NHL analyst suggests blockbuster trade sending Brendan Gallagher to Columbus

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Tom Banks
September 18, 2024 (8:11 PM)

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are seeking a forward in a trade to replace the loss of Johnny Gaudreau, and now a top insider has suggested a blockbuster with Montreal Canadiens .

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but now training camp has officially opened, with the team still looking to trade for a forward, according to General Manager Don Waddell. This comes just weeks after the up-and-coming organization finally moved Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens, before the tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau that has left a major hole in their forward group.

With veteran Sean Monahan arriving, the team still need to add another piece to a young, promising group that could make some noise next season, and now, former NHLer Georges Laraque has suggested the team go back to the well with Montreal and make a deal with Kent Hughes once more.

«After a few attempts, he finally agreed to offer a 2025 first-round pick (the one belonging to the Flames) in addition to prospect Owen Beck in exchange for offloading Gallagher's contract and freeing up nearly 7 million on the team's salary cap for the coming years.» - Marco Normandin

The full trade won't be cheap at all, but with Gallagher at 32-years of age locked in at $6.5 million per year until 2027, it's going to cost them if they want to move on from him and open up valuable cap space.

To Montreal:

Future considerations

To Columbus:

Brendan Gallagher 2025 1st-round pick FLA/CGY Owen Beck

For Columbus, this deal would be a massive win, as they would still be saving money with Gaudreau's contract coming off the books, while also adding a first-round pick and a talented prospect, and if Montreal could parlay that cap space into another big move, it could be a very intriguing deal for both parties.

For Montreal, this deal would make perfect sense because the team are building a very good young core around Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and the recently arrived Patrik Laine. Moving Gallagher would not only give them immense cap space to potentially chase another young name (such as Trevor Zegras), but it would also open up a spot for a young name to come in and get some experience at the NHL level.

It's unclear what Gallagher's market is around the NHL, as he has tallied over 10 goals just twice in his last four seasons while being paid $6.5 million a year, so while it would be very expensive, it would be a move that's good to make for Montreal.