Brendan Gallagher gave an emotional “thank you” to the Montreal Canadiens organization and fan base on Monday morning, as he said it is apparent to him that his time as a Hab is up.

“First and foremost, so thankful and so fortunate to have spent as much time as I have here,” Gallagher said, via Daily Faceoff. “The fans, right from day one, it’s been truly a privilege to play in front of them. It’s an opportunity that not a lot of players get in the league.

“I’ve got to do it for 14 years now, and it’s not lost on me how special it was to call the Bell Centre home.”

“The very first time I stepped foot in this organization, management, coaches, teammates that I’ve had along the years. There’s been ups and downs, but I don’t have a single regret,” Gallagher added, fighting back tears. “It’s pretty clear that I’ll be moving on here, but I’m incredibly, incredibly… fortunate.”

Gallagher was drafted 147th overall by the Canadiens in 2010, and has played his entire career in Montreal. The 34-year-old has appeared in 911 games, scoring 246 goals and 487 points, but this year he saw a dramatic decrease in playing time through the team’s 19 playoff games, where he participated in just three of them.

In the playoffs, Gallagher has played 79 games while scoring 14 goals and 34 points. His best playoff performance came in 2013-14, where he recorded four goals and 11 points in the 17 games that saw the Canadiens make it to the Eastern Conference final, before being eliminated by the New York Rangers in six games. The Habs played in the Stanley Cup final once in Gallagher’s tenure with the team in 2021, where they were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.

He has one year remaining on his contract worth $6.5 million, which consists of a no-movement clause that applies to all but six NHL teams of his choosing. Based on his statement on Monday, it appears that he is not going to hold his NMC too tightly if the Canadiens dangle his name in the market.

His relentless motor and steadfast leadership have solidified him as a core player for the Canadiens, and his career high 33-goal season was the highest for the Habs in the 21st century before Cole Caufield scored 37 in 2023-24, and then 51 in 2025-26. However, as the group gets younger, and Gallagher gets older, the two parties are seemingly going to go their separate ways.

“It’s pretty clear that I’ll be moving on here, but I’m incredibly, incredibly… fortunate,” he said, adding that the Vancouver Canucks would be among his preferred destinations.

Patrik Laine only played five games at the beginning of the season before sustaining a core muscle injury that required surgery.

Laine’s last game was on Oct. 16, and the Canadiens even sat him through the entirety of their 19-game run to the Eastern Conference final. He said that the length of his time off was a decision made out of caution, rather than necessity.

“I think I could have come back pretty early,” Laine said, via Daily Faceoff. “But it’s just one of those things when you have surgeries and stuff, you don’t always feel 100 per cent. I’ve been unfortunate that I’ve had plenty of those, so I kind of have experience with that. But I probably could have played pretty soon after New Year’s, but also you don’t want to rush anything and go to play too early and then you’ll take a step back and then it takes longer. So kind of wanted to be more and more cautious with that.”

The Finnish forward has struggled with injuries for the bulk of his career, and he hasn’t played in more than 56 games since the 2019-20 season. Despite his injury history, he said that he is convinced he will play several more seasons in the NHL.

His contract with the Canadiens is up, and he is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent for the first time in his career. Based on the team’s decision to keep him out of the lineup for such an extended period of time, it appears as though the Habs will not be quick to re-sign Laine, and he will play for the fourth team in his career.

“I’m just excited where the wind takes me next year,” Laine said about his future. “But I’m excited to see new opportunities and see where it goes. I’m not too worried about it right now. Just right now, take a little breather and relax, and then get back at it.

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