Brendan Gallagher knows what it takes to weather a rebuild.
It’s a knowledge that’s sure to come in handy as he moves from the Montreal Canadiens to the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks acquired the veteran forward from the Habs for future considerations on Monday, bringing his 14 seasons with Montreal to an official end.
“I hope there’s some young players I can help out, help expedite their development, obviously. And there are certain areas of what being a pro is all about that I’ll be able to hopefully, bring to the group,” Gallagher said in a video call.
“But as far as what I’m expecting, I’m coming into a team that I’m looking forward to getting to know the guys, and from there I think we’re going to compete every single night, and I look forward to doing that with them.”
The Canadiens are retaining 50 per cent of the remaining year on Gallagher’s contract, which carries a US$6.5-million salary-cap hit.
The move returns Gallagher and his growing family to the West Coast, where he grew up in Tsawwassen, B.C.
“It was maybe the worst kept secret that this was kind of what I had hoped for, anyways, for both my both myself as a professional, but also my family,” he said. “This is just the best case scenario.”
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It’s the first time in his career that Gallagher has been traded. He and his wife, Emma, have a young daughter and will stay in Montreal while they await the imminent birth of their second child.
“I’m very thankful,” he said of how Montreal’s front office dealt with the move.
“I think they handled it with so much respect, and I’m forever appreciative of that. They asked me what was going to be best, and they worked to that solution … I’ve got nothing bad to say about the Montreal Canadiens. It’s been an absolute pleasure and 14 unbelievable seasons, and now I’m just excited for the next chapter.”
Originally picked in the fifth round of the 2010 draft (147th overall), the 34-year-old winger has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the Canadiens. He recorded 246 goals and 487 points in 911 regular-season games, and added another 14 goals and 34 points over 79 post-season contests.
Gallagher was named an honorary citizen of Montreal last week after announcing he would not return to the Canadiens next season.
“On behalf of the entire Canadiens organization, we would like to sincerely thank Brendan for everything he has brought to this team over the course of his remarkable 14-season career in Montreal,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement.
“Brendan will always hold a special place in the hearts of Canadiens fans. He represented the team with such tremendous determination, passion and inspiring courage. He is the very definition of a warrior, always putting the team’s success ahead of his own individual accolades.”
The move to Vancouver reunites Gallagher with his former teammate, Manny Malhotra.
Malhotra played the final season of his NHL career in Montreal in 2014-15 before moving into coaching. He was named the Canucks’ newest head coach on June 1.
“Manny was an awesome teammate,” Gallagher said. “He stepped into our group there in Montreal when I was a young player, and he was eager to share his knowledge … or just, on the road, if he saw a guy was struggling, he’d just pull you aside, and have a chat.
“It was a pleasure to play with him, and I’m very looking forward to playing for him. A guy that I’m sure everyone will be excited to go to battle for.”
The Canucks also sent winger Nils Höglander to the Nashville Predators on Monday for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.
Höglander, 25, signed a three-year, US$9-million extension after scoring a career-high 24 goals in 2023-24, but had eight goals in 72 games in 2024-25 and two goals in 38 games last season because of a lower-body injury.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2026.
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