Montreal Canadiens: Alex Galchenyuk Scoring 30 Goals on the Wing

Alex Galchenyuk scored 30 goals before, but that was as the top-line center for the Montreal Canadiens, can he do it again while playing on the wing?

The league has made great lengths to increase goal-scoring. Last season, Sidney Crosby led all teams in goals with 44. That seems a lot now, but there was a time where players were putting up 50 or 60 a season, and this wasn’t as far back as you think. Nowadays, anything over 30 goals is a thumbs up in the goal department. The Montreal Canadiens have had Max Pacioretty reach that plateau multiple times, but he wasn’t the only one to.

Alex Galchenyuk scored 30 goals in the 2015-2016 season. Coincidentally, that was the same year he was given a legitimate chance at playing center. Don’t worry I’m not going to be into another, “Galchenyuk should be playing down the middle”, rant (I mean he should but whatever).

With the demand for more goals on the Habs, Galchenyuk scoring 30 again would be a definite boost. However, this will have to be as a winger. Is it possible?

Goals on the Wing

Ironically, the wing was where the 2013 1st round pick played the most over his career. In previous years, Galchenyuk put together 13 and 20 goal seasons. He finished last season with 17 goals, but he played some of the year down the middle before his injuries and then eventual struggles.

Nine of the goals during his 30-goal season came from the power play. If you need a mental image of how those would happen, just imagine a perfectly placed one-time. If Galchenyuk gets time on the first unit with Jonathan Drouin and Pacioretty, he could easily reach or exceed that number.

That leaves 21 goals split between his time with Pacioretty, but there were some stretches where Galchenyuk played with someone else. Do you remember Lars Eller? He was on the Montreal Canadiens that season as well, and saw time with Galchenyuk on his wing. Eller was another defensively reliable center for the Habs outside of Tomas Plekanec, but he also assisted on some of the 23-year-old’s goals.

So who will Galchenyuk be playing with again? That’s right, Phillip Danault, the defensively reliable center for the Habs who also has enough hockey sense to set up a play. Last season Danault had 27 assists, and with the right circumstances, those assists could go to Galchenyuk this year.

It’s tough to say whether he can score 30 for sure. One of the reasons why the Wisconsin native excelled down the middle was because he could hold on to the puck a lot. Playing on the wing limits his defensive responsibility and frees up more opportunities to focus on scoring. If that aspect of the game is left up to Danault, then perhaps Galchenyuk can reach that milestone again this season.

Next: What to Look for During the Pre-Season

Can Galchenyuk score 30 goals on the wing? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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