Gallagher's skills are indeed underrated and he's worked extremely hard to improve them over the years despite major surgeries to his hands. I'll also admit that I might have been a bit harsh on him (to better illustrate my point) in my post. But, that said, he simply doesn't have the elite tools offensively compared to the high-end skill guys.
Even if he has some good, nifty mitts as far as stickhandling goes, he's never gonna easily deke two guys to register a goal as guys like Kovalev or Datsyuk used to do. His one-timer and shot are good, but not nearly on par with the top-end guys, and he's not a threat to score at will from anywhere on the ice like Ovechkin is. His awareness is high, especially when it comes to tracking the puck, and Gallagher usually positions himself really well to get to those nice, juicy rebounds, but he is only a bit above-average at anticipating the play and again comes short of the best thinkers of the game. As far as passing goes, Gallagher is once again fine, but he doesn't thread the needle as well nor lift the puck over checking sticks as well as the Backstroms and Thorntons of the league. His puck possession skills are really strong, which allow him to cycle well and generally produce offensive chances at even-strength at a high-rate, but he again falls short of the true elite in the league, guys like Crosby who manage to keep the puck even against heavy opposition and multiple defenders.
If you looked at Gallagher by evaluating him purely on a skills basis at practice while knowing nothing of his heart and the energy he brings, you would think he was a decent NHLer, certainly not the absolute 5-on-5 beast, relentless net-crashing-while-grinning machine and 30-goal scorer that he is.
I'll stop talking about Gally now and leave while wishing that Teasdale inherits that same fire that Gallagher has, that same passion for the Game.
Cheers and good evening to all of you fine people.
