It’s been a rough couple of seasons for Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk, but things are finally starting to turn around.
After spending time on and off of the Habs’ fourth line, the recently turned 24-year-old has improved his play. Galchenyuk has recorded a goal and five assists in his last eight contests and managed to finish with a plus rating in three of his last four.
Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images
Canadiens head coach Claude Julien joined TSN 690 and didn’t hold back when discussing the former third overall pick’s recent play. He applauded Galchecnyuk for his improvement and pointed out his more “complete” effort.
Since scoring 30 goals in the 2015-16 season, Galchenyuk has struggled to reach the same level of play. Originally drafted with the purpose of playing center, the Milwaukee native has struggled down the middle and general manager Marc Bergevin and Julien both made it clear that they don’t view him as a fit for the position. It’s at least encouraging at this point to see the bench boss expressing some confidence in his youngster. Through 55 games, Galchenyuk has 32 points.
Galchenyuk is signed with a cap hit at $4.9 million through the 2019-20 season, so it will be interesting to see whether he progresses in the coming seasosons. Montreal curtrently ranks fourth last in the NHL in goals for (142), so they’re banking on him to pan out.
(H/T Joe Alfieri)
