Brendan Gallagher’s departure left more than a hole in the Canadiens’ lineup. It also opened up a leadership spot that won’t be easy to fill.
Gallagher wasn’t just Montreal’s longest-tenured player. He was a workhorse, a fan favourite, and a steady presence in the room and on the ice. He wore both the “CH” and an “A” as alternate captain, and with him gone, the Canadiens will need someone to step into that role alongside captain Nick Suzuki and alternate Mike Matheson for the 2026-27 season.
There are several strong candidates, but the list gets trimmed quickly once you factor in contract status, role, and long-term fit. Here’s how the top five stack up.
Phillip Danault sits at No. 5, and his case starts with familiarity. He’s back with the Canadiens for a second stint, which gives him parts of seven seasons with the team overall.
Only Suzuki and Jake Evans have been around longer among the current group. The problem is the timeline.
Danault is 33, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent in one season. That makes a medium-term commitment tough to picture for Kent Hughes, even if Danault’s defensive game and late-season stability down the middle make him a logical leadership option.
Josh Anderson lands at No. 4, and he’s already worn an “A” once before, in 2020-21. Since then, the offense hasn’t always matched the expectations, but the effort and physical edge have remained.
He’s the kind of player who shows up every night. Still, his contract expires in one year too, and that uncertainty likely pushes him behind someone with a clearer future in Montreal.
Kaiden Guhle checks in at No. 3, and he brings a different kind of appeal. He’s the first player on the list signed beyond 2027 after agreeing to a six-year, $33.3 million extension in 2024, which kicked in this season.
The 24-year-old can divide opinion because of the $5.55 million cap hit, but his value to the team is obvious. He’s projected as a two-way defenseman, he’s been asked to handle tough matchups, and Martin St.
Louis clearly trusts him. The one catch is health.
Guhle has reached 70 games only once in four seasons, and that’s the biggest thing holding him back.
Jake Evans is No. 2, and his case is built on trust, usage, and commitment. No Canadiens player starts more shifts in the defensive zone, and only Suzuki has played more games for the franchise among active players.
Hughes showed how much he values Evans by signing him to a four-year, $11.4 million extension before the 2025 trade deadline. Montreal also chose to keep him when he could have been a trade chip, a move that helped the team push for the playoffs.
Evans, for his part, passed on unrestricted free agency and stayed put at a cap hit of $2.85 million, which says plenty about where he stands with the organization.
The best fit, though, is Lane Hutson.
Hutson’s case is hard to beat. He tied Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Robinson for the franchise’s single-season assists record for a defenseman in 2025-26, and his game already carries the kind of impact that changes nights.
He owns up when he slips, he plays with a kind of authority that goes beyond age, and his eight-year, $70.8 million contract could keep him in Montreal until 2034. That deal looks like a bargain, and so does the idea of putting a letter on his jersey.
Gallagher’s leadership was built on effort and example, and Hutson fits that mold in his own way. He’s the most dynamic player on this list, and maybe the one most capable of taking charge every time he touches the puck. That makes him the strongest choice to inherit Gallagher’s “A.”
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Canadiens Fans Just Got Another Reason To Love Lane Hutson's Deal
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Hutsons value only looks better against that backdrop. His production has already separated him from Mintyukovs, and the contract gap feels even wider when the market is pushing upward around them. For the Canadiens, it is the kind of development that makes an already favorable deal look even sharper, even if the broader defenseman market is still leaving plenty of room for more expensive decisions elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]