We need to clear one thing

[Wats]

if the kid is a permanent 3rd liner on the Habs it would mean our team is so great, opponents will forfeit to avoid humiliation... you know.

Like I suggested in the large part of the quote you segmented, he's a tweener - can play either role. If every ~0.5 point/game forwards is 2nd liner, then guys like Jason Chimera fall into that category. There isn't 180 top 6 forwards in the NHL. Good teams may have 6 top 6 forwards, but bad teams will have 3rd liners playing 1st line etc. http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats....LL&viewName=points&sort=avgPointsPerGame&pg=6

If we're lucky he'll develop like Callahan and produce at 50-60 point rate (took him until 25 years old to reach that level).

 

[Captain Mountain]

most think every team has 3 70+ pts players on their team's 1st line

and apparently 3 50-60 point guys for the 2nd line. In relative possession, production, eye test, literally everything he's at least good enough for a 2nd line. Does he have shortcomings? sure. But how good to people actually think top teams are? DO people think a contenders offense has six guys that regularly exceed 50 points?

Looking at the top 10 offensive teams in the NHL, Gallagher doesn't crack Tampa's, St. Louis or Chicago's. Maybe Nashville's. Add that to the fact that Montreal plays a minimize risk style that sees them voluntarily give up puck and post bottom 3rd possession stats.

 

[HCH]

We were just talking about that at work yesterday. I think everyone loves his work ethic and his dedication to playing a team game but....

What really drew our attention was his lack of success on the PP. With only 2 points and no goals despite having the 3rd most PP time among forwards tells me it isn't working with him. He goes to the net and creates havoc but on the PP neither he nor the team is succeeding.

Gallagher isn't a natural goal scorer or a pure offensive talent. I really think his skill set is ideally suited to the third line and that the team still lacks a true first line RW, unless Sekac can grow into that role.

At the moment (and after Parenteau returns), the club will have 4 serviceable RWs. The problem is that 3 of them (if you include Weise) are suited to 3rd line duties. I think Sekac is developing into a fine 2nd line RW.

Having said all of that, Gallagher is an important part of the team. He sets a great example for his teammates and puts the team ahead of himself. I just don't think he is a first line RW.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Like I suggested in the large part of the quote you segmented, he's a tweener - can play either role. If every ~0.5 point/game forwards is 2nd liner, then guys like Jason Chimera fall into that category. There isn't 180 top 6 forwards in the NHL. Good teams may have 6 top 6 forwards, but bad teams will have 3rd liners playing 1st line etc. http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats....LL&viewName=points&sort=avgPointsPerGame&pg=6

If we're lucky he'll develop like Callahan and produce at 50-60 point rate (took him until 25 years old to reach that level).

Chimera was a 0.5 PPG player ONCE in his career, come on man...

if the expectations of what is a top 6 player were closer to reality, there would be 180 top 6 players in the league (with some players moving up and down when having a good/bad season), the good teams who have 6 top 6 forwards like you said dont have 6 50 pts forwards on their roster... and Gallagher is a +/- 45pts player right now

six 50 pts players on their top 6 ? you probably have to go back to the 80's Oilers or 70's Habs, maybe the Hull/Shanahan and co Wings ?

last year Kings ? nope, Hawks ? nope, Bruins ? nope...


as for him being good enough for 3rd line, I sure hope he's good enough for 3rd line duties, he's a top 6 player...

 

[ECWHSWI]

We were just talking about that at work yesterday. I think everyone loves his work ethic and his dedication to playing a team game but....

What really drew our attention was his lack of success on the PP. With only 2 points and no goals despite having the 3rd most PP time among forwards tells me it isn't working with him. He goes to the net and creates havoc but on the PP neither he nor the team is succeeding.

Gallagher isn't a natural goal scorer or a pure offensive talent. I really think his skill set is ideally suited to the third line and that the team still lacks a true first line RW, unless Sekac can grow into that role.

At the moment (and after Parenteau returns), the club will have 4 serviceable RWs. The problem is that 3 of them (if you include Weise) are suited to 3rd line duties. I think Sekac is developing into a fine 2nd line RW.

Having said all of that, Gallagher is an important part of the team. He sets a great example for his teammates and puts the team ahead of himself. I just don't think he is a first line RW.

Sorry, 3rd liners arent important part of teams, they're usually replaceable quite easily.

 

[Fazkovsky]

So 20 goals is enough I just find he lacks a bit of vision but anyways guess he is a top 6

 

[Wats]

Sorry, 3rd liners arent important part of teams, they're usually replaceable quite easily.

That's silly, so Sekac and Eller aren't important?

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

That's silly, so Sekac and Eller aren't important?

Seriously.. and I wonder who can easily replace what Sekac and Eller.

 

[Wats]

Chimera was a 0.5 PPG player ONCE in his career, come on man...

if the expectations of what is a top 6 player were closer to reality, there would be 180 top 6 players in the league (with some players moving up and down when having a good/bad season), the good teams who have 6 top 6 forwards like you said dont have 6 50 pts forwards on their roster... and Gallagher is a +/- 45pts player right now

six 50 pts players on their top 6 ? you probably have to go back to the 80's Oilers or 70's Habs, maybe the Hull/Shanahan and co Wings ?

last year Kings ? nope, Hawks ? nope, Bruins ? nope...


as for him being good enough for 3rd line, I sure hope he's good enough for 3rd line duties, he's a top 6 player...

By your definition, that production = 2nd liner. You're the one saying 50+ points is a top 6 now, not me. I'm of the opinion that most teams don't have 6 top 6 forwards...like I said in my post I don't think there are 180 top 6 forwards. You misread my post and said good teams have 6 top 6 forwards. I said they 'may', never said they do or any current team does.

Please don't assume your own view on what a top 6 forward is something I believe in as well. I don't think there are 90 1st liners nor do I think there are 60 top pairing defensemen in the NHL either. IMO bad teams are bad for a large part since they have lower quality players playing in roles like 1st line/2nd line, top pairing D. Good teams have more players that are good enough for their role.

The way Gallagher plays + ~40 points is fair for a 2nd/3rd line tweener label IMO. I think you are overreacting based on your own negative perceptions on what a 3rd liner is...but that's your issue not mine. I don't think 3rd line is useless. Big fan of Eller and Sekac.

 

[CHwest]

It is sad other players cannot emulate and pass Brendan. Lots are faster, lots are bigger, most have more talent. What sets him apart is what any player can do, work hard and willing to pay a price. I don't get that more are not more like him, a mystery so to speak.

 

[TCIH]

He's a second liner on what I believe will be a great contract going forward. I don't think he's reached his peak production yet, even if I do have concerns about his longevity.

 

[bigtimehockeyfan999*]

Yes. Brenden Gallager is a top six forward. Not every member of your top six has to be this elite game breaker...Gallager brings exactly what we need to a balanced lined, compete...The lines are so balanced. all of them...its awesome...would I like to see us add something elite up front...yes...yes I would...but gallager is still a capable top six winger on any team.

 

[Stripper]

Gallagher is a top 9 player that brings a spark to any line he's on... He's so versatile that he can be put on the first two lines as well. He didn't get a contract where it'd make you think he's supposed to score near 50 goals so why would you even be disapointed if he didn't? The guy is a 20g-20a-40p spark, on a good year he could be a 25g-25a-50p and on a career year he might get 30g-30a-60p... but don't expect him to be anything greater than what he already is... which is a heart and soul kind of player... a spark.

 

[Corncob]

Please don't assume your own view on what a top 6 forward is something I believe in as well. I don't think there are 90 1st liners nor do I think there are 60 top pairing defensemen in the NHL either.

Yeah, but then you run into the problem of calling things something different from what they are.

Defining a top pairing defenseman as something other than a defenseman who's good enough to play on one of the 30 NHL top pairings might be ok in your head but when you speak to other people you just spend most of your time explaining to them that the thing they're looking at that they think is an apple is actually a banana, by your definition.

 

[Joannie9]

Considering most second line players put up around 50 pts I'd say he is a top 6 player. I don't expect more than 50 pts from him

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

The fact is that my system is a far better way to answer this question. I clearly pointed out the enormous flaws in your sysrem. Perhaps you would like to refute the points that I made instead of arbitrarily dismissing them without any supporting facts whatsoever.

It is a fact that if you are not good enough to hold a position on more than half of the teams in the league that you are simply in a position by default. The further you stray from the 16 th team the more polarized the the individuals relative ranking becomes. Gallagher is a top 6 forward on possibly every team in the league, go ahead and take a look at every teams roster and try and find more than 6 that are even debatable. This is the best and only way to answer the question that has been posed to us in this thread. You are clearly confusing the reality of the quality of top 6 forwards with your personal ideal for a top six forward. The Ducks have the best record in the league and there is no doubt that he would be in their top six. The only three teams that come to mind where he might not be in the top six are St.Louis, Los Angeles and San Jose but even on those teams lines are constantly being juggled and he would certainly see significant time on a scoring line. There is no doubt that he would be in the top six on Eastern leaders such as Tampa, Pittsburgh as well as perennial contender Boston.

Now feel free to demonstrate why this is not a valid method of determining a player's validity in his respective place in an NHL depth chart.

You've pointed out your flaw in this post, it is you not I using your personal idea of who and who is not a Top 6 based on your opinion and then you continue to judge the rest of the league based on your opinion - your 1st post mentioned 'consensus' so who makes up this consensus in your rankings? Cause I don't think he's Top 6 on Tampa but he could be on LA or San Jose then it becomes an argument on individual players

My math is flawed if I'm ranking on ice time, my math is flawed if I'm counting points or +/- for ranking d-man, my math is flawed cause 10% in the top 180 are probably 3rd liners who get lots of PP time or are on a high scoring team and 10% outside the 180 are really 2nd liners that don't but for the simple evaluation to show what the average 1st/2nd line forward produces around the NHL to see where player X actually slots in amongst his peers in a large sample set it is more useful than me or you giving our opinions

 

[Alexdaman]

Most people think that he has already capped, but Im pretty sure he will polish his offensive output and this is only his third NHL year. I see him as 50-55+ pts producer in the near future.

 

[Kriss E]

We were just talking about that at work yesterday. I think everyone loves his work ethic and his dedication to playing a team game but....

What really drew our attention was his lack of success on the PP. With only 2 points and no goals despite having the 3rd most PP time among forwards tells me it isn't working with him. He goes to the net and creates havoc but on the PP neither he nor the team is succeeding.

Gallagher isn't a natural goal scorer or a pure offensive talent. I really think his skill set is ideally suited to the third line and that the team still lacks a true first line RW, unless Sekac can grow into that role.

At the moment (and after Parenteau returns), the club will have 4 serviceable RWs. The problem is that 3 of them (if you include Weise) are suited to 3rd line duties. I think Sekac is developing into a fine 2nd line RW.

Having said all of that, Gallagher is an important part of the team. He sets a great example for his teammates and puts the team ahead of himself. I just don't think he is a first line RW.

Galchenyuk has 0 PP goals. Our PP woes isn't player related. We just keep trying to set up the point.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

Gally is tied for 64th in goals and 129th in pts for forwards

My math tells me there's 180 'Top 6' players in the NHL so I'm going to say he's either a below average goal scoring 1st liner or an above average all around 2nd liner but no doubt a Top 6 especially with the intangibles he brings with his energy and going hard to the net and being responsible defensively

Having said that I'd like to see Sekac tried with Chucky as he has more skill and Gally moved back with Pleks

I'd like to see Parenteau tried wtih pacioretty and Galchenyuk actually, what that line needs is one of those shifty little guys who will get to high chance scoring areas and be ready to strike. PA isn't a known sniper mind you, but he is a very skilled offensive guy who could definitely play that role on a line.

Gallagher, as great as he is, isn't THAT efficient at taking advantage of the open space afforded to him from playing with Pacioretty and Galchenyuk, it's not a knock on him necessarily...where he thrives is forcing his way through traffic and coming in through the muck to get scoring chances.

That's why he works so well on any line he plays on, he sort of does his own thing out there (not that he's a puck hog in a bad way) and doesn't really need/readily take advantage of that open space.

Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Parenteau
Desharnais-Plekx-Gallagher
Sekac-Eller-Prust
Bournival-Malhotra-Weise

Yes the 2nd line is small, but the 1st and 3rd lines are both big and all 3 of the guys on the 2nd line play bigger than their size.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

Galchenyuk has 0 PP goals. Our PP woes isn't player related. We just keep trying to set up the point.

Totally agree. It's been poor coaching for well over a year now.

Illogical decisions with on ice personnel, and a dreadfully predictable set up/approach every time too.

It's maddening to watch a team with Markov on the power play be so ineffective.

That's without even considering PK being his partner....

By rights it should be a top 5 or 10 PP.

 

[Team_Spirit]

He's a top 6 winger for sure. In fact he's been playing his best hockey of his entire career lately. What a gem.

Like Kriss E said, If people are going to label him as a 3rd liner because of the PP then do it for Galchenyuk as well. Both are stuck at 0 PPGs.

I hope it's clear, FazChenyuk.

 

[ECWHSWI]

By your definition, that production = 2nd liner. You're the one saying 50+ points is a top 6 now, not me. I'm of the opinion that most teams don't have 6 top 6 forwards...like I said in my post I don't think there are 180 top 6 forwards. You misread my post and said good teams have 6 top 6 forwards. I said they 'may', never said they do or any current team does.

Please don't assume your own view on what a top 6 forward is something I believe in as well. I don't think there are 90 1st liners nor do I think there are 60 top pairing defensemen in the NHL either. IMO bad teams are bad for a large part since they have lower quality players playing in roles like 1st line/2nd line, top pairing D. Good teams have more players that are good enough for their role.

The way Gallagher plays + ~40 points is fair for a 2nd/3rd line tweener label IMO. I think you are overreacting based on your own negative perceptions on what a 3rd liner is...but that's your issue not mine. I don't think 3rd line is useless. Big fan of Eller and Sekac.

couldnt be more wrong.

 

[Blind Gardien]

Gallagher is a first line player!

 

[Maffew]

Is he a top 6 winger? I don't know, does he play in the top 6?

 

[Fazkovsky]

A Game like tonight explains exactly why I question on gally