Montreal Canadiens Drive for 25: Alex Galchenyuk The Great
By Mat Germain
Mar 16, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) works out prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
THE FIRST TWO SEASONS
You can’t exactly expect rookies to come into pressure-packed Montreal and be ready to handle the crowd, the media, the language differences, and be 100% comfortable in his situation. You don’t expect it, but you sure enjoy it when someone like Galcheynuk seems to make the transition so seamlessly. His first season in Montreal, he managed the following stats:
48 GP – 9 G – 18 A (27 PTS) +14
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His season would have resulted in 51 points if 82 games were played. He scored 2 game-winnning goals, already showing a flare for the dramatic. In 5 playoff games, he managed 3 points but also finished a -4, something to work on the following season. Still, an impressive rookie season.
Alex struggled through most of his second season in the NHL, perhaps having a semi-sophomore slump, but still managed to stay in the lineup and learn the ropes. The most worrying aspect of his game was a glaring -12 rating while not managing to score as many points as the previous season. This despite Alex getting more time on the power play. His totals for the season wound up as follows:
65 GP – 13 G – 18 A (31 PTS) -12
Nov 22, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Weaver (43) knocks down Boston Bruins center Carl Soderberg (34) during the third period at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Oddly enough, the reason Alex only played 65 games that season was because Mike Weaver – now his team mate and then with the Florida Panthers – checked him and broke his hand in the process. He was acquired by Marc Bergevin only 2 months later. Michel Therrien said of the injury:
"“It happened [Monday] and he’s going to be out 4-6 weeks. He finished the game, a lot of courage, and when they passed the MRI they found out it was a small fracture, so he’ll be out.”"
He did return in time for the playoffs and played a high of 15 minutes per game, managing 3 points in 5 games, breaking even with a 0 rating for +/-. While this season was a trying one for Alex, he seemed to learn a lot, take it all in, and got himself set for a rebound season in 2014-15.
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