New Jersey Devils: 5 Free Agents To Watch In Return-To-Play Playoffs

Alex Galchenyuk

Alex Galchenyuk is just a fascinating free agent that not a lot of people are talking about. It’s mostly because he was traded three times in two years and ended up as the worse player in all three trades. He went from being a star in Montreal to trying to contribute in Arizona to being flipped for Phil Kessel to being a throw in on the Jason Zucker trade. It’s quite the fall for a player who was once on his way to be a Canadiens’ star.

The former third-overall pick has had a rough go of it since scoring 30 goals in 2015-16. This past season, he had eight goals. It is rock bottom for a player that’s still just 26 years old. Now, he’s going into the play-in round with the Minnesota Wild, where he can play on the third line and just focus on contributing. Nobody is expecting him to light the world on fire, so now he can focus on playing his game.

Galchenyuk would be a very interesting player for the Devils to target in free agency. Lindy Ruff has been know to get the best out of his forwards, and Galchenyuk is the perfect measure of talent that hasn’t been unleashed. He has a ton of NHL experience, and really he just needs to be reconstructed from scratch. Ruff might be the perfect coach to do that.

So, what should we expect to see from Galchenyuk in the playoffs? We really just need to see him show something. Show a glimpse of the player he once was, even if it’s just for one play. Showing for a play or two that he still has that old player in him will give the Devils something to strive for.