Alex Galchenyuk A Missed Opportunity by Edward Stefaniak

     On February 13th 2021 Alex Galchenyuk was traded to his now 6th team in his short 9 year career. I have been hearing some rumblings of a trade coming soon from Ottawa but I could not possibly see Galchenyuk being the asset traded (same goes for Paquette). The sample size for these two guys in the Ottawa broken system of hockey was just too small. Galchenyuk has only played 8 games and one goal. That lone goal was against the Winnipeg Jets. 

    I just do not get it with him, he just cannot find a home. He has been in 5 teams in the last 3 years, and for a 27 year old in what is supposed to be the prime in his career those are staggering numbers. At one point he was a 30 goal scorer for the Montreal Canadians in 2015-16 and he just has not been the same. Even departing Montreal his numbers were worthy of being a solid piece to trade for. Spending 6 seasons in Montreal scoring 108 of his 136 career goals there, THAT WAS 3 YEARS AGO! HE HAS SCORED UNDER 30 GOALS IN THE PAST 3 SEASONS!
    
    Even his time in Arizona wasn’t bad, 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 72 games. But once he left Arizona for Pittsburgh things just went downhill fast. Injuries plagued his time with the Penguins forcing a trade to the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh even had to shell out a first round pick for that trade to happen. 14 games as a member of the Wild and tallying only 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points, only a .5 ppg. That seriously hurts for a last chance playoff push. 

    Once a free agent, clearly not wanted back in Minnesota he signed in Ottawa. Ottawa, a desperate team looking for that 30 goal scorer is having buyers remorse. Ottawa is seriously that divorced dad in his mid 40s buying a 70s Dodge Dart that needs a new engine. No one is making that team run. Galchenyuk is not the answer, he never was. Ottawa had no choice but to trade him. Carolina is a perfect home for him too. With those top two lines in Carolina he can slide comfortably in a 3rd line spot, eat 15 to 16 minutes a game and ride out his career being a shell of his former self. I hope he finds his game again, he was an electric play in Montreal. But I fear the sun has set on Alex Galchenyuk’s career as a 30 goal scorer. 

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