Brendan Gallagher’s Canadiens future gets first confirmation after playoff elimination

Brendan Gallagher’s future with the Montreal Canadiens is officially becoming uncertain.

Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports has just shared a revealing analysis on LCN regarding the Canadiens veteran.

And the verdict will probably not sit well with fans who have supported Gallagher since his early days with the organization.

The Montreal journalist delivered his analysis:

“The chances of seeing Brendan Gallagher as a full-time player, the chances are lower than they are higher. That said, can we completely rule it out? No. There’s still a training camp to go through, and you never know. But based on what we’ve seen and what we know, the chances are not as high as they are low.”

– Anthony Martineau

Kent Hughes set to address Brendan Gallagher’s uncertain Canadiens future

This is the first confirmation we were waiting for.

Kent Hughes will indeed address Gallagher’s future in Montreal tomorrow during his press conference, so this promises to be interesting.

We are really looking forward to hearing what he has to say on the subject.

Anthony Martineau was also asked directly on LCN about the possibility that Gallagher may have played his final game with the Canadiens.

And the journalist delivered an interesting response.
“That’s a good question, especially considering what we saw during the playoffs.”

Let’s remember that Gallagher was repeatedly left out of the lineup during the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes. And also for much of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That speaks volumes.

Martineau confirmed that this situation will definitely be one of the topics addressed during Kent Hughes’ season review on Monday morning.

For Brendan Gallagher, this is probably a difficult period to go through emotionally.

The veteran knows full well that his role with the Canadiens is becoming increasingly limited. And that is the kind of reality that often defines the end of NHL careers.

At the same time, Gallagher has made a habit of proving his critics wrong!

Kent Hughes is clearly going to bring additional players into the lineup this summer, which complicates Gallagher’s situation, but you should never say “never.”

Several options are now available to the Canadiens’ management.

A contract buyout. Placement on long-term injured reserve similar to Patrik Laine. A trade to another team. Or simply keeping Gallagher as a veteran depth player next season.

It remains to be seen how Kent Hughes will ultimately handle Brendan Gallagher’s future during Monday morning’s season review.

The official appointment is set for 9:00 a.m. Monday morning in Brossard.