Former third-overall pick linked to KHL

Per a report out of Russia, free agent forward Alex Galchenyuk is likely to sign with the KHL’s Spartak Moscow this summer. Galchenyuk had signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes when NHL free agency opened on July 1, but the team terminated his contract over a week later after Galchenyuk was arrested on a number of charges, which included a private property hit-and-run and resisting arrest. The 29-year-old issued public apologies to the Coyotes organization and the Scottsdale, Arizona, police department and is currently in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Galchenyuk, who has now amassed over 650 NHL games over an 11-season career, played a career-low 11 NHL games last season for the Colorado Avalanche and spent most of the campaign in the minors. Returning to the Coyotes would have brought him back to the organization where he’s had his most productive seasons since the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him third overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, dealt him away in 2018. Formerly a 30-goal scorer, Galchenyuk was held off the scoresheet entirely in his games with Colorado last season, but he did post 16 goals, 26 assists and 42 points in 42 games while in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles.

Even in limited minutes with Colorado last season, Galchenyuk no longer looked comfortable in NHL action. Averaging just 7:06 per game, Galchenyuk posted a rather horrid relative Corsi for percentage at even strength of -11.6. Head coach Jared Bednar’s usage of him likely didn’t help matters, though. He started just 39.2% of his zone starts at even strength in the offensive zone, by far a career low.

It’s unclear for how long Galchenyuk is expected to sign with Moscow, but after his arrest and lack of sustainable NHL play last season, it’s conceivable he plays the rest of his pro career overseas. Galchenyuk was born in the United States and has represented the U.S. internationally, but was born to Belarusian parents and is fluent in Russian. He has never played professionally in Russia, however. If he does indeed join Spartak, he’d line up alongside a forward corps ripe with former NHLers, including Alexander Burmistrov, Nikolay Goldobin, Andrei Loktionov, and Shane Prince.