In case you missed it, the Montreal Canadiens and Alex Galchenyuk have agreed to a two-year bridge deal worth $2.8 million per season.
So Alex Galchenyuk gets a bridge deal. So much for P.K. Subban teaching Habs never to do that again.
— Matt Larkin (@THNMattLarkin) July 31, 2015
When I took a look at some Galchenyuk comparables (Zibanejad & Kuznetsov), Galchenyuk came out looking pretty good: http://t.co/1g9V8yR2Du
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) July 30, 2015
Galchenyuk’s passing probably deserves some run at centre ice. #Habs #canadiens pic.twitter.com/jKSGZn5zNk
— Sean Tierney (@SeanTierneyTSS) July 30, 2015
Alex Galchenyuk was admittedly a tougher contract puzzle to figure out than some, but one wonders if and when GM Marc Bergevin will end this bridge contract policy. It can easily set the team up to be taken out to the woodshed next time around (see: Subban, P.K.), and there are only so many times one wants to make that mistake. As for Galchenyuk, why not bet on yourself?
And now the news.
Central Division
Listing the Top Five NHL GMs is to a large extent an exercise in subjectivity, but a strong case can be made for each of those selected. Can you guess which individual(s) might have led to this article being included in the Central Division section? And no, it's not because Kevin Cheveldayoff made the list. He didn't. (CBS Sports)
Our frenemies at Mile High Sticking point out Colorado's trend of signing rather big-bodied forwards out of Europe, the latest example being Andreas Martinsen. A Top 20 producer during the 2014-15 DEL regular season (tied with former NHLer Glen Metropolit at 41 points), Martinsen should fit in nicely alongside Dennis Everberg and Borna Rendulic. (MHS)
Neither Kari Lehtonen nor Antti Niemi providing decent-to-good goaltending is pretty well the worst case scenario for the Dallas Stars heading into 2015-16. It’s a rather unlikely hypothetical in my opinion, but if it did happen it sure would put the Stars in an awful spot without much recourse. GM Jim Nill has proven to be a rather adept wheeler and dealer though, so even then all might not be lost. (The Hockey Writers)
Meanwhile, here's a prospects article from somewhere other than Hockey's Future. The top five of Julius Honka, Denis Guryanov, Stephen Johns, Esa Lindell and Jason Dickinson is both well-rounded and interesting, though witness the fall from grace of Radek Faksa. (My NHL Trade Rumors)
The Friendship Day photo Minnesota Wild fans need in their lives:
The best #FriendshipDay photo… #mnwild pic.twitter.com/CE8URiuPP8
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) July 30, 2015
When tackling the idea of trading Shea Weber, our Nashvillian friends tossed puppies at the reader to bring about calm and rational thought. Given the diversity of opinion the OTF staff provided on the subject, they still need to work on their hive mind abilities. (On The Forecheck)
In terms of adding established NHLers, the St. Louis Blues seem to have ignored Ken Hitchcock's public outcry for speed. Enter some combination of Ty Rattie, Robby Fabbri, Dmitrij Jaskin and, perhaps, new addition Danny Kristo. (Bleedin' Blue)
#NHLJets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff chats with JetsTV about the affiliation with @tulsa_oilers >> http://t.co/k3A7C9rFxC pic.twitter.com/z14F94QZFQ
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) July 31, 2015
The Winnipeg Jets have solidified an important part of the development chain, announcing an affiliation agreement with the Tulsa Oilers for the 2015-16 ECHL season. (Tulsa World)
And All The Rest
Arizona Coyotes GM Don Maloney was surprised by RFA Louis Domingue's decision to go to Europe. Also, 2010 first round pick Brandon Gormley is running out of road to prove himself. (AZCentral)
Chevy might not have made that Top Five NHL GMs list, but guess which list the Winnipeg Jets did land on. If you guessed 'Five Teams Which Might Fall Out of the Playoffs', here's a cookie. (ESPN)
It's a Saturday full of lists apparently. Here are five 2014-15 trade deadline deals which probably didn't go exactly as planned. (The Hockey News)
Los Angeles Kings(?) forward Mike Richards remains in the twilight zone, without formal charges laid against him and uncertain of if the NHLPA will file a grievance on his behalf. The PA has until August 29th to make that decision, so we may not see further action on this front for a while still. (TSN)
Lou Lamoriello looks to have played hardball and gone the distance with RFA Jonathan Bernier. I suppose this is one way to show Kyle Dubas how things are done. (Yahoo! Sports)
And finally, an arbiter awarded Washington Capitals forward Marcus Johansson a one-year, $3.75 million contract. Considering he'll likely be taking his top-six credentials to the bottom-six this upcoming season, that's a fair contract for both team and player. (Russian Machine Never Breaks)
Thanks for reading! Be sure to mention in the Comments section how much you think Alex Galchenyuk will make on his next contract.
