Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher has one season remaining on a six-year, $39 million contract, but he doesn't expect to spend it with the team that drafted him in 2010. "It's pretty clear I'll kind of be moving on here," said Gallagher in an emotional exit interview on Monday. Gallagher's contract carries a $6.5 million cap hit, and he hasn't performed up to the required level. This season, the 34-year-old managed just seven goals and 23 points in 77 games. He was a regular healthy scratch in the playoffs, appearing in only three of Montreal's 19 games. Even a change of scenery probably won't help Gallagher reclaim fantasy relevance.

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine will not stay with the team for next season. The Finnish forward ended the season on Injured Reserve despite being ready to play soon after New Year's, indicating he clearly isn't part of the plans in Montreal. "I'm excited to see new opportunities and see where it goes," Laine told reporters in his exit interview on Monday. "We'll see where the wind takes me." Laine is set to end his tenure with the Canadiens after posting just 34 points (20 goals, 14 assists) in 57 games over two seasons. He has struggled to stay healthy for several years, which has dropped Laine's fantasy value to an all-time low.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (upper body) will be back in action on Tuesday in Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals, Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com reports. Lauzon hasn't played since being hit by a puck in Game 6 of Vegas' first-round matchup with the Utah Mammoth. He finished the first round scoreless but had eight blocks and 14. Vegas hopes Lauzon's physicality will be an asset in the Finals. "Good solid positional defenseman," Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella said. "Has some bite to him. He was missed." Lauzon is expected to join Dylan Coghlan on the third defensive pairing, with Kaedan Korczak sitting out the action as a healthy scratch.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has been announced as the winner of the 2025-26 James Norris Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the NHL's "top defensive player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position." In the voting, Werenski beat Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) and Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres). Werenski, who became the seventh Blue Jackets player to capture a major NHL award, finished the regular season as the second-highest-scoring defenseman in the league. He tallied 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games, leading Columbus in assists and points. That's now back-to-back 80-point campaigns for Werenski, who has established himself as one of the top fantasy blue-liners.