Galchenyuk getting back to his game with Marlies

The moment passed without a great deal of fanfare, but Alex Galchenyuk scored his first goal for Toronto the other day.

The Toronto Marlies, that is.

“It felt good,” Galchenyuk said in a video conference after the goal Saturday in a loss to Stockton. “It’s always nice to score, definitely get a little bit different feel for your game.”

Getting a feel for his game is what it’s all about for Galchenyuk.

It’s remarkable how far his stock has fallen since being the third overall choice in the 2012 draft. After a fairly promising start to his career in Montreal — he scored 30 goals in 2015-16 — he has bounced from organization to organization, traded for lesser and lesser players each time and taking a bargain-basement free-agent deal ($1.05 million) this off-season with Ottawa just to stay in the league.

Galchenyuk lasted eight games in Ottawa, scoring one goal, before the trades began again: He was packaged with Cedric Paquette for Ryan Dzingel, and promptly waived by Carolina. After he cleared waivers, the Leafs sent Egor Korshkov, now in the KHL, and journeyman minor-leaguer David Warsofsky to the Hurricanes.

At first, the Leafs kept Galchenyuk on their taxi squad, where he could work with skills coaches and skating coaches on the basic elements of his game. He was sent to the Marlies on Feb. 27.

He has been, by all accounts, a terrific teammate and top-end performer.

“He bought in from day one,” Marlies coach Greg Moore said. “He’s being a great teammate. His competitiveness is radiating through the locker room. He wants to be a game-changer.

“He’s a special player, and it’s been nice working with him thus far. We’re just going to continue for him to build confidence and continue to have an impact and continue to find consistency in his game.”

It’s not just the coach saying that. Teammate Joey Anderson praised Galchenyuk as well.

“You can see the skill level that he has, and his ability to make plays is one of the highest levels we’ll see on this team this year,” Anderson said. “But more importantly, he’s been awesome in the locker room, he’s been joking with all the guys. Guys enjoy being around him. He wants to set up his teammates and make those plays.

“It’s been definitely fun getting to play with him and I know he’s fun to watch.”

In a season in which it could be difficult for the Leafs to acquire a player through a trade due to coronavirus quarantining restrictions, Galchenyuk could be a valuable depth performer if he can find his game.

His salary doesn’t count against the cap. And he can be added at playoff time, if need be, when the salary cap rules don’t apply.

By the sounds of it, the Leafs are taking the long view, thinking the reward of a highly skilled player like Galchenyuk getting back on track is well worth the risk.

“I know that there’s lots of eyes on him there,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It’s just about him going down and looking to get comfortable again, and playing every day and playing lots and doing so in less of a pressure environment just to find his confidence in his game so that, if or when his opportunity comes, he’s better prepared for it than he might have been had we just thrown him right in.”

Galchenyuk has only played in four of the Marlies’ 12 games. But he has a goal and three assists.

“It all comes to playing games,” Galchenyuk said. “Playing in situations, getting the ice time, getting the touches, the looks. Obviously you can practise as much as you can but only playing the game do you know if you’re getting better.”