Brendan Gallagher, who played 911 regular-season games for the Montreal Canadiens, says he’ll be moving on after more than a decade with the club. At the end-of-season locker room cleanout, the 34-year-old spoke through tears about being “very fortunate” for h
When Brendan Gallagher stood up in the Canadiens’ end-of-season locker room cleanout on Monday, he didn’t try to dress up what everyone in the building already sensed. After more than 900 games in red, white and blue, the forward made it plain: his time in Montreal is likely coming to an end.
“It’s pretty clear I’ll be moving on here. But I’m incredibly, incredibly… I’m just very fortunate,” Gallagher said through tears.
The 34-year-old spent the first 14 years of his career with the Canadiens and is on the books for one last season at $6.5 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 campaign. and he does have a modified no-trade clause. giving him some say in where he can be sent as Montreal looks to reduce payroll.
Gallagher was selected by the organization 147th overall in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. From there. he became one of the franchise’s most recognizable presences—never the constant leading scorer. but a staple of the Canadiens’ identity through grit. attitude and leadership inside the dressing room. Over 14 seasons, he recorded 246 goals and 241 assists in 911 regular-season games, and added 79 playoff games.
That reputation for character is what Cole Caufield pointed to when discussing his veteran leader. “He’s one of the most special humans, besides teammates, that I’ve ever got to play with,” Caufield said.
Gallagher also carried the weight of an alternate captaincy. He was named an alternate captain in the 2015-16 season—his fourth season with the team—and kept that responsibility through the rest of his time in Montreal.
In his comments. Gallagher returned again and again to the same emotional throughline: loyalty. gratitude. and the way the Bell Centre became part of his life. “First and foremost, so thankful and fortunate to have spent as much time as I have here,” he said. “The fans, right from Day 1, it’s been truly a privilege to play in front of them. It’s an opportunity not a lot of players get in this league. I’ve got to do it for 14 years now. It’s not lost on me how special it was to call the Bell Centre home.”.
He added, “The very first time I set foot in this organization, the management, coaches, teammates I’ve had along the years, there’s been ups and downs, but I don’t have a single regret.”
His final appearance in Montreal came on May 3 in Game 7 of the Canadiens’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gallagher was a healthy scratch for the rest of the playoffs as the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres in seven games, then fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the East Final.
Because of that modified no-trade clause, Gallagher has leverage over the path ahead. He told reporters that. if it were up to him. he would stay in Montreal for the rest of his career. But he also left the door open to something that would feel personal: he said he would welcome a return home to Vancouver if the opportunity is presented to him.
Brendan Gallagher Montreal Canadiens NHL end-of-season locker room cleanout modified no-trade clause Vancouver Cole Caufield 2010 NHL Draft Tampa Bay Lightning Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes