After being on the wing since the beginning of the Montreal Canadiens season, Alex Galchenyuk was playing center against Vegas. Will it last?
The third period of the Montreal Canadiens win against Vegas was a rollercoaster ride. They were up 3-1, but the Golden Knights were starting to push back. It was alright though, Jonathan Drouin was getting some chances in the previous two periods and if anyone was going to get the Habs the go-ahead goal, it would probably be him.
However, that would require him to be in the game. The 23-year-old was taken out of the game with an apparent hand injury. Drouin took a puck to the hand earlier which he was initially icing. Claude Julien told media that the team didn’t know anything about the extent of the injury and that he will be re-evaluated the next morning.
That’s one thing to instil a little bit of panic in a Habs fan wouldn’t you say? Well, it got worse as we noticed that Alex Galchenyuk was playing center!
In normal circumstances, this wouldn’t mean much. However, the Montreal Canadiens have made it clear that they did not see Galchenyuk as a center and wouldn’t be playing him there. Even though it was in response to the Drouin injury, it caught some of us, who never thought they’d see the 23-year-old play center with the Habs again, by surprise.
How Did He Do?
Galchenyuk was already having a great game that night, but his performance went to the next level when playing center. He looked more comfortable playing down the middle and was playing well on both ends of the ice. Additionally, Galchenyuk was a 60% in the faceoff circle.
Unfortunately, Julien put a bunch of holes in our sails at the post-game scrum.
#Habs Julien in response to Q re: Galchenyuk filling in at C for Drouin: “I didn’t see that much but I still see him as a winger (smiles).”
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNWpg) November 8, 2017
It’s the smile that I can’t figure out. Despite what Julien said, this could be a huge opportunity for Galchenyuk if Drouin is out long-term. The main critique on his ability to play center from Habs management was his play away from the puck. It was poor early on in the season, but it has definitely taken a turn to the positive side in this last little while.
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There is absolutely no reason why the Montreal Canadiens shouldn’t give this one last try! It’s a win-win situation. If Galchenyuk becomes the center that the Habs want, you can have a one-two punch of him and Drouin for the remainder of the season. Additionally, if the mind-set is 100% to trade him, you could get a bigger return if he’s playing down the middle rather than on the wing.
If it doesn’t work then the coaching staff and the fans will know for sure that he can’t do it. Personally, I hope they give it a final try.
A coach in any sport will say that it’s best to have a player playing to their strengths. You can’t deny that Galchenyuk doesn’t look more dangerous and free-flowing at center, and if it works out, the Habs will become an even better team.
To quote Shia LaBeouf, JUST DO IT!
Next: What to Do With Lindgren
Do you think Galchenyuk will play center if Drouin is out long-term? Let us know your thoughts down below.