Arizona Coyotes sign forward Alex Galchenyuk to one-year contract

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
Arizona Coyotes sign forward Alex Galchenyuk to one-year contract
Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Alex Galchenyuk to a one-year contract, the club announced Saturday afternoon.

Galchenyuk, 29, split the 2022–23 season between the Colorado Avalanche and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin product scored 42 points in 42 games with the Eagles; he did not record a point in 11 games with the Avalanche.

This will be Galchenyuk’s third tour of duty with the Coyotes. The organization originally acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 in exchange for forward Max Domi; then, one year later, the ‘Yotes traded Galchenyuk to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Phil Kessel trade.

Then, in 2021, the Coyotes signed Galchenyuk to a one-year deal for the 2021–22 season. The six-foot-one winger collected six goals and 21 points in 60 games with the Coyotes that year.

Galchenyuk’s new two-way contract with the Coyotes carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit.

The Canadiens originally selected Galchenyuk with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. He made his debut with the Canadiens almost immediately after being drafted, scoring nine goals and 27 points in 48 games with the team during the shortened 2012–13 season.

Galchenyuk spent six full seasons with the Canadiens, scoring 30 goals in 2015–16, before being traded to Arizona in 2018. After scoring 19 goals with the Coyotes, Galchenyuk fell to just five in 45 games with the Penguins in 2019–20.

From there, Galchenyuk made brief stops with the Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to Arizona in 2022. His 2022–23 campaign in the Avalanche organization marked the first time in his career that Galchenyuk had spent the majority of a season in the AHL.

The Avalanche traded Galchenyuk to the Nashville Predators last week in exchange for Ryan Johansen (with 50% retention). The Predators elected not to sign Galchenyuk as a pending free agent.

Through 654 games over parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Canadiens, Coyotes, Penguins, Wild, Senators, Maple Leafs, and Avalanche, Galchenyuk has collected 146 goals and 354 points. He’s added five goals and 17 points in 38 career playoff contests.

Also on Saturday, the Coyotes signed AHL goaltender Matt Villalta to a one-year contract.

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