Alex Galchenyuk: two-year contract with Matvei Michkov’s KHL team

I don’t think I need to remind you how difficult the last few months have been for Alex Galchenyuk. After all, following his threats against a police officer who had arrested him for causing a disturbance, he chose to enter the NHL’s player assistance program.

But why? Becausea lawsuit worth hundreds of thousands of dollars anda prison sentence added to his troubles. We didn’t know if he would be able to play field hockey in the short term.

But now he can. After all, Chucky was introduced as a new member of the SKA. He’ll be wearing #89 for the foreseeable future.

We’re talking about a two-year contract for Chucky. Clearly, the club wasn’t afraid to trust him, since in light of his last few seasons, perhaps one year would have been enough.

If he signs for two years, on the other hand, it’s no doubt to buy himself some stability – and we can hardly blame him.

After all, in recent years, not only has he made trips to the AHL, but he’s never spent more than one season in the same place. He’s played twice in Arizona, but not two years in a row.

The last time he played two years in a row at the same place was with the Canadiens. That’s saying a lot.

At this point, I don’t expect to see Marc Bergevin’s first NHL GM pick playing on the Bettman circuit again. Even big performances in Russia aren’t likely to make a difference.

But at the same time, if anyone has nine lives, it’s him…

Extension

By playing for SKA, he’ll be on the same team as Matvei Michkov. And since the latter doesn’t always play a lot, this may ensure him some playing time.