Montreal Canadiens Report Cards: Alex Galchenyuk

Alex Galchenyuk was coming off a very good rookie year, and the hopes were that he would continue to grow as a player in his first 82 game NHL season.

STATS: 65 Games | 13 G-18 A = 31 P | 26 PIM | -12 | 47.4% Corsi | 3.0 Point Shares
PLAYOFFS: 5 games | 2 G-1 A = 3 P | 2 PIM | E | 45.9% Corsi

STORY: Alex Galchenyuk didn’t have a sophomore slump but wasn’t as successful as he was during his rookie season. He only had four more points in 17 more games but did manage to score more goals.

Galchenyuk wasn’t as stable in the lineup and suffered through some injuries but he nonetheless showed some great flashes of brilliance that has so many Canadiens fans and staff excited.

He scored two goals in only five playoff games and came so very close to evening the Rangers series at 2-2 if his wrist shot late in the third found the net instead of iron. Despite some playoff rust, he was one of the more dynamic offensive players for the Canadiens which bodes well for next year.

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The coaching staff seemed to trust him more and gave him more power play time this season compared to last year. He almost doubled his percentage of ice time on the power play.

All in all, if Galchenyuk was healthy throughout the playoffs, maybe he makes more of a difference in the Rangers series. Regardless, the future is bright.

GRADE: B-
It’s hard to judge Galchenyuk. It was his first full season and wasn’t as strong offensively as some might have wanted him to be. However, it wasn’t a bad season. He finished eighth on the team in points as a 20 year old and his possession stats weren’t too bad, either.

FUTURE: The big question surrounding Galchenyuk is when the Canadiens will move him to center. He has played on the wing primarily except for a game or two in the middle.

He will undoubtedly move there at some point, but with David Desharnais, Tomas Plekanec and Lars Eller there right now, there is no rush. Especially considering the Canadiens are weaker on the wing and need scoring from that spot.

He is in the final year of his entry level contract before becoming a restricted free-agent.

2014-2015: $925,000 [bonus eligible]
2015-2016: Restricted Free-Agent

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