Montreal Canadiens Trade Alex Galchenyuk To Arizona For Max Domi
So I’ll be totally honest. I wasn’t expecting to have to blog a major trade on a Friday night the week before the draft. So the mindset is a little altered here. But regardless, the NHL offseason doesn’t truly get underway until Marc Bergevin makes a trade. And folks, this is a mother heckin’ trade.
Alex Galchenyuk has been on the trading block for years it seems at this point. He just never really seemed to find his place and role in Montreal. Galchenyuk is a center but the Habs never really felt comfortable playing him there. Part of the reason there is that the Habs are run by a bunch of incompetent morons who value Max Pacioretty’s bum ass higher than somebody like, let’s just say, PK Subban. But that’s besides the point. Alex Galchenyuk is a center who has been forced to play the win in Montreal and it just hasn’t totally worked out for him or the club at all over the last few seasons. So he desperately needed a change of scenery. With that being said… he’s still not a guy who you would necessarily want to give up 1-for-1 in a trade, even if your return is somebody with the upside of Max Domi.
When Galchenyuk was first put on the trading block, he could have been fetching something close to a roster player, a prospect and a draft pick. Maybe not a 1st rounder but for sure you could have gotten a few pieces for Galchenyuk in return. Instead, Marc Bergevin waited and waited and waited and tonight he finally pulled the trigger. And in return, the Canadiens get Max Domi and… well… Max Domi and nothing else.
Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Max Domi and love the style of hockey he plays. He has ridiculous hands, plays the game hard, and isn’t afraid to chuck some knucks if need be. But I just feel like Galchenyuk has been a little more proven for this to be a player-for-player swap. Regardless, the Habs get a helluva player in Domi and they get what they were hoping to get out of Galchenyuk. A young, skilled, gritty winger who is able to find himself on the scoresheet on a nightly basis. I think that Max Domi is similar to Galchenyuk in the sense where he was in need of a change of scenery. This kid is going to be a stud. I think a lot of people know that. But it just wasn’t working out in Arizona. Now he gets a fresh start and I think we’re going to see this trade end up working out well for both teams and both players involved. I just think Bergevin took less than what he could have got if he was more decisive a year ago.
And as for Galchenyuk in Arizona? I think it’ll work out great. He’ll get to play center for the Coyotes and he’ll probably be 1C. Now Arizona comes into next year with Galchenyuk, Stepan, and Dylan Strome down the middle. That’s a pretty loaded lineup at center. This is a huge move for John Chayka especially with bringing OEL back for 8 more years. Galchenyuk is still under contract through 2019-20, but if Chayka is able to get Galchenyuk to sign there long-term then I think the Coyotes are going to be very much legitimate in just a few short years. The Coyotes are working toward becoming a contender. The Canadiens are jumpstarting their full-blown rebuild. I think this trade addresses issues for both teams, but I still feel like Bergevin probably could have gotten more.