Brendan Gallagher is no longer a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs announced they’ve traded the longtime forward to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations. Montreal is retaining 50% of Gallagher’s salary as part of the deal.
General manager Kent Hughes confirmed the move in a release on Monday afternoon, and didn’t hold back on what Gallagher meant to the organization over his 14 seasons.
“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,” Hughes said. “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.”
Hughes added that Gallagher always carried himself “like a true Montreal Canadien,” both on the ice and around the community, before wishing him luck out west.
The Edmonton native leaves Montreal as the only NHL home he’s ever known. Drafted in the fifth round (147th overall) back in 2010, Gallagher made his debut in 2012-13 and never left, eventually climbing to the top of several franchise leaderboards along the way.
He leads the current Canadiens in games played (911), goals (246), points (487), penalty minutes (594) and even-strength goals (194). Among everyone selected in his 2010 draft class, he ranks 10th in goals, 11th in games played and 18th in points.
This past season was a quieter one for the 34-year-old. He suited up for 77 games in 2025-26, putting up seven goals and 16 assists, but his role had clearly shrunk by the end of the year.
During the Canadiens’ end-of-season media availability and locker cleanout in early June, a visibly emotional Gallagher told reporters he expected to be playing elsewhere.
“I’m so, so thankful and so fortunate to have spent as much time as I have here. The fans, right from day one, it’s been truly a privilege to play in front of them,” he said at the time. “There’s been ups and downs, but I, I don’t have a single regret. It’s pretty clear I’ll be, kind of moving on here.”
That season also saw Gallagher healthy scratched for the first time in his career, and his playing time dried up in the playoffs. Even as the Habs pushed all the way to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, he dressed for just three of Montreal’s 19 postseason contests.
“I felt like I could have helped,” he said when asked about it. “I felt like, given the opportunity, I could have helped them out.”
He had one year left on his six-year deal, which made a trade or buyout the likely outcome heading into the offseason.
