The Arizona Coyotes are bringing a familiar face back to training camp, signing Alex Galchenyuk to a professional tryout according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
Galchenyuk, 27, appeared to be on his way out of hockey entirely before the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him up this season and worked to rebuild his game. It proved effective–at least somewhat–in the regular season when he registered 12 points in 26 games, but Galchenyuk was back to his frustratingly inconsistent self in the postseason. Flashes of brilliance were marred by one brutal giveaway, making his four points in six games against the Montreal Canadiens not mean much of anything.
It’s that inconsistency that has plagued Galchenyuk since his 30-goal season in Montreal when he looked like the star they hoped to select at third overall in 2012. He has struggled to find a fit with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators since then, meaning his last successful season was actually in Arizona in 2018-19. He had 19 goals and 41 points that year playing away from the bright lights of a big market, a form he is obviously hoping to regain with this tryout contract.
For the Coyotes, skill, inconsistent as it may be, is needed on this year’s roster. The team has Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, and Nick Schmaltz at the top, but otherwise have a group of forwards that are all basically bottom-six options at this point. In fact, many of them couldn’t even secure that role on other teams, meaning Galchenyuk should have at least a fighting chance for an NHL contract.
Oh, no! He’s back! Hide the good silverware!
And he won’t stop until he has all 32 NHL sweaters with his name on them! :D
@Gbear – Mike Sillinger won’t be happy to lose that record to just anybody, especially Alex! :( Although, maybe he has designs on trading them in for that spiffy toaster oven from Big Lots! If I had that kind of future-sight, I’d have kept those Green Stamps around from 40+ years ago…
@Mac – A game worn, signed jersey can bring in some bucks in a time of need! :D
Ahh, green stamps. I seem to recall mom and dad getting a nice vacuum cleaner back in the day from those sticky things. :)
@Gbear – His game-worn, signed jerseys will be on eBay, at scalpers’ prices, just like the dopes selling empty boxes from GPUs that aren’t available at MSRP right now. Cha-ching! AlexG, “Top-Rated Plus!”… (so THAT was his real calling!)
Darn, you’ve talked me out of this investment opportunity. :)
@Gbear – And, what are the odds that at this very moment, my alarm program pops up a nightly reminder, with Alex’s new eBay theme – “Maja” by Cantoma. You can almost visualize him just cruising through the neutral zone, zigzagging at a leisurely pace, until all four linemates are offside. ~'()’~