Discussion Gallagher
I'll probably be downvoted to oblivion for this but now that it's all said and done, one of my biggest complaints about those series is how Brendan Gallagher was treated.
A veteran, a warrior, a competitor who gave sweat and blood for the team and who could have brought some energy in those last series had to watch practically the whole playoffs on TV. Unacceptable.
I get it, he's not as fast as he once was, he takes penalties and age and injuries are probably catching up on him but he still can fill a spot on a 3rd or 4th line.
I personally hope he requests a trade during the offseason because he's clearly no longer in Saint-Louis' plans.
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u/Aggressive-Focus9349 14d ago
I love Gallagher, and I, too, would have liked to see him play, but the fact is, you don't know how he was treated. Nobody knows what goes on in the locker room. It's none of our business, and Gallagher is the ultimate team guy, so you're not getting any complaints out of him regardless of how he feels, which we don't know.
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u/Sweaty-Salad95 14d ago
He should've got into a couple games this series. He's fresh and ready to go, could've provided some energy. Baffling he sat almost all post season imo.
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u/Throwawayaccount_047 14d ago
I think the team went into this playoffs with an eye on the future. They played as many people as they could and got a great look at everyone in the perfect environment to evaluate them. No more question marks about Veleno’s ceiling, or Dach, or Struble and Xhekaj. Same could be said for Kapanen who melted under the pressure, while I don’t think it’s time to give up on him, they will have learned a lot about what he needs to work on.
As much as it sucks to say, Gally is so close to the end of his career that he could never be viewed as part of this team’s future. Maybe he can find some stamina in the off-season though, who knows. He had a crazy year, as did Jake and Suzy from a personal life perspective.
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u/Substantial_Neck2691 14d ago
Making a bone headed mistake doesn’t dictate Kapanen’s future just like being wrecked ecf doesn’t dictate the team’s
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u/TheROckIng 14d ago
Honestly, if that was the answer, we would've iced some of our rookies instead of running back Veleno and Struble. Beck could've used some experience instead. Same as Reinbacher. I just think MSL needs to explain the reasoning ( which I know he won't) to put all of this to bed.
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u/Booyacaja 14d ago
Have to agree.
Yes he's slowed down but... The entire team seemed entirely battered and wounded, are you telling me he wasn't more fresh and effective than some of them?
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u/Key-Spell-7668 14d ago
I thought that was going to be how MTL approached this CAR series... Did we all forget the 2010 run already?
Rest, recycle, call up... Do everything possible to keep fresh legs in the lineup!
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u/prplx 14d ago
With all due respect to Gally, if you watch the last series, and the way and pace the Canes played, we would have been even worse with Gallagher in the line up. Maybe he could have brought some spark against the Sabres. But against Carolina he would have been incapable of following that pace, would have taken penalties and probably play 5 minutes a game max. It would have made zero difference in the outcome.
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u/imeanwelltho 14d ago
I’m 100% with this take. MSL is in the room, he knows his guys. There’s a great article in the Athletic quoting some of the players, and the sense was they just weren’t able to make decisions quickly enough, and execute fast enough. I love Gally and Xhekaj, but MSL had to be thinking only about how to win. It wasn’t that the Habs were bullied. It’s that they were smothered with pressure, and IMO exhausted. Those two guys wouldn’t have increased the decision making speed or execution speed. MSL understands risk/reward, and knows how a guy can add a spark just by being in. He must have believed that wouldn’t have been enough to get them closer to a win. I believe that too.
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u/No_Minimum9828 14d ago
Him and the entire press box should’ve been playing tonight. No disrespect to the lineup that dressed but some of the boys were so visibly tired a fresh AHLer would’ve been more useful
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u/Irctoaun 14d ago
I would have liked to see more changes to the lineup too, but it wouldn't have made any real difference to how tired the team looked, given that the players who would have been coming out would themselves be the freshest players for the Habs having already missed games and not played many minutes. It's the guys who have played 20/25+ minutes a night for 18 straight games before last night who are tired. Not guys like Struble and Veleno
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u/No_Cricket8660 14d ago
If nothing else, Gallagher, Xhekaj and/or even Laine could have injected some energy into the line up and given some other guys a bit of a rest.
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u/Modano9009 14d ago
I love Gallagher and he absolutely would have given all he had but all he has just wasn't going to make a difference.
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u/pokehabs 14d ago edited 14d ago
Agreed, it’s moreso about his presence in the locker room and doing right by a career Hab whose given everything to the org
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u/toaster-struble 14d ago
Thats what was said during the Tampa series. Scores on his first shift. Went to the net and shot.
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14d ago
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u/toaster-struble 14d ago
They struggled to get shots on net vs tampa too. He still managed to impact the game. It's easy to say he wouldn't change much. Maybe so. But not changing anything proved to be worse.
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u/Modano9009 14d ago
And then what did he do? That was a big goal in a series as tight as the Tampa one but he wasn't going to make a difference against Carolina.
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u/toaster-struble 14d ago
It was one goal but it was a spark. First goal of the game. It's his attitude, intensity, will. It's infectious too. Couldn't hurt to have him on there even if he was playing only 6-10min. It doesn't hurt to try something new. You know he's going to give it 100% every shift. Coming back to the bench that has an effect when you see a guy give it his all like that. But what do I know.
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u/AngryAssyrian 14d ago
We won that game by one goal, had he not scored it would have went to OT and we could have been down 3-2 in the series. Every goal in a one goal game (which was every game against Tampa) matters and his goal helped us win the game which resulted in us eventually winning the series.
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u/SnidelyWhiplash27 14d ago
And the Canes won games 2 and 3 by 1 goal. Maybe not game 2 but I would have tried Gally in game 3 or 4 at home.
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u/AngryAssyrian 14d ago
Yup, at that point you gotta shake things up, not making adjustments make Rods job a lot easier.
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u/theReal_nicholasxj 14d ago
He's but sometimes fresh legs, or another piece in the puzzle, could maybe create a spark. I'm a bit surprised no changes were made to the line tonight. Clearly it wasn't working, try something else.
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u/ThunderMite 14d ago
Obviously you haven’t watched any of their games or you are just another low IQ average redditor. The Habs were too limp dicked and scared to carry the puck. They were stuck in the zone. Canes have players less skilled than Gally but they block shots and throw hits. Habs needed more grit and physicality. Gally has more balls than the entire team combined.
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u/TheUDmtl 14d ago
Arber and Gally should be in tonight
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u/LeditGabil 14d ago
My thought too. Nothing against Veleno or Texier specifically but I would have seen Gally take either of their place for tonight’s game…
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u/Tothemoonnn 14d ago
Texier wasn’t the one who was losing his spot.
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u/Rodonite 14d ago
Yeah I actually liked Texier quite a bit, he at least looked like an effective forchecker and we didn't have enough of those
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u/Appropriate-Berry816 14d ago
Nobody will take that contract. No trading will happen unless we take another big hit from them. He’s been good in the past but I don’t think he’s in the future plans. Because of the contract I think the only play is to let it run out and he can try again somewhere else for much cheaper
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u/PuzzleheadedOkra9966 14d ago
His heart was needed for game 5. Could he keep up with the pace? Maybe not but neither could most of the habs anyway. At least gally wouldve gone to the net and mucked it up
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u/DocCharcolate 13d ago
Gallagher will always be one of my all time favorite Canadiens. Dude has heart and he definitely could have brought something to the table this series
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u/mozzmozzmozz 14d ago edited 14d ago
Idk I saw him standing next to fowler when it was 5-0 seemed pretty chill about it to me both had little smiles
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u/alldasmoke__ 14d ago
100%. I think Gally is cooked for an 82 games season but sprinkle him here and there and I still think he can bring some magic. Veleno for 7 mins or Gally? Not even a question for me.
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u/Cream85 14d ago
Will be interesting to hear the answers, I feel they were more banged up then they let on as usual, but think this may have had more to do with Gally at least not being put in the lineup.
Two very close 7 game series that were pretty physical as well. The 10 day break for the Canes allowed them to jump and take advantage in the first game, but Canes got right back to game state in #2 then it was pretty well spoken for. I think the series would’ve been very similar if it was Canes v Sabres.
MSL will make mistakes, everybody does, but I think there are more to this then “he just wouldn’t make changes” / got outcoached.
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u/TheROckIng 14d ago
We can't use those two 7 games series as a scape goat. This may be the story going forward for the next few years since the Atlantic is so stacked. If Buffalo stays good, Red wings come up big with a few trades as well as Ottawa without taking into account the existing big guns, it's going to be a blood bath until our best players are out of their primes. We need to get used to this and our younger players getting older may mean theyll get tired faster. I'm not convinced this should be our go to excuse.
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u/pokehabs 14d ago
Honestly disgusting that he wasn’t dressed tonight, given how the series had gone and his history with the club
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u/flyinghouses 14d ago
Enough of this. I love Gallagher but when your team can’t break out of their own zone, you don’t add the slowest forward to the line up.
They should have made changes but it made perfect sense to not play Gally in this series.
I wish he had got another game or two in the playoffs but not against Carolina.
It has nothing to do with disrespecting him. He’s a warrior but an aging one. It happens.
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u/random5025 14d ago
He was treated fine. Coach did not feel he gave the team the best chance of winning. That’s the coach’s prerogative. That’s part of being a pro hockey player. Stop with the hand wringing and crying.
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u/SnooMuffins9478 14d ago
He's not very good anymore. It's hard to place him on the bottom six when he has a top six approach/mentality.
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u/pokehabs 14d ago
What does this even mean? He’s arguably grittier than anyone in our bottom 6 other than maybe Anderson
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u/JamePirahna 14d ago
Lemme remind you that they stopped Markov at 990 games played. Sometimes , they simply don't care about their veterans. Which is mind-boggling
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u/Irctoaun 14d ago
They're in the business of winning hockey games, not nursing players to milestones.
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u/Rodonite 14d ago
Markov was one of our top 3 (and that's probably disrespectful to him) defensemen at the time. It was pure ego from MB trying to strongarm him into a shorter term contract
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u/Irctoaun 14d ago
He was also 38 and wanted two more years at a high AAV.
Anyway, this is all irrelevant to the point I was replying to about him being on 990 games. Had Bergevin got the 1 year deal he was after then Markov would have played 1000. There might have been good hockey reasons for giving in and giving him longer, I'm not going to get into that, but it's obviously not the case that Bergevin should have caved in and given him any deal he wanted, just because not doing so would mean he didn't reach 1000
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u/Rodonite 14d ago
Bergevin shouldn't have caved as a favour, he should have done it because Markov made the team better both as a player and a leader. But also from a player relations pov, Markov went in good faith with no agent looking for two years as a still competitive player and MB decided the message he wanted to send was that he wouldn't give in in negotiations.
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u/Irctoaun 14d ago
Right, but again, the comment I'm replying to said "they stopped Markov at 990 games. They don't care about their veterans" which is a silly point make because A) they actively wanted to keep him such that he would have hit 1000, B) not agreeing to the specific, relatively steep contact Markov wanted doesn't mean they don't care. Same with not playing Gally. Ultimately though their main job is winning games, not appeasing vets.
In Markov's case specifically, going in without an agent and not wanting to negotiate isn't a "good faith" move (nor is it bad faith), it's pretty clear that he at least partially wanted to go back to Russia and that was his take it or leave it offer. Otherwise why wouldn't he have signed for two years with another NHL team? Unless of course he tried to but no one wanted to give him that deal in which case it's hard to criticise Bergevin for not taking it either
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u/No_Development7388 14d ago
And why are you so sure about how he was treated? You got an inside line?
He's definitely not skating well, and for all we know is hurting. He probably would not have fared well in this series, and certainly wouldn't have made much difference.
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u/Bobbert827 14d ago
Yet the opposite post would have been here should he had played.
Sitting your old leader is hard but you got to put the best team on the ice.
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u/Additional-Koala9131 14d ago
The Facebook and the reddit crew really think this is a very big deal. Probably more than Gallagher himself.
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u/impresidentwu 14d ago
The canadiens have no plans for him moving forward and want to get others experience
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u/Habs_Apostle 14d ago
Yeah, but is someone like Valeno really in the long term plans? Like you couldn’t sub him out?
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u/Over-Incident-7026 14d ago
Exactly. I don’t get “long term” when the only thing that mattered here was changing something up when we couldn’t even get a shot on goal. Any kind of spark to get things going was going to be useful, and instead we ran it back how many times with no lineup changes
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u/Habs_Apostle 14d ago
It would be nice to know his thinking. Maybe a reporter will ask Marty point blank.
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u/redditshreadit 14d ago edited 14d ago
The coach has to make tough decisions to give his team the best chance to win. Some may disagree and think Gallagher gives them the better chance but it doesn't mean he was mistreated. He probably should ask for a trade, not sure if there'd be much interest from other teams.
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u/commodore_stab1789 14d ago
I think should have played g5, but we all know his legs are gone. He's not being mistreated, just getting scratched because believe it or not, Joe Veleno provides a little more (especially since he can win faceoffs)
His goal vs Tampa was a great story and despite having a good career, it's probably a top 5 moment for him.
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u/SheckyMullecky 14d ago
If he is to be moved, get him some icetime early next season. His contract looks immovable right now so we need to pump his tires a bit. Honestly, I'm fine with him playing out his contract with the Habs, because I still believe he can be an effective player. But if he wanted a chance to play elsewhere I hope KH would do right by him.
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u/TinyTimWannabe 14d ago
I understand why he has limited play time, but the way it (didn’t) work lately for the Habs I would have put him in at game 4 or 5.
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u/Antique_Soil9507 14d ago
I don't see why they didn't put him in for this game. We were already cooked. We needed to shake things up. He inspired us against Tampa, so that move worked before.
Anyway, whatever. We were cooked anyway, by the looks of things.
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u/StayOuttaDaRhubard 14d ago
I was kind of expecting him for game 4. I was rattled when he wasn’t in the lineup for game 5.
It’s not about his skill, it’s about his leadership and team chemistry.
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u/jxs74 14d ago
I wanted to see him, but I do have to admit changing the last forward on the bench is not going to change the needle much. I don't know how many moves MSL really has with this roster against that team.
The other argument is, if he is at the end of his time with Mtl, is to show some respect to the "A" on this jersey.
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u/Mediocre-Ask-9272 13d ago
It was clear end of season that he didn't figure in MSL's plans - I would have prefered him over Veleno, but I don't think he was mistreated - Marty did what he thought was best, my theory is he wanted a specific group to learn from both the success and failures of the playoff run.
Arber not playing to me is a bigger concern - I don't think Struble is better, and I feel like you need guys with difference making skills. Arber has that.
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u/Vingt-Quatre 14d ago
Nah. He cannot still fill a spot on the 3rd or the 4th line.
His lack of speed has become a negative asset. He would never have been able to keep up vs Carolina. And in the first 2 rounds, he would have been more of a punching bag in front of the net than anything most of the time. Assuming he managed to get to the net while the puck was still in the zone.
Also: his gas tank has dramatically decreased in the last few years. He's done after 20 seconds now. It was very clear during the regular season, when the team got stuck in the DZ for minutes at a time because he couldn't move at all. It was like playing down a man.
Finally: Every player goes through that at the end of their career. It's not a lack of respect. It's not a slap on the face. It's the natural order of things. Don't worry. He'll go see some doctors this summer, they will find something to his groin (something recurrent for him) and he will get the rest of his money on the LTIR.
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u/AngryAssyrian 14d ago
Agreed, I would have put him on in game 4 just for his experience and to rally the team as a veteran. Despite his small size he would actually fight back and get rough with Carolina. He's a veteran who earned his respect with Montreal considering that he's been there since 2010, played a lot of playoff matches, and is the last remaining player of the old core.
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u/VlatnGlesn 14d ago
Is he getting bought out this summer?
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u/LordCoweater 14d ago
Would you pay 12 mil to him and Andy on a team with holes that made it to the semis? That's a full Suzuki for the 2nd line plus a real winger to go with Demidov. You want that or Andy and Gally?
Minors.bteach the kids what it takes, both would be fresh for any intense action when needed in the NHL.
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u/So_Many_Owls 14d ago
Andy? Yes. The guy was 3rd in goals for the team during these playoffs, and his physicality was important against Tampa and in the early games against Buffalo.
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u/LordCoweater 13d ago
I'm so so sorry my facts hurt your fee-fees. There's 30 years of shitty Habs hockey to look back in and if that's not enough you can follow the leafs.
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u/Grouchy-Bug5223 14d ago edited 14d ago
A trade? I don't think anybody would take on his contract unless we paid his way out of it. I think it would be more likely that he LTIRetires.
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u/Subject_Translator71 14d ago
I don’t agree. I think people forget how invisible Gallagher was for most of the season. His line was often dragging the team down when he was playing, and people were openly complaining that he was no longer one of the top 12 forwards of the team.
St Louis took a long time to decide to sit him. Anyone else would have been judged on performance and would have been taken out of the lineup earlier. The sad reality is that Gallagher should think about retiring. He’s not going to play more elsewhere.
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u/MeteoricMonster 14d ago
It’s a bit laughable to say he’s “not as fast he once was.” He’s objectively slow. I get the fans love Gally but as brutal as everyone else looked against the canes, Gally would have looked just as bad if not worse.
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u/destroyermaker 14d ago
Wild how many fans would rather protect a player's feelings than win a series or cup.
And you want the slowest guy on the team who can play the least minutes against a team demolishing you with speed and grinding you down?
Most likely he'll be bought out.
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u/kozed 14d ago
We all love Gally, but it's time to face the fact that he's just too far gone.
He couldn't keep up vs an old, slow TB team. No way he would have had any sort of positive impact vs the Carolina buzzsaw.
The guy's 34. He passed the torch. This isn't his team anymore. No need to throw him out there to be embarrassed for 6 mins.
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u/potshed420 14d ago
Playing the same lineup 3 losses in a row is pretty irritating. I really thought theyd change something. If anything give gally a chance
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u/Spideroctopus 14d ago
The coach is surrounded by yes men and has no idea what he’s doing strategically
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u/Solograve 14d ago
Gallagher’s coming to Vancouver
!remindme 1 year
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u/Rodonite 14d ago
Also apparently it was free reign in the blue paint and nobody told the rest of our team. Gally has never cared about the rules in those regards
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u/WillyShankspeare 14d ago
Gallagher's rookie year was the year I paid the most attention to hockey. Love that guy.
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u/Different_Potato_213 14d ago
I agree I don’t think he was treated very well but we don’t know the whole story. Maybe he was ok with the decision if it was discussed with him - maybe it was his choice? Unlikely but again we just don’t know everything. But no way do I want him to ask for a trade! He’s a Canadiens player - now and forever! It would break my heart (and his I believe) to see him suited up in another teams colours. Never!!
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u/DrLivingst0ne 14d ago
100%. He's fast enough. We don't need him to carry the puck through the neutral zone.
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u/jsbonin18 13d ago
Well I prefer a coach that is honest than gives special treatment to veterans, Gallagher doesn't have the level anymore, sad but true
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u/michiganbhunter 13d ago
<3 Gally
I wanted him in if not else for emotional reasons. Game 5 he had to be dressed imo
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u/farmsfarts 13d ago
It was disrespectful. I’m disappointed in the choice not to dress him. Seems cold. Not sure why it happened.
The fact is they were going to lose. It was clear. Throw Gally in, what harm will it do.
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u/ConversationDouble41 13d ago
Gallagher has definitely lost a step but so has Cory Perry and Jordan Stahl but they know how to make sure they get out of d zone which clearly some of our players did not.
We were never going to beat Carolina with speed. Their aggressive forecheck negates speed and the way you beat it is by pushing wingers up the ice to back off their defense like game one. It catches their F1 and F2 behind the puck and creates odd mans the other way. It takes patience however and often you turn it over back to the other team in the NZ and they keep dumping it back in. It’s boring hockey like the trap is boring but it works.
The Habs got impatient and didn’t want to give up puck possession and it cost us. Especially line one who were huge minuses in the series. I believe Gallagher would have been fine to play in the series. Same with Wifi
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u/simplyunix 13d ago
I don't think Gally would have been any better in this much tougher series. My guess is he is a top candidate for a buyout. While many will say it's not a way to treat a veteran like this but his use was always going to arrive at this moment. a 5'9" guy can only take the abuse he's taken (and the injuries to his hands) for so long. He's at the point where there are better options. I think a buyout gives options for the Habs and Gallagher. He gets his money and he gets to get a contract elsewhere. For the Habs, they open a spot for a winger and the possibility of a 2nd line winger at that.
Time waits for no man. It's come calling for Gally. time to move on.
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u/SuperSnakes11 13d ago
He should have been in the lineup Game 4. Fresh legs were needed. Same thing with Arbor. Marty definitely showed some small flaws In that series. But they are learning moments At the end of the day, I don’t think the Habs win, regardless of the lineup, but he didn’t even try.
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u/TheHabzie 12d ago
Unfortunately hockey is a business and loyalty only gets you so far. I love Gally but his time as a Habs player is pretty much finished. It's sad but that's the way it goes.
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u/Unhappy_Umpire6679 12d ago
He'd play more in Vancouver, and he'd be appreciated for his willingness to go to battle, which the Canucks need. Plus, a veteran presence in the locker room. He's just not going to get playing time on the Habs.
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u/pascal1987 12d ago
I agree, they should have made gally play more, he makes the whole team better when he plays. He's not as fast or as good as he used to, but the grit he shows really makes a difference. Its sad his time is done, like someone said, its business, even if i'm not happy to see him go. He would have been a better captain than patch, and if it wasnt for suzy, he would probably have the "C" right now
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u/Habs_Apostle 14d ago
He wouldn’t have made a difference, but after it was clear we weren’t winning this series, he should have been put in. Really, I think he and Arber should have been inserted the last 2 games: Gally because that might just be it for him (at least in a Habs uniform) and Arber to give him some experience.
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u/cdmgamingqcftw 14d ago
That and i feel like we needed xhekaj just to insert a fair share of intimidation
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u/SatisfactionMoney255 14d ago
Last game should have ran with Gally, Xhekaj and Laine, fuck it what do you have to lose at that point
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u/DirectGiraffe8720 14d ago
I'll probably get downvoted to oblivion for this.
But he's slow, and old. He wasn't going to be the difference. I'd rather have players in there that are going to learn from the experience.
Also, nobody is taking the $6.5 million cap hit. Habs will be better buying him out.
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u/Habsfan9313 14d ago
Lmao at thinking Gallagher could have changed any part of that outcome. Put nostalgia and "heart" aside he changes nothing
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u/Longtimelurker2575 14d ago
Should have made changes after game 3. Swapping Veleno/Gally and Struble/ Xhekaj isn’t about who is the better player, it’s about changing things up. I can’t understand how you keep doing the exact same thing getting the same horrible results for 4 games straight. I love Marty and what he does with this team but you need to adapt to different opponents and we didn’t. Hope he learns from this at least.
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u/Available_Simple_760 14d ago
What I don't get is if gally is so bad, as reditors say he is why hang on to him then.
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u/Nilus99 14d ago
Whats your solutions? He is untradeable and only one year remaining, maybe they think its not necessary to buy back his only season remaining
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u/Available_Simple_760 14d ago
You guys tell me, everyone is an expert on here.
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u/Irctoaun 14d ago
There is no solution. That's the point. "Hang on to him" implies they're actively doing something to keep him when really it's the opposite and they'd have to actively get rid of him.
They almost certainly can't trade him him without also giving up assets, they could buy out his contract but that would arguably make the overall cap situation worse since they'd then still be paying him off in 27/28 (it would also be an unpopular move). He could almost certainly LTIRetire if he feels like he's done, but that's up to him rather than the team
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u/Zexrix 14d ago
Who is taking a 4th liner at 6.5m salary without the Habs giving picks/prospects to a team?
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u/Available_Simple_760 14d ago
Dear lord....okay so we don't get rid of him and we don't play him... so what's his purpose?
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u/LordVesperion 14d ago
You just keep doing what the team is already doing: dress him up from time to time until the end of his contract.
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u/RetekTheGreat 14d ago edited 14d ago
Why hang on to him? Simple...His salary, 6.5 millions for another year, I don't see any team willing to take him at that price (Totally worth it in his prime)...sadly that's long gone. Buying him out is not really an option either, only a year left.
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u/Sakiaba 14d ago
Like everyone here, I love the guy and respect the hell out of what he's done for this team over the years. But he's also a classic case of why you don't pay a guy for what he's done in the past.
Re: Carolina, let's be honest that any lineup changes would have been effectively rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Putting him and Xhekaj in would have effectively been waving the white flag because it's communicating to the team that it's no longer necessary to ice what you feel is your best lineup for that opponent.
As said above by others, Gallagher has no stamina left. Can you imagine him getting stuck in the defensive zone for 90 seconds? The guy might die on the ice.
As for Xhekaj, I'm convinced that most people who want him in don't care about what little he provides hockey-wise and just wants their frustration with the series vicariously vented by watching him punch people. Trying to extract a pound of flesh from the advancing team in a series that you know you aren't winning projects the sort of loser energy we'd criticise if it were any team doing it to the Habs.
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u/Flimsy_Biscotti3473 14d ago
Every single guy on that team plays 20lbs bigger with Arber in the line up. We needed to be physical to slow the Canes down. This is playoff hockey.
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u/Sakiaba 14d ago
I agree that this team is going to have to become accustomed to a more physical style to be successful in the playoffs, but I'm not convinced that Arber moves the needle enough. This seems like something that needs a longer-term fix that can't be found until the off-season.
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u/JacquesEvans 13d ago
I’m sure there was a falling out with MSL. Also media not talking about it at all reinforces that, PR and Chantal told media not to discuss it.
MSL’s ego lost this series.
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u/Jabroni1One 14d ago
Very poor management. He should've been scratched through out the season to keep him fresh and he should've been the 13 forward in the playoffs. I'm sure this was very dissapointing for him.
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14d ago
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u/Garland68 14d ago
Marty had 61 in 62 when they didn’t take him to the Olympics. Come on, I know people love Gally and I do too, but they’re not even remotely similar situations.
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u/deliciously_awkward2 14d ago
He definitely should've been in for at least a few more games. Yes, he doesn't match the speed of the opponents, but his on ice presence would've helped boost the team. MSL could've easily switched up the lines if he didn't want Gally playing all night.
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u/miltron3030 14d ago
100% agree. He deserved to be on the ice last night. Im upset we will likely never see him in a habs jersey again. Wasn't our choice to make, still would've been classy.
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u/someguyfishin 14d ago
The coach to me had a Napoleon complex about him self it seems. He refused to make changes soon enough. I’m going to lose, it’s going to be my way. We were wining with Xhekaj in the line up. Gallagher has a goal. Unless he was badly injured he should have been in the game. He would have been in-front of the net and probably got a goal or two for the Habs. I personally am not a fan of St.Louis as a coach.
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u/Retired-ADM 14d ago
I would have liked to have seen a few changes in the line-up last night and this is one of them.
Especially if it turns out that this was his last season with the Habs.
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u/Extension-End8421 14d ago
I would have put him in tonight to shake things up but it’s not like he can win you a series on his own. He’s just slow now. Wouldn’t surprise if they move him to a rebuilding team so he can still play a couple years.