As the Minnesota Wild continue to make front page news in terms of trades and changes to their roster — they picked up Marcus Johansson and Nick Bjugstad this week — there is more news coming out of the organization as it appears a forward with a ton of unrealized potential won’t be back.
According to Wild insider Michael Russo, forward Alex Galchenyuk won’t be returning to the team next season.
It was probably evident when it was announced that Bjugstad would wear Galchenyuk’s old No. 27 jersey number, but Wild general manager Bill Guerin made the news official on Wednesday.
Guerin says he’s spoken to Galchenyuk’s agent and advised him it is unlikely they’ll look to bring him back. Instead, they’ll likely focus their energy in a different direction, going with a more predictable top-tier scorer.
For Galchenyuk, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and he’ll head into the market looking to land in a destination where he can up some of his declining point totals.
Galchenyuk Could Prove to be a Bargain
Galchenyuk looked like he was going to be a strong top-six forward in the NHL early in his career. Between 2015 and 2017, he was playing well with the Montreal Canadiens. But, since moving on to other destinations (he spent time with the Arizona Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins), his per-game scoring has dropped off. This past season was career-low.
In only 14 games with the Wild after being acquired in a trade from the Penguins, his seven points could convince a team he’s got something left in the tank, but it’s a small sample size and it’s certainly a gamble. Should a team take a flyer on him thinking he’ll produce in as a first or second line winger, they could hit it out of the park or be left stuck with an unmovable asset.
Still, with a fresh start and some quality linemates, he could return to the 50-point level of production he saw with the Canadiens. And, if the market doesn’t bare much as teams look to save money, he could be one of the offseason’s best bargains.
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