By J.D. Lagrange, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
There was a time, not all that long ago, when one of the biggest issues with the Montreal Canadiens was its player-development. They seemed to draft relatively well but the prospects would appear to reach their peak too soon, or simply would not live up to expectations. They almost let Carey Price fall into that category and they certainly didn’t want to take any chances with P.K. Subban and Alex Galchenyuk.
PENTICTON, BC. – After securing Carey Price in the lottery draft of 2005, and a bold pick by Trevor Timmins to take Subban in the second round in 2007, the Montreal Canadiens were able to draft Alex Galchenyuk in 2012, following a painful season which saw the Habs finish 28th overall.
Michel Therrien has been very careful with his young future star. Therrien has chosen to give Galchenyuk sheltered minutes, opting not to put unnecessary pressure on him while ensuring that he: learns to play without the puck, adjusts to the NHL tempo and applies sound defensive principles. All this, while giving him enough slack offensively for Galchenyuk to showcase his immense talent.
In order to facilitate his development, Therrien has chosen to play the young centerman on the wing, a position where responsibilities aren’t as demanding as his natural position. It’s a transition that is going relatively smoothly for Galchenyuk, given his experience at wing in junior with the Sarnia Sting.
Some fans question what they term “sheltering,” wondering if it’s impeding Galchenyuk’s development and smothering his offensive abilities. It’s a fair question when we see the NHL getting younger, where young players shine in key roles much sooner.
How exactly is Galchenyuk’s development?
There is no secret formula to determine a draftee’s development as many intangibles factor into the success of transitioning to the NHL. Acknowledging that some drafts are deeper than others, I’ve chosen to compare some players who were picked third overall in recent years, and compare their early production in their first two seasons with Galchenyuk. This is no way a perfect science, it’s just an illustration.
Two players on this list are exceptional talents, as you will notice, with Jonathan Toews and Matt Duchene topping everyone else. Beyond those two players, the comparison does get very interesting, even when adding Nail Yakupov, picked first overall the year Galchenyuk was selected. See for yourself:
We notice that Galchenyuk’s production is pretty much on par with the others on the list. What is more noticeable is that only Kyle Turris had less ice time than the Canadiens’ young star, and both by quite a margin in many cases. One can wonder what Galchenyuk’s numbers would be like if he had similar ice time as, let’s say, Jonathan Huberdeau, who is playing three more minutes per game!
I was hoping that for this upcoming season, Michel Therrien would start playing Galchenyuk at center but with the recent signings of Manny Malhotra and Lars Eller, along with David Desharnais and Tomas Plekanec signed long term, it seems unlikely to happen barring injuries or trades.
Galchenyuk has shown that he has the flair, talent and effort while not not lacking the desire to take that next step in his career. He now understands the league, he has adapted to the speed of the game and he seems ready to take on a bigger role. But do the Canadiens want him to take that step right now? He was listed at 203 pounds last season so it wouldn’t be unrealistic to think that he’ll weigh in at around 210 in the fall, as he fills in his frame with off-season traing.
Seeing how Marc Bergevin has implemented a culture and a precedent by using bridge contracts, could Galchenyuk’s utilization be geared towards the next set of negotiations? Galchenyuk is entering the final year of his entry level contract and he is scheduled to become a RFA at the end of the upcoming season. Hockey is a business and with a team like the Canadiens with budget and cap considerations, every dollar counts in order to ice the most competitive team possible. After all, seeing that Carey Price, Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban all signed bridge contracts, it might be difficult for Galchenyuk to request otherwise.
While the one nicknamed “Chucky” may see his ice time go up a bit this coming season, something tells me that we won’t see what he truly can do until the following season, once he signs his next contract. As long as the team remains competitive and keeps progressing, it is doubtful that the Canadiens’ brass changes its course of action, even at the risk of offending some of the fan base.
Go Habs Go!