Former Leaf signs with the Colorado Avalanche
A former Leaf has secured himself a new NHL contract on Monday, as the Colorado Avalanche have officially announced a 1-year deal for former 3rd overall pick Alex Galchenyuk worth the league minimum $750,000.
Galchenyuk was originally acquired by the Leafs in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes back in the 2020-21 season after he cleared waivers. After he was acquired, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas assigned Galchenyuk directly to the AHL's Toronto Marlies to begin working with the team's development staff to try to fix some areas of his game.
Galchenyuk ended up spending 6 games with the Marlies, notching 8 points over that span and earning himself a call-up to the big club near the midway point of the season. He would go on to play 26 games with the Leafs in the regular season, tallying 12 points and he also suited up in 6 playoff games for the Buds, racking up 4 points against the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, he was the cause of one of the worst turnovers in postseason franchise history and it contributed to one of the most epic collapses of all time.
The Leafs did make an attempt to bring Galchenyuk back last summer, but he elected to sign a 1-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes for the 2021-22 season instead. He ended up playing 60 games for the Yotes, racking up 21 points last season.
The Milwaukee-born Russian joined the Colorado Avalanche for training camp this year but was released after he had suffered an unfortunate injury. Avs head coach Jared Bednar had confirmed that the Avs liked what they saw from Galchenyuk prior to his injury. It all worked out in the end for both sides as they agreed to terms on a 1-year deal today that will make Galchenyuk an Avalanche for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
