness drop offs or declines more than any other player on the team. I know I will endure a significant amount of ridicule for this observation (similar to the invective that I had to endure for my observations over three years ago about Subban's diminished straight-line speed) but Gallagher's inherent lack of stamina will always limit his production. Gallagher also plays hard and fearlessly. As he ages, Gallagher's style of play and lack of size will make him much more likely to suffer injuries of an increasingly serious nature. This is a player with the heart of a lion. Unfortunately he lacks the physiology to make use of this greatest attribute.
On November 6, 2016, I posted:
Hardly. Gallagher has a very low level of stamina. He is your poster boy for the one and done player. Gallagher has great energy the first 20 - 30 seconds of his shift and then the drop off in his effectiveness (particularly on the backcheck) is quite noticeable. There is far too much skating responsibility imposed on a center for a player of his limited stamina.
A wise man once said some can see and comprehend the past, some the present and a few, even the future. By offering Gallagher that grotesque contract, it becomes apparent that the geniuses that managed the team had none of these abilities.
There is an old sport adage that it's better to trade a player one year too early than one year too late. In Gallagher's case, we missed that boat by a mere 8 years.
What sheer and utter incompetence. There's a reason we haven't won a Stanley Cup in over 30 years.