All purpose Alex Galchenyuk talk

[Man Bear Pig]

He's looked excellent with Tavares and Nylander and quite frankly, needs more power play time. 5 v 5 I've been loving his game, far from the waiver wire bum that he was made out to be.

 

[NoName]

He looked good last night, was forechecking hard and being aggressive trying to force turnovers. So far have been pleasantly surprised with his contribution.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

He looked good last night, was forechecking hard and being aggressive trying to force turnovers. So far have been pleasantly surprised with his contribution.

He is better than Vesey ...but he is more CAP too ... bottom line he will be next to useless in dfa playoffs ... we need Hyman Simmonds and 1 more hard tough fast guy who won't get pushed around in small ice playoff games

 

[BertCorbeau]

Getting some chances. Liking his game so far. If he can start burying the odd goal, that will help for sure.

 

[Twine Tickler]

This has been such a pleasant surprise TBH. Every game he has impressed me. Just a really solid fit for JT and Willy. Can play at a pace, and can play hard below the dots. Even on the nights he has not hit the scoresheet, he has been very noticeable in a positive way. Still can't believe I am actually turning into a fan of his

 

[gunther]

he works incredibly hard and i respect that. can’t remember the last time we had a team and there wasn’t a single guy i would call lazy.

 

[The Iceman]

He is better than Vesey ...but he is more CAP too ... bottom line he will be next to useless in dfa playoffs ... we need Hyman Simmonds and 1 more hard tough fast guy who won't get pushed around in small ice playoff games

I consider him a legit top 6 for this team at $1,050,000 which is a bargain. Vesey was garbage @ $900K.
Unfortunate that we have to worry about $150,000 but we do.

 

[Twowingcantfly]

Simmonds is on there to be a net front presence, not shoot. He rarely actually carries the puck on that unit, though when he does it's not pretty. The real issue is that both him and Thornton are on PP1, and that's just poor optimization. You can have one slow old-timer on the powerplay, not two.

Here's what our units could look like if Gachenyuk was moved to PP2:

PP1
Spezza-Simmonds-Matthews
Marner-Rielly

PP2
Tavares-Hyman-Galchenyuk
Nylander-Brodie

Spezza is just a better and more effective player than Thornton, can playmake himself and has a better shot, adding him to PP1 would give the Leafs 2 threats with him and Matthews. PP2 has Galchenyuk planted on the right side for one-timers, Hyman in front with Tavares able to move into the slot if and when he wants, and Nylander has a great shot himself.

Ideally whichever top 6 forward the Leafs trade for will replace one of Spezza or Simmonds (most likely Spezza) on that first unit, and then we can roll from there.

I have no doubt Leafs Brass are thinking along the same lines. The team is in first, and I believe are a cinch to win division. Why tip your hand. The playoffs are more important. Stay Tuned..

 

[nobody]

I hope we can lock up Gally for 2 more years at a cheap rate. Tell him that he's going to get a fair shot at that top 6 as long as his compete level remains where it's at right now and we will give him all the time and resources he needs to get his game back on track. He's a little snakebit with the scoring but I think in a full year with good chemistry with Will and JT, Gally can probably put up 20 G and 50 P and I think that will earn him a pretty healthy deal in 3 years time and he's only going to be like 29-30 years old at that point which won't scare any teams off.

Win / Win for both parties.

Having Gally as a lock for our top 6 also provides a ton of cushion for our prospects as they don't have to come in and tear it up. We can ease Robertson into the top 9 and give him great linemates to play with. Ditto for Amirov.

Possible in 2 years time.

Amirov (ELC) - Matthews - Marner
Galchenyuk - Nylander - JT
Robertson (ELC) - SDA/ Abramov (ELC) - Hyman
Soupy - Hirvonen (ELC) - Hallander (ELC)

And we still have a ton of high potential prospects in the line waiting for their shots in guys like Miettinen, Ovchinnikov, Abruzzesse and whoever we add from this years and next years' drafts.

 

[Doublerum1975]

He's really looking good but wasn't being consistent every night his biggest problem?

 

[LeafSteel]

I don’t think his skill was ever in question. It’s always about his will and compete level.

Liking what I’m seeing for sure, and hoping there is no drop off in his compete level and effort.

I do think his personal relationship with Matthews has helped things, or he’s recognizing that this is his last chance in the NHL.

Either way, so far so good and let’s see what he continues to bring.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Galchenyuk clearly has talent; he just lost his way a bit, and he isn't really a line driver. By the looks of things, the Leafs reset him by giving him one simple objective: Be like Hyman.

 

[Guided by Veseys]

With his motor, vision and shooting he’s playing like a poor man’s Mark Stone. Just the kind of player the team needed. Happy for the guy.

 

[zeke]

I'm surprised how confident he looks with the puck and how willing he is to take charge of offensive situations. didn't expect that at this point for him.

Still waiting for that line to legit explode offensively though. It seems like it;s just a matter of time.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Still waiting for that line to legit explode offensively though. It seems like it;s just a matter of time.

100% It finally feels like we have 2 top lines. Which should have always been the case with our fire power. I would not be shocked if this line pops off for a 3 goal night soon. Our team is due for a Massive offensive explosion. We generate way too many chances. 4th in the NHL at xGF/60 and 1st in the NHL for HDCF/60. This team is due for a game with 7 GF.

 

[7even]

I hope we can lock up Gally for 2 more years at a cheap rate. Tell him that he's going to get a fair shot at that top 6 as long as his compete level remains where it's at right now and we will give him all the time and resources he needs to get his game back on track. He's a little snakebit with the scoring but I think in a full year with good chemistry with Will and JT, Gally can probably put up 20 G and 50 P and I think that will earn him a pretty healthy deal in 3 years time and he's only going to be like 29-30 years old at that point which won't scare any teams off.

Win / Win for both parties.

Having Gally as a lock for our top 6 also provides a ton of cushion for our prospects as they don't have to come in and tear it up. We can ease Robertson into the top 9 and give him great linemates to play with. Ditto for Amirov.

Possible in 2 years time.

Amirov (ELC) - Matthews - Marner
Galchenyuk - Nylander - JT
Robertson (ELC) - SDA/ Abramov (ELC) - Hyman
Soupy - Hirvonen (ELC) - Hallander (ELC)

And we still have a ton of high potential prospects in the line waiting for their shots in guys like Miettinen, Ovchinnikov, Abruzzesse and whoever we add from this years and next years' drafts.

Wildly optimistic. I would consider it a success if one of those guys hits within 3 years, let alone 5 in 2.

 

[CanadasTeam]

he works incredibly hard and i respect that. can’t remember the last time we had a team and there wasn’t a single guy i would call lazy.

I've noticed this as well and this is why I believe the Leafs deserve where they are in the standings.

I feel perhaps our guys are responsible for some of Galchenyuk's work ethic. He's watched them win games after games and seen how hard they work -- he's looking for a home and really wants to win and he's contributing really well so far.

 

[Havoc]

This guy made a sauce pass through traffic back to the point last night that only elite(edit- elite skill set. He's not elite I know) players can make.

Deserves some room for error now and some PP time for sure.

Seems like he finally grew up and understands he needs to back check too.

I like.

 

[TML1967]

I know some people are saying they want to see him score / get more points on the 2nd line.
If he keeps playing like he has, I am 100% ok with him not putting up big counting stats this year.

If he keeps skating hard, finishing checks, stealing pucks and making smart plays, I will be happy.

Likely means he will be cheap to sign ack in the offseason.

 

[Le Cobra]

100% It finally feels like we have 2 top lines. Which should have always been the case with our fire power. I would not be shocked if this line pops off for a 3 goal night soon. Our team is due for a Massive offensive explosion. We generate way too many chances. 4th in the NHL at xGF/60 and 1st in the NHL for HDCF/60. This team is due for a game with 7 GF.

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dam will burst when you shatter a goalie and team confidence

 

[Antropovsky]

I like that galchenyuk is only 2 years older than Korshkov.

 

[Uncle]

I dont remember him hustling for pucks as much or skating as well for other teams. Like its been mentioned before in here: pleasant surprise!

 

[CincoHolio]

I've noticed this as well and this is why I believe the Leafs deserve where they are in the standings.

I feel perhaps our guys are responsible for some of Galchenyuk's work ethic. He's watched them win games after games and seen how hard they work -- he's looking for a home and really wants to win and he's contributing really well so far.

It's not dissimilar to the culture the Raptors have developed under Nick Nurse. When you have so many vets and big dogs doing all the dirty work and chipping in defensively, there's no place for you on the team if you're not putting in the same effort.

It's been one of the biggest changes this year that we all are witnessing - the buy-in to team defense has been a revelation. Been watching the Leafs since '90 and I can't remember any version having it's stars buying into team defense like this season's has.

 

[Menzinger]

I think this is a good case study of how a players reputation isn't necessarily a great representation of what a player actually can do out in the ice.

Lots of folks had pretty form (negative) views on him at time of the trade. Though I suspect few had followed his recent career particularly closely

 

[Its not your fault]

That would be the definition of a fringe path to the NHL. The vast majority of players in similar positions to Korshkov don't become NHL regulars.

I don't see him coming over here and putting in 12 years of above .50 ppg. Gally has a few knocked off. You make this trade. So good point.