Montreal Canadiens TPT: Alex Galchenyuk’s Future

On this week’s Twitter Poll Thursday, Montreal Canadiens fans vote as to whether Alex Galchenyuk will play out the remainder of his contract with the team.

The amount of times the Montreal Canadiens and the word ‘center’ have been used in the same sentence is kind of funny when you think about it. Not hysterically funny, but situationally funny. It was an obvious need that many made clear should have been addressed this summer. Why? Because the options the Habs already had weren’t working.

That’s why a lot of fans were getting used to the idea of Alex Galchenyuk not being on the team. The 23-year-old does have a limited experience playing center for the Habs. He played down the middle for the whole 2015-2016 season and put up 30 goals.

That was the only year that seemed to work though. Besides then, Galchenyuk would play on the wing. This past season even, he played on the wing on different lines, as low as the fourth.

Galchenyuk was going into the off-season as an RFA and definitely would’ve been involved in a trade for a legit number one center. However, the Canadiens made the Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin trade ahead of July 1st. We now know that they’re seriously considering making Drouin their #1.

Related Story: Playing Drouin at Center

Unfortunately, Galchenyuk isn’t getting that same leisure. The new debate in the Habs community is on whose wing does he play on? I hate to spin things, but let’s think of something here. Can we not say that one of the main reasons Galchenyuk was so valued for the Habs, was because he was the future top center?

Now that management views him only as a winger, perhaps that value has decreased a bit. Even though he was given a three-year extension, it makes you think whether he’ll actually play through it on the Montreal Canadiens. That’s what we asked fans for this week’s poll. Does Galchenyuk play out the rest of his contract with the Habs?

Poll Results

Tracking this poll was pretty interesting. There was a point close to before it closed when the votes were legitimately 50/50. However the final results are that Habs fans are confident that Galchenyuk will at least play for another three years.

More from Editorials

• Montreal Canadiens: Senators Rebuild At Crisis Point As Kent Hughes Moves Forward
• Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Continues Charity Work In Montreal After Leaving Habs
• Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Lineup Going To Be Must Watch
• Montreal Canadiens: Jesse Ylönen Contract Extension Analysis
• Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #31 Quentin Miller

There’s just something about the relationship between Galchenyuk and Canadiens management that is off-putting. One of the NHL cliches that goes around is that wingers are easier to replace. I wonder if this decision to keep him from playing center has made him expendable.

Now this isn’t to say that he doesn’t bring value to the team. The 2013 first round pick is a high-end offensive talent. He can make a pretty play to his line mates or do it on his own and put the puck in the net. That being said, if a team inquires about Galchenyuk, and offers Marc Bergevin something worth thinking about, does he say no?

Before the Drouin trade and the golf tournament, most Habs fans would agree that it would have to take a lot to move him. Now it’s a little cloudy. Keep in mind this is all hypothetical. Bergevin and the Montreal Canadiens could value Galchenyuk the exact same way.

However, a player’s position does play a part in how important they are to some extent. Hopefully Galchenyuk’s importance to the Habs hasn’t changed.

Next: Trade Targets For This Season

Do you think Galchenyuk will play out his career in Montreal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!