Colorado Avalanche sign Alex Galchenyuk to a professional tryout contract
According to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, the Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Alex Galchenyuk to a professional tryout contract.
The #Avs are signing Alex Galchenyuk to a PTO, per a source. He had 21 points in 60 games with Arizona last season.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) September 20, 2022The 28-year-old winger played the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes. He scored 21 points in 60 games, finishing tied with Anton Stralman for ninth on the team in scoring.
Galchenyuk was originally selected third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft. Although he didn’t reach the potential the Canadiens had hoped for him, he does rank fifth among fellow 2012 draftees in points, and third, in games played.
Galchenyuk was never a star player in Montreal but he had six productive seasons there from 2012-2018. In total, he scored 255 points in 418 games there. His best season in Montreal was the 2015-16 campaign, when he scored 30 goals and 56 points, leading the team in goals.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native was traded to Arizona after the 2017-18 season in a one-for-one deal for Max Domi. Galchenyuk played one season there, scoring 41 points. He was then shipped off yet again to Pittsburgh as part of the trade that sent Phil Kessel to Arizona.
He didn’t last a full season in Pittsburgh when he was dealt to Minnesota at the trade deadline in exchange for Jason Zucker. The Ottawa Senators decided to take a chance on him for the 2020-21 season, but he only ended up playing eight games for them, scoring a single point.
In February 2021, Galchenyuk was traded to Carolina for Ryan Dzingel. But it was only two days before he was traded yet again, this time to his former rival the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had a productive stint in Toronto, scoring 12 points in 26 games, and four points in six playoff games.
After a season in the Arizona desert, Galchnyuk is trying to win a contract with the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche for the 2022-23 season.