Carter Hutton: We heard Brendan Gallagher talk the other day and get emotional about being done with the Habs. What’s his tank like? Is it a buyout retention? What happens, or a cap dump during the summer?

David Pagnotta: I think they’re going to explore moving him first, and if that’s an avenue that they can pursue and go in that direction, I think they’d rather do that than go the buyout route.

It’s an option, but I don’t think they want to execute it. I think they’d rather go the trade avenue and go from there. We know we mentioned Vancouver, and that would be a good spot for him. We’ll see if the Canucks reciprocate in terms of interest. We know what they’re doing, we know they’re going through a rebuild, and Jake DeBrusk is, as far as I know, still wanting to go to a contender and doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild.

This is me just trying to see if there is a way for that to work out between the two. The Canadiens obviously would have to add more to that mix, and he’s a big physical guy that I think the Canadiens would certainly have interest in. Does that move the needle at all for Vancouver, though? To move a guy out, money-wise, long-term, you’re going to save dollars because Gallagher is entering the final year of his deal, but he’s got six and a half million next season, so the Habs eat some of that? All this to say, again, that I think the Canadiens are going to explore trading him first, and if they can find a suitor, they’ll go in that direction.

If they can’t, they’ll have to weigh buyout options, but the Habs are going to have a bit of a busy off-season. I believe they’re obviously going to revisit what they discussed ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline…So, we’ll see about them getting on that now that they’re done, and whether they get a No. 2 center? I think, in a perfect world, they’d like to bring in a center, and then another physical, big body winger that can keep up with some of their top six guys.