HabsWorld.net --
As one of the young building blocks of the Montreal Canadiens, Brendan Gallagher didn’t scale back the aggressiveness during the 2013-2014 campaign as the little pitbull continued to make a name for himself. His play infuriated opponents but Canadiens fans will be looking for more offensive output from the young #11
as he heads into his third NHL season.
2013-2014
Gallagher took a step back production-wise this past season, despite a brilliant start on a line with Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk. The
‘EGG’ line was quickly broken up but, to Gallagher’s defence, none of them lit it up after the line was disassembled. Offensively, Gallagher left Canadiens fans wanting a little more. With over two minutes of additional ice time last season, logically it should have translated into more points
but that wasn’t the case. A shining light in his production were eight power play goals,
though a troubling stat were his zero game winning goals. What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet was how many times he drove opposing players insane.
Season Stats: GP 81, G 19, A 22, PTS 41, +/- +4, PIM 73, PPG 8, SHG 0, GWG 0, SOG 211, ATOI 15:57
2 Year Averages
(Because of the lockout-shortened season, we are pro-rating all of 2012-13’s numbers over a typical 82-game year.)
GP: 78
Goals: 23
Assists: 22
Points: 45
+/-: +11
PIMS: 65
PPG: 7
GWG: 3
Shots: 206
2014-2015 Role
The dynamic of the leadership on the team has shifted over the off season with the departure of Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges. I believe that Marc Bergevin is looking for some of his young guns to step in and fill that void, with Gallagher likely expected to be a big part of that movement. We’ve seen
that he’s vocal, his style of play is inspiring, with a real edge to it, and he’s a genuinely good guy – all great leadership qualities. I think he
has made his bones in the NHL with a great rookie campaign, a so-so follow-up and very good playoffs whereby veterans and youngsters alike can look up to him. Along with some form of leadership, I’d expect the Canadiens brass would want him to deliver more on the offensive side of his game during the upcoming campaign.
Projected Stats
It wasn’t a breakout sophomore year for Gallagher, but it wasn’t a sophomore slump either. I expect more offensively from him this season as he gets his first and second line playing time. He
has proven he can produce on the man advantage, it’s just a matter of sticking him on a line and keeping him there. This just doesn’t go for him, but a carousel of linemates for any players across the lineup will not benefit the team. Should he play the majority of his minutes with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, he has the ability to reach the 60 point level.
Or maybe the ‘EGG’ line reunites for longer than three weeks and pick up where they left off last season.
GP: 76
Goals: 24
Assists: 31
Points: 55
+/-: +9
PIMS: 89
PPG: 5
GWG: 3
Shots: 215
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