Report: Gallagher closing in on new deal with the Habs

According to reports, the Montreal Canadiens are aggressively working on signing forward Brendan Gallagher to a contract extension. Gallagher's agent Gerry Johansson has said "We're working hard to reach an agreement", while Habs general manager Marc Bergevin said yesterday that they are working on a deal that would make Gallagher the highest paid forward on the Habs roster.

Bergevin said yesterday that he's working on a deal with Gallagher that would make him the team's highest paid forward.— HabsLinks (@HabsLinks) September 30, 2020

Gallagher, 28, will be entering the final year of his current contract in the 2020-21 season, where he is set to make $2,750,000, while his cap hit is $3,750,000.

Gallagher was drafted in the fifth round, 147th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2010 NHL entry draft. In 547 career games, he has put up 334 points (173 G, 161 A), 312 penalty minutes, and is a +58. In 59 career playoff games, Gallagher has 25 points (11 G, 14 A), 21 penalty minutes, and is a -6.

He missed the Habs' final playoff game this year after having his jaw broken on a cross-check to the face by Flyers defenceman Matt Niskanen. Niskanen was suspended one game for the incident. He finished the 2020 playoffs with 4 points (1 G, 3 A), 2 penalty minutes, and was a -1. Gallagher admitted after the season that on top of suffering from the broken jaw, he was playing through a hip injury as well.

#Habs Headlines: Brendan Gallagher returns home to recover from jaw surgery and hip injury https://t.co/eSjEOA3Cgh— Eyes on the Prize (@HabsEOTP) August 23, 2020

He has proven over the past several years that he can be a leader on this team, and he does so by example. He surpassed the 30-goal mark, and the 50-point mark in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He steps up for his teammates, and plays with his heart on his sleeve, and has done that ever since he entered the NHL in the 2012-13 season. While Shea Weber is the captain of the Canadiens, it sure does feel like they do have two of them with the way Gallagher is on and off the ice.

Signing Gallagher to an extension seems like priority number one for Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens at this point. Last week, they signed defenceman Jeff Petry to a 4-year contract extension that will keep him in Montreal until 2025.

Next week could be a massive week for the Habs. The 2020 NHL entry draft is October 6th and 7th, Montreal has 11 picks, 4 in the first two rounds. Free agency opens up on October 9th at 12pm, and the Habs have $10.2 million in cap space available. The obvious need is a top-6 scoring winger, will they take a run at trying to sign Taylor Hall or Mike Hoffman? Only time will tell...

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