Montreal Canadiens Alex Galchenyuk Team’s Best Center In Decades

The Montreal Canadiens have been looking for a big, first line center for many years. They finally have their best one in decades in Alex Galchenyuk.

The Montreal Canadiens have been searching for a first line center for decades. They have finally filled the role with an ideal candidate in Alex Galchenyuk. The third overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft is playing center for the first time, and looks like a seasoned veteran in the role.

Galchenyuk was drafted as a center from the Sarnia Sting. He played part of the following season with the Sting before the NHL lockout ended. Though he has been an NHL player since January of 2013, he hasn’t been trusted enough to play down the middle until now.

Well, technically Galchenyuk began the transition towards the end of last season. In his final 22 games of the 2015-16 campaign, Galchenyuk scored 16 goals. Most of them came as the team’s top pivot and his production continues this season.

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Galchenyuk has a point in five of the Habs six games this season. He was shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers last night, but had a point in each contest entering the game against the Flyers.

Playing on the top line with Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, Galchenyuk is the skilled playmaker of the unit. Though he has an excellent shot, Pacioretty and Gallagher are great goal scorers, and Galchenyuk is capable of setting them up for a goal or ripping one past the net minder himself.

Age and Role Will Ensure Galchenyuk Has Career Year

A unique blend of skill, speed, size and creativity make him an excellent choice as the team’s first line center. He has scored five points in six games thus far and has the talent and smarts to be a point-per-game player this season.

Galchenyuk scored a career high of 56 points last season. At 22 years of age, he is entering the prime scoring years of his career. Match that with an increased role and he certainly has the opportunity to blow away any previous career achievements.

The American center scored 30 goals for the first time in his career last season. He has the potential to match that again, but I would expect his 26 assists from last season to be much lower than what he can put up this season. A full year playing between a pair of snipers should see that total greatly increased.

Playing Wing Held Back Galchenyuk’s Creativity

Galchenyuk was often playing left wing in his first four NHL seasons. Up until the last quarter of last season he would often be on the wing with Tomas Plekanec. Though Plekanec has had a great career, he is no match offensively for Galchenyuk’s current linemates.

Also, being stuck on the wing often stunted Galchenyuk’s ability to use his great stick handling skills to create something offensively. Playing in the middle of the ice he has more room to use his creativity and speed to make things happen in the offensive zone.

Galchenyuk’s breakout as a number one center, finally fills a void that has existed on the Canadiens for decades. Not since shortly after winning their last Stanley Cup in 1993 have the Habs had such a talented pivot at the top of their lineup.

Desharnais Has Long Been Overused

For the past five years, it was often David Desharnais who was the Canadiens first line center. Desharnais is a skilled player, but far from an ideal option as a first line center. Desharnais had a career high 60 points in 2011-12, but was unable to match those totals even when gifted with power play time and Pacioretty as a linemate.

Before Desharnais took over in 2011-12, Scott Gomez was the Habs top option down the middle. I think we all remember how this worked out for Montreal. Gomez once scored seven goals and made seven million in the same season. Not good.

Koivu was a great Canadien, but not the same offensive talent as Galchenyuk

Saku Koivu was a fantastic Montreal Canadiens. One of the best captains in the long history of the franchise and an excellent playoff performer. Koivu always brought his best when the games mattered most, and was one of the greatest leaders in the league during his career.

Though I have nothing bad to say about Koivu’s time with Montreal, other than he was hurt a lot. This is hardly his fault, but Galchenyuk provides more potential as an offensive player.

Koivu twice topped the 70 point plateau for the Canadiens, so it’s not like his offensive game was bad. However, he only scored 20 goals on two occasions, and Galchenyuk has already reached 30, which is eight more than Koivu ever scored in one season.

Habs looked everywhere for top center

The Canadiens became desperate in their search for a big, first line center years ago. Rumour had it they offered a boatload of players and prospects to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vincent Lecavalier in 2009, during their Centennial season.

They also offered an enormous contract to Daniel Briere when he was a free agent in 2007.  He ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Flyers for eight years and $52 million. It was again rumoured that the Canadiens offered even more money in an attempt to sign the high scoring center.

The last time we saw a center with the offensive talent of Galchenyuk in Montreal would have been in 1996. Both Pierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse scored 38 goals that season. Turgeon finished the season with 96 points and Damphousse was right behind him with 94.

Galchenyuk has already reached the 30 goal mark, but it is unlikely he will reach 96 points in his career. However, since the Canadiens traded away Turgeon and Damphousse in the late 1990’s, they have been looking for a first line center with the offensive chops to replace them.

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They finally have that player, and we are starting to see Galchenyuk develop into an excellent first line center for the Montreal Canadiens. The best one we have seen in two decades.