Laine, Gallagher unlikely to return to Canadiens next season

BROSSARD, Quebec -- Patrik Laine and Brendan Gallagher are unlikely to remain with the Montreal Canadiens next season, each forward said during the team’s season-ending media availability Monday.

Laine scored 20 goals for the Canadiens in 2024-25 but did not play after Oct. 16 this season after he was sidelined by a core muscle injury that required surgery. The 28-year-old had one assist in five games and did not play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he said he was healthy for Montreal’s run to the Eastern Conference Final, where it lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

He practiced regularly late in the season and through the playoffs and said he was been medically cleared to return. Laine can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“It’s one of those things; I’ll just leave it at that,” Laine said. “I kind of figured early on that I probably wasn’t going to be playing since I’ve been out for four or five months and guys are battling for a playoff spot and all the guys were playing great. So, I kind of figured that I probably won’t be playing, but I’ll take this time to support the guys and work hard and if the call comes, it comes. And if it doesn’t, then I’ll still keep working. It’s only going to help me in the future when you work hard every day, and that’s kind of how I saw it this year.

“I’m just excited about where the wind takes me next year.”

The No. 2 pick by the Winnipeg Jets at the 2016 NHL Draft, Laine has 422 points (224 goals, 198 assists) in 537 games with the Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets and Canadiens. He scored an NHL career-high 44 goals with Winnipeg in his second NHL season (2017-18).

“(Laine) was so far behind because he hadn’t been playing, and then we were in a situation where we absolutely had to win,” general manager Kent Hughes said. “So, that was a difficult situation, but he was an incredible teammate -- not just showing up for practice, but all the events around the team.

“I can only say that he was extraordinary as a person, and I would not hesitate to give Patrik Laine a good reference.”

Gallagher has played each of 14 seasons with Montreal since being selected in the fifth round (No. 147) of the 2010 NHL Draft. He had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 77 regular-season games but was in the lineup only three times during the playoffs, scoring one goal during the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This season marked the first time Gallagher was a healthy scratch since making his NHL debut in 2013.

The 34-year-old needed a moment to compose himself while addressing the media, becoming emotional about the only NHL team he’s played for. Gallagher has one year remaining on his contract with Montreal ($6.5 million average annual value) but is expected to be elsewhere before the start of next season.

“It is obviously my decision, but you’re kind of forced into it,” Gallagher said. “I would love to stay here and love to be a part of this group. But for me, you have to give yourself an opportunity as a player to contribute and the situation now, it’s not going to change. You just kind of accept it for what it is and you deal with it.

“I’ve been around here long enough that I’ve seen it happen to other players, and guys go on and go finish their careers elsewhere. But for me, Montreal is always going to be home and I don’t want it to be lost on anyone how fortunate I feel to have the opportunity to play here for as long as I have.”

A two-time 30-goal scorer, Gallagher has 487 points (246 goals, 241 assists) in 911 regular-season games and 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 79 playoff games for the Canadiens.

“On and off the ice, just how he was able to write his story kind of just made it possible for a guy like me to even have a chance,” Montreal forward Cole Caufield said. “I just can’t thank him enough, but the way he carries himself every day of his career has been very special. So, I’m very lucky to share most of my career with him.”