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A scoring rebound and mentorship role are the goals for Canucks’ Brendan Gallagher in 2026-27

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

By Jeffrey Kennett

Aug 24, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 23, 2026, 23:23 EDT

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Brendan Gallagher is back where his hockey story began, looking to prove there is still plenty left in the tank after 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Vancouver Canucks acquired Gallagher from Montreal in June for future considerations, with the Canadiens retaining 50% of the final year of his $6.5-million contract. Vancouver is responsible for a $3.25-million cap hit for the 34-year-old winger, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

It was the move that Gallagher wanted. “This is the best case scenario obviously,” he said following the trade, explaining that Vancouver was his preferred outcome both professionally and for his family.

He also made his intentions for the season clear. The pesky winger said he wanted to keep playing and saw Vancouver as a chance to do that while helping some of the younger players on the roster learn what it takes to be an NHL professional.

That gives Gallagher a few things to accomplish in 2026-27. He needs to show that last season’s offensive decline was not the beginning of the end, hold a regular spot in Manny Malhotra’s lineup and bring some of the experience the Canucks sought when they acquired him.

Malhotra and Gallagher were teammates in Montreal during the 2014-15 season, when a 22-year-old Gallagher scored 24 goals and 47 points while Malhotra played the final season of his NHL career. The Delta, B.C. native has since credited Malhotra for how he worked with younger players that year, saying he was willing to share advice or pull a teammate aside when he saw someone struggling.

“Manny was an awesome teammate,” Gallagher said after the trade. “It was a pleasure to play with him, and I’m very much looking forward to playing for him.”

Along with familiarity, Vancouver will have enough ice time available to find out what he has left and give him a legitimate chance to bounce back from a down year last season.

Meeting expectations: 10-12 goals and an active leadership role

Gallagher averaged only 10:45 at five-on-five in 2025-26, his lowest mark in years. For comparison, Brock Boeser averaged 13:52 at five-on-five, while Marco Rossi averaged 13:46 and Elias Pettersson averaged 13:44.

Outside of Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, and Linus Karlsson, Vancouver does not really have any established top-six forwards to keep him buried on a traditional fourth line. So Gallagher could find himself around 13 minutes per game at five-on-five early in the season regardless of where his line falls on the depth chart.

Last season, Gallagher finished with seven goals and 23 points in 77 games as a Canadien, but his five-on-five numbers did not drop at the same rate as his scoring.

Montreal controlled 51.0% of the shot attempts and 52.9% of the goals with Gallagher on the ice at five-on-five. His expected-goal share was 49.0%, while his relative expected-goal rate was positive. Finishing was a bigger issue.

He scored seven goals on 121 shots for a career-low 5.8% shooting percentage. One year earlier, he scored 21 times on 148 shots at 14.2%. His career rate, however, sits at 9.8% through 911 NHL regular season games.

Meeting expectations would mean scoring 10-15 goals, holding down a regular lineup spot, and playing around 13 minutes per game at five-on-five. There should also be an opportunity for second-unit power-play work, as much of his offence throughout his career has come from winning body position around the crease.

A season in that range would also allow Gallagher to serve the purpose Vancouver had in mind when acquiring him. General manager Ryan Johnson pointed to his competitiveness and leadership after the deal, while Gallagher said he hopes to help expedite the development of some of Vancouver’s younger players.

Exceeding expectations: 15 goals, 30 points and a larger role

Getting all the way back to 20 goals at age 34 would be asking a lot, but 15 goals and 30 points by the trade deadline would put Gallagher comfortably ahead of expectations, and it would also give the Canucks options.

Reaching those numbers would likely mean he has done more than hold onto a fourth-line job: Gallagher would have to earn continued five-on-five minutes, contribute on the second power-play unit, and produce enough to stay ahead of younger forwards competing for the same opportunities.

Montreal retained 50% of Gallagher’s contract in the original trade, leaving Vancouver with a $3.25-million cap hit. Once the CBA’s 75-regular-season-day restriction on a second retention expires, the Canucks could eventually retain another 50% and reduce his cap hit to $1.625 million for another club.

There would be no reason for the Canucks to enter the season treating him as someone they have to move after Gallagher has said he is not thinking about another trade and specifically wanted to come to Vancouver.

But if he has 15 goals, 30 points and strong five-on-five results approaching the deadline, another team could force management to at least have a conversation with the player in the vein of Tyler Myers just last season.

At the 2026 deadline, David Perron had 10 goals and 25 points in 49 games when Ottawa received a conditional fourth-round pick from Detroit. Michael Bunting had 13 goals and 31 points in 61 games when Nashville received a third-round pick from Dallas. The Tampa Bay Lightning paid a second-round pick for Corey Perry after the 40-year-old scored 11 goals and 28 points in 50 games, although the Los Angeles Kings retained 50% of the deal.

Below expectations: Fewer than eight goals, under 20 points and lost ice time

It would be nice if the Canucks could create a market for the scrappy hometown forward, but even then, Vancouver isn’t in a spot where they need to dress Gallagher in every game.

Gallagher dressed for only three of Montreal’s 19 playoff games last spring, and Vancouver also has younger forwards pushing for more work, including Liam Öhgren, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Aatu Räty and Max Sasson.

Giving the veteran forward the night off on the second half of back-to-backs or here and there on a long road trip should be something the Canucks explore should they want to take a look at a younger prospect.

In the same way that Filip Hronek will in part be evaluated based on Zeev Buium’s development as a defender, the same goes for Gallagher with Vancouver’s developing forwards. If his ice time starts getting shaved down in the second half of the season as Vancouver tests more prospects in matchup roles, that’s something he has shown he can embrace in Montreal as well.

2026-27 goals for Gallagher

Stay healthy and hold a regular lineup spot through the first half
Reach double-digit goals
Mentor Vancouver’s younger players without blocking their development up the lineup
Provide net-front utility on Vancouver’s second power-play unit
Put himself in position to continue his hockey career beyond this season

For Gallagher, he’s back in the place he wanted to continue his career, and the Canucks have enough openings in their lineup to give him a real opportunity. If he can recover some of the offence that disappeared last season while providing the competitiveness and experience Vancouver brought him home for, there should still be a place for him in the NHL beyond 2026-27.

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