"I have no regrets with Montreal, I had a good time. I have made friendships for life. "
Alex Galchenyuk was on a flight to Italy when Marc Bergevin transferred his services to the Arizona Coyotes. It was only by touching the ground a few hours later that he heard the news.
"It was while watching Twitter that I understood that I had just been exchanged. There were several emotions. I have never been exchanged. It's new to me, "he said on a conference call on Saturday.
First choice of the Canadian in 2012, the American will have spent six seasons in the tricolor uniform. He had his best season in 2015-16 when he reached 30 goals and collected a total of 56 points.
Among all the players drafted during the same selection, he is the one who registered on the score sheet most often. His 255 points put him on a par with Filip Forsberg.
"Alex did the maximum with the ice time that was offered to him. He was playing just 14 minutes, "said André Ruel, Creative Artists Agency, the firm that sees the interests of Galchenyuk, when joined by Le Journal de Montreal .
"He is only 24 years old. It is often thought that a youth must dominate the NHL at 21, 22 or 23 years of age. The Coyotes will continue to develop it, "he added, citing Lars Eller and the Washington Capitals as examples.
Request refused
Drafted as a center player, Galchenyuk will never be able to do justice to this position. Let's say the Canadian may not have given him every chance to show himself.
If Michel Therrien used it for a few weeks at this position, Claude Julien stubbornly left it on the left wing. He was accused of defensive deficiencies.
"In Montreal, we sometimes slowed down a bit. Alex was getting a bit nervous, Ruel said. He will never become an extraordinary defensive player, but he has offensive strengths. "
Despite a center line decimated by injury in the final leg of the season, with his team no chance to play in the playoffs, Claude Julien preferred Paul Byron and Charles Hudon.
However, Galchenyuk maintains that he had shown interest in returning to his natural position.
"At the end of the season, I asked Claude for a chance to play at the center. I had a good relationship with him. The door of his office was open. I had expressed to him my desire to play at the center, but it did not happen, "he repeated, assuring however that he had never demanded a transaction.
Excited by the challenge
It seems that Galchenyuk will see his wish come true with the Coyotes since John Chayka, the general manager of this training, said he would not have done this transaction if Galchenyuk had not had skills at the center.
"I loved playing in Montreal. But I suspected something could happen. I'm excited about going to Arizona. I watched the formation of the Coyotes. They have good young players in the attackers and good veterans defenders. "
It remains to be seen whether the dry air of the desert will have a beneficial effect on the young man.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://z22news.com/galchenyuk-leaves-without-regret/