A former member of the organization reveals the player who is most detrimental to the CH, and it clearly does not have unanimous support among the fans

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Elias Edmonson
September 18, 2023 (9:41 PM)

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The former NHL forward, Éric Bélanger, made a major statement during his appearance on the podcast "La Poche Bleue" last week. Indeed, the head coach of the Lions de Trois-Rivières in 2021-2022, which is the affiliate club of the Canadiens in the ECHL, mentioned that Brendan Gallagher is a real drag and that he could harm the team this season.

"I think we are going to try to accommodate him, at the beginning of the year. He will start on a third line to see what he can give us. Gallagher is beaten up and he has no more endurance. He does 12-second shifts, then he's burnt out, he has the stick on his knees. It's okay for him to say that he will score 30 goals, and I hope he will, but he is now 31 years old. He's a damn drag, and he could be a veteran throwing a tantrum in the locker room." - Éric Bélanger

Of course, the little forward has greatly slowed down over the past few years due to his multiple injuries. While Gally has reached the 30-goal mark and surpassed 50 points twice, he has been unable to achieve interesting offensive production since signing his contract valued at 6.5 million dollars annually, accumulating only 61 points over the last three seasons.

However, just a few weeks before the first game of the season, the assistant captain admitted that he was fully recovered from his injury, even adding that he felt capable of scoring 30 goals this year. Knowing that he might possibly play on a third or fourth line, it would be quite surprising to see number 11 reach this mark. However, if he is able to stay healthy and play the 82 games of the schedule, he could certainly be an excellent support player in Martin St-Louis' lineup.

Moreover, Gallagher is an undeniable leader who always shows up at the arena with an impeccable attitude. There is therefore no doubt that his experience in the NHL and his leadership will be very valuable for the young players of the organization. We would therefore be very surprised if the Montreal Canadiens' forward becomes a burden in the locker room and throws tantrums because of his limited playing time.

One thing is certain, we strongly hope that Gally will manage to become the player he was before, someone who could have a huge impact on the CH's performances.

Credit: Fanadiens

POLL
Do you believe that Brendan Gallagher, considering his salary of 6.5 million dollars per season, is a nuisance for the team?"
Yes	53	45.7 %
No	63	54.3 %
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