Montreal Canadiens: Alex Galchenyuk is still in play
By Omar L
Darren Dreger revealed on the radio that the Montreal Canadiens are keeping Andrew Shaw safe while Alex Galchenyuk is still in play.
This post may sound a little hypocritical considering the message of one I had a few days ago. Back then, Pierre Lebrun revealed that the Montreal Canadiens were reluctant to trade Andrew Shaw at the deadline. Considering where the Habs hope to be if moving on from Shaw brings valuable assets to the organization, then it’s something that can’t be turned aside.
Darren Dreger appeared on the Montreal 690 radio this morning voicing the same mentality from the Habs. Shaw, for the most part, is safe, but Alex Galchenyuk is a name that is still in play. I still stand by the main message of that previous post in that Bergevin has to consider all options. However, moving on from the young and skilled talent was an option most Habs thought to be the last resort.
The idea of Galchenyuk being moved out of Montreal is nothing new though. The 24-year-old has been surrounded by trade rumours for some time now. You could consider him the Matt Duchene of the East Conference. Additionally, Galchenyuk has been a top ten option on trade bait lists since the buzz around the trade deadline began to intensify.
Based on Dreger’s comments, it looks like trading Galchenyuk may be in the same boat as trading Max Pacioretty. Bergevin has his price and doesn’t feel pressure to move either of them. Granted, Galchenyuk was almost made a New Jersey Devil last summer, so interest is probably still around.
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The difference I’d say is that Galchenyuk is a player who could be a long-term Canadiens forward. It looks like he’s continuing to grow into the mould that Claude Julien has set for him and has turned his season around from where it started being juggled between the top six and bottom six.
Although Galchenyuk may be in play, hopefully, nothing comes of it. That sentiment could change if the Habs end up getting everything they want for him, but there is still so much we’ve yet to see from him. His chemistry with Nikita Scherbak will probably be put to the test again after the deadline is past and possibly next season. The Habs also have him at a nice cap-hit of $4.9 million leaving further room (although cap room isn’t an issue at the moment) to add other players around him if the right moves are made.
No one can blame Habs fans for being hesitant when hearing something like this. Again, Dreger isn’t saying that he is necessarily being made available but that he’s not in the ‘untouchable’ category. However, I’d like to think that Bergevin would lean on the side of trading others and keeping Galchenyuk than the other way around.
Do you think Galchenyuk should be considered for a trade? What would you want in return for him? Let us know in the comments below.