Galchenyuk can't play center.
It is not really hard to understand. Seems hard to accept tho.
Galchenyuk is clearly a better center than a winger. People thinking he could be a better winger because of his shot is people going by theory instead of watching the game.
Galchenyuk had is first season in the nhl as a center player with Prust and Gallagher on the third line. He played really well.
After that he was moved to the wing to give him more ice-time and to put him on the first two line. It gave him 2 or 3 40 points season where he was ok at best.
Then he moved to center at a time of despair when the team couldn't win anything. he exploded at center and produced like a real first line player in a losing cause.
He then started last year as a center and continued his ascension by being one of the top ten in the league in points until his injury.
After that we all saw he lost a step because probably of the injury and also "probably" off ice issues that ticked off the journalistic world of hockey in montreal.
He clearly didn't got his game back in his first two week after his return and Therrien listened to all the medias in mtl stating that Galchenyuk was a better winger because of defensive play ( Galchenyuk never was that good of a winger... )
It didn't change a thing in the team composure and Therrien got fired.
Then came Julien. A coach who didn't know the team that well and who kept the same assistant as Therrien. He worked with what he had and after seeing that Galchenyuk was still a step behind he opted for putting him as a winger probably becaused he listened to his entourage.
Remember that at that time ( antichambre / 91.9 / 98.5 / dm en direct ) all claimed and i don't know why that galchenyuk could be a better winger because of his shot. ( again Galchenyuk really was never that good as a winger ) .
So Julien decided to put him at wing and now he's starting the season at wing. And I don't know why but at the moment all the good play that Galchenyuk did for us at the center position seems to be forgotten because of a bad end of the season returning from an injury.
I think as fans we have the insight of watching the Habs every game and continue to see the trend over different coach or different gms that the people on the inside can't because they probably let go after they are fired as is Julien's case were occupied somewhere else before being named as headcoach.
From my point of view : Galchenyuk as always been more useful and more productive for the team from the centerice. Maybe he's bad defensively or maybe not. But defensively he's not better as a winger. I really hope that something will happen and we will try him back at center for a long stretch because I saw what Galchenyuk can do and he is still very young. He still has the potential of being our first line centerman and if Drouin could also be good at center... Maybe just maybe we could have a top 2 center of Drouin and Galchenyuk. From my point of view, it could be a really strong centre line in the future.
My line-up would be that one to start de season
Pacioretty Drouin Gallagher
Hudon Plekanec Lekhonen
Shaw Galchenyuk Hemsky
Byron Danault Mitchell/Martinsen/.../
still better than any line-up we saw before and kind of strong from the center.
I dont want it to be true.....
