The Arizona Coyotes signed forward Alex Galchenyuk to a one-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday. Financial details were not disclosed, per club policy.
Galchenyuk, 27, joined the Coyotes for training camp last month on a professional tryout contract and tallied two assists in his first three preseason appearances. This is his second stint with the team after playing for Arizona in 2018-19.
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The nine-year veteran began his career in Montreal after the Canadiens selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. He played in Montreal for six seasons before being dealt to Arizona in exchange for forward Max Domi.
Last season, Galchenyuk played for both Ottawa and Toronto, registering five goals and eight assists over 34 games. He added one goal and three assists in the Leafs’ first-round playoff loss to the Canadiens.
(Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
Did Galchenyuk show enough in Toronto to prove he’s still an NHLer?
Joshua Kloke, Leafs reporter: What Galchenyuk showed is that if he’s put in an organization willing to put in the time to continue to develop him and he’s also supported off the ice, he can reward that team with the kind of necessary energy on the ice to complement his skill.
I thought Galchenyuk kept up reasonably well with some of the Leafs’ more skilled players, showing some deft passing that certainly stood out. But it was his constant competitiveness in the offensive zone and on the forecheck that redeemed himself with the Leafs.
This assessment from Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe during the season was memorable: “When you look at a player with a high degree of skill that’s had success in the league and you think about what they’re going to need to be able to climb their way back and to restart their career, if you will, energy and passion and competitiveness are the things that come to mind.”