Who Will Replace Brendan Gallagher?

The Montreal Canadiens completed the home and home sweep versus the New York Islanders last night with a 4-2 win. Despite the two points, it was a bittersweet win due to Brendan Gallagher breaking two of his fingers while blocking a Johnny Boychuk slap shot from the point at 7:25 of the second period. Gallagher went down immediately, got up, tried skating around, then went to the locker room and did not return. He underwent surgery today on his fingers.

While the loss of Gallagher will be a huge blow to the Canadiens, this isn’t an injury that will completely derail the season. GM Marc Bergevin is always ready for a situation like this by signing numerous depth players in the offseason, along with drafting well (stick tap to Trevor Timmins). This gives him, and Michel Therrien, many options to replace Gallagher on a temporary basis until he’s been cleared to resume playing.

With Torrey Mitchell already on IR and Devante Smith-Pelly still questionable for the next game, this gives three players an opportunity to show they can play with the Canadiens. Sven Andrighetto has already been called up and was in the lineup last night with Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk, playing a solid game while drawing two penalties. George “Bud” Holloway has also been called up but hasn’t seen any ice time yet. The third option is to go with Alexander Semin on the first line with Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec rather than having him waste away on the 4th line. Additionally they could call up another player, but this is unlikely.

Here is a summary of the players that Therrien could use to fill the holes on the lines.

George “Bud” Holloway- 18 GP, 5 G, 15 A, 20 PTS.

Holloway was a depth signing by GM Marc Bergevin this summer and looked good in the preseason, however, he was sent down to the IceCaps. He’s been leading the team in both assists and points. Holloway has been highly productive in both the AHL and the SEL in his career but has never been given an opportunity to play the highest level. If Bergevin wanted to keep the kids in the minors to develop, then Holloway is the best player to call up. He could end up being a solid top nine contributor for the Habs. Additionally, he has a great shot, plays RW (the team’s weakest side), and the best part? As per the NHL CBA, he does not require waivers as long as he plays under 10 games. So even if he plays 9 games and doesn’t work out, he can be sent back down at no risk. But with Holloway being 27 and in the midst of one of his best AHL seasons, it would be silly to not at least try him out. He hasn’t been dressed yet but if Smith-Pelly will be out for the New York Rangers game, expect Holloway to be playing.

Sven Andrighetto- 17 GP, 6 G, 9 A, 15 PTS.

‘Ghetto has been one of the Habs most intriguing prospects since playing with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2013-14, where he finished second in team scoring with 17 goals and 44 points in his rookie season. In 2014-15 he got a call up to the Canadiens and scored 2 goals and 3 points in 12 games. Granted he scored those points within his first three games and on 3 shots, it wasn’t sustainable. But after his second goal he started seeing less and less ice time, finally hitting a low 4:55 in his sixth game. Kind of hard to produce when you play under 5 minutes. After that, Andrighetto’s ice time saw an increase, and his shots kept on hitting the net, but he couldn’t catch a break. Following his 12th game, he was sent back down to the farm team. This year with the IceCaps, he’s been producing playing alongside Charles Hudon and Bud Holloway. Another call up was deserving for the kid and since playing in one game so far, he looked great, despite not putting up any points.

Charles Hudon- 18 GP, 7 G, 7 A, 14 PTS.

Last year’s AHL rookie sensation Hudon had 19 goals and 57 points in 75 games, finishing second in overall rookie scoring in the league and second in team scoring. This year has been no different and he’s showing that Trevor Timmins is a drafting genius (yet another 5th round pick that could turn into a solid NHL’er.) It may be too soon to get giddy about Hudon with the Canadiens but when you watch highlights of him with the IceCaps, how can you not? He can play both center and left wing which would be of help to the Canadiens. He can both score and make beautiful passes, so placing him with Eller and Galchenyuk could unlock a dynamic scoring line. Note: Hudon is still in the AHL, unlike ‘Ghetto and Holloway, and would require being called up. With those two already being recalled, it’s highly unlikely any more players are packing their bags for Montreal barring any injuries.

Honourable Mentions

Christian Thomas- 18 GP, 7 G, 7 A, 14 PTS.

This is looking to be Thomas’ best season in the AHL, already having 14 points in 16 games. He had a career high 35 points with the Connecticut Whale in 2012-13 and if he can keep up this production, he should have no problem besting that. Thomas possesses an unreal shot which he uses very well. So far he has 7 goals on 42 shots which gives him a 16% shooting success rate. It’s not terribly high from an average of say 12-14%, so he’s not scoring with an unsustainable percentage. He’s just improved over the years. With him being a RW and having a solid start to the year, this makes him a prime candidate for a call up. The Canadiens could use a player that can score and Thomas is doing just that. His last stint with the Canadiens doesn’t exactly scream top six player, 18 games with one goal, but much like Andrighetto he didn’t play in a consistent role. His TOI was all over the place during that stretch. Going from playing 10+ minutes then down to under 8 minutes only to shoot back up. If he played with a line in a consistent role for more than 4 games, this could mean that Thomas could produce at an NHL rate. It’s worth a shot.

Michael McCarron- 18 GP, 8 G, 9 A, 17 PTS.

The big center has been having a fantastic rookie season with the IceCaps so far. It should be noted however that 8 of his points came in just 2 games, which is amazing nonetheless. McCarron possesses a great shot, a big body, and vision, which is very much coveted in today’s NHL. But at the same time, I’m a firm believer in keeping young guys in the minors for a season at least to let them develop. It’s important to note that both Andrighetto and Hudon were not recalled to Montreal at all during their rookie campaigns, even though they played well enough to get a shot. McCarron will only benefit from playing out this year with the IceCaps, especially on a winning team. If the injuries pile up with the Canadiens, then a call up will be in the cards for him. However, for the time being he’s doing well right where he’s at so keeping him there is a good move.

If Smith-Pelly is cleared to play by Wednesday versus the New York Rangers, then one of these three players will be sitting. With how well Semin has looked in the past two games, chances are that it will be Holloway. Andrighetto played well on the second line and should be staying there for the time being. Semin hasn’t been given a chance on the top line with Pacioretty and Plekanec yet (except for the brief stint vs NYI when Gallagher went down) and this will be the perfect time to do so. If he doesn’t work out, then they have many more options to try out while waiting for Gallagher to return.