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Galchenyuk at C v.s. W: what does the evidence say?


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We started the season hearing that this was The Year Galchenyuk finally made the move to C. Yet now we seem him reverted to the wing, despite the fact that David Desharnais has been appallingly inadequate as a top-6 FW. This is either an indication of clinically insane coaching, or a stinging indictment of Galchenyuk's performance as a C.

My question is this. Is Chucky, in fact, much better at wing than centre? What does the evidence (statistical or otherwise) tell us? If anyone who is better than I am at numbers, or player assessment, wants to pitch in here, I'd be very interested to read what you think.

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Its so hard to tell, cause galchenyuk NEVER got top 6 wingers during all the time experimenting with him at C. Now heès playing with 2 other top 6 forwards and its producing.

Do they want to break the most productive line we have had all season to put Chuck back at C right now?

If you are fully into writing off the season as a lost cause, they should try something like

Pacioretty - Chucky - Ghetto

Eller - Plek - Gallagher

But if you still think there is hope to go on a run for the playoffs... then you can't break the line.

Hard for a coach and the players to give up hope until mathematically eliminated though as much as fans and management might want to embrace the tank.

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I don't think it's as important as some people think. The way the Habs system is has every forward coming back. It's more of a #1,#2,#3 forward than the classic wings stay high and the center is back.

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Pretty sure the season is done. Habs have showed nothing to make anyone believe they are capable of making the playoffs this year and even if luck has it they do, they won't go far. Chucky should be put back at centre with Patches and Gally on the wings. No matter the outcome of the games, leave them together, let them build chemistry and prepare to be a line next year. If the Habs truely want Chucky to be the future #1 centre, this is kind of a perfect storm. Nothing to lose, everything to gain situation.

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100% agree

Pretty sure the season is done. Habs have showed nothing to make anyone believe they are capable of making the playoffs this year and even if luck has it they do, they won't go far. Chucky should be put back at centre with Patches and Gally on the wings. No matter the outcome of the games, leave them together, let them build chemistry and prepare to be a line next year. If the Habs truely want Chucky to be the future #1 centre, this is kind of a perfect storm. Nothing to lose, everything to gain situation.

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I think there are a few different parts to this discussion.

The first is whether or not Galchenyuk is currently a clear cut #1 center. I really like him but at this point it's not absolutely obvious to me that he would be a #1 center on any given team, including ours. The development thing is an understandable point but I don't think that Galchenyuk is some rookie anymore who really needs to develop his game that much more at center. In my opinion he's been fine at center and will continue to be once he is placed back. On the other hand he has been fine at wing as well.

This leads me to my own question as to why no one talks about how it's such a benefit that Galchenyuk is clearly a versatile player who can do well both at center as well as the wing? Those types of players should be sought out rather than bemoaned for staying in one position.

I still think that he will be our number one center (or 2) of the future but it wouldn't kill me to see him on the top line as a winger if we did eventually get another elite center on the team. I don't think he'll ever be the best center in the league so that option will always be there. Personally, I think his versatility is a good thing.

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Guest Stogey24

Plekanec isn't a #1 centre, or so I am told.

And Larry deserves it.

What does Plekanec not being a number 1 center have to do with anything?

So breakup our best line because Lars deserves it. Good one!

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We simply don't know enough about Galchenyuk at center. He's still behind Desharnais on the depth chart in Therrien's head and never really got a chance with quality wingers (seeing as we only have two). I'd rather him play on the wing than center Eller or Weise or some combination of bottom-6 players, but he should get another shot as the top offensive C. I'm confident that he could put up Plek's numbers or better over a season, and Pleks would still be there for secondary offense and top defensive duties.

There is, however, little reason to think that Galchenyuk will be the #1 C we hoped he would be; i.e. a dominant offensive player the likes of which we haven't had in Habs uniform for two decades plus. Maybe the best we can hope for is Mike Ribeiro with a better attitude.

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Leave him on the wing and put EGG line back together. Larry does well with 2 good wingers.

He did well for 10 games in 2013. He sucked for the next ten games and the line was broken up.

The myth of the egg line far outdoes the production that line was doing when broken.

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The thing is, the team NEEDS to decide whether Galy is a W or a C, because it absolutely has to enter the UFA market for a top-6 FW. If Galchenyuk is a legitimate top-6 C, then shopping for a winger becomes Job 1. If he isn't, then bagging a C becomes more important. This being so, it seems strange not to play Galchenyuk at C from here on in, if only to acquire greater certainty about how to proceed in the summer.

Does anybody have statistics on Galy's production as a C versus as a LW? That would be interesting.

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The thing is, the team NEEDS to decide whether Galy is a W or a C, because it absolutely has to enter the UFA market for a top-6 FW. If Galchenyuk is a legitimate top-6 C, then shopping for a winger becomes Job 1. If he isn't, then bagging a C becomes more important. This being so, it seems strange not to play Galchenyuk at C from here on in, if only to acquire greater certainty about how to proceed in the summer.

Does anybody have statistics on Galy's production as a C versus as a LW? That would be interesting.

we need 2 top 6 players no matter which way you look at it...

patch galchenyuk gallagher

?? plex ??

or

patch ?? gallagher

galchenyuk plex ??

i just know he played 10 games with patch and gallagher ... scored his only hatrick of his career in those 10 games and had i believe 10 pts then they were broken up to help plex and DD find there offensive game.

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we need 2 top 6 players no matter which way you look at it...

patch galchenyuk gallagher

?? plex ??

or

patch ?? gallagher

galchenyuk plex ??

i just know he played 10 games with patch and gallagher ... scored his only hatrick of his career in those 10 games and had i believe 10 pts then they were broken up to help plex and DD find there offensive game.

My point is just that Galchenyuk's future position will play a huge role in determining whether we target C or W this summer. These are decisions with, likely, long-term consequences, so we'd better get the Galchenyuk factor right.

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Guest Stogey24

My point is just that Galchenyuk's future position will play a huge role in determining whether we target C or W this summer. These are decisions with, likely, long-term consequences, so we'd better get the Galchenyuk factor right.

I wonder if Bergevin would have even drafted Galchenyuk if he knew he wasn't going to be a centre.
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It's really easy, play the kid at center...teach him what he needs to know, he has all the tools, and it's not like we have another one that could possibly "be a center someday".

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That is the thing, just because he is the closest thing to a big young centreman they have, dosent mean he should be forced into the role.

Why not teach Pacioretty to play centre?

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last year he had like 7 points in the first 3 games with that line then 3 points in the next 7

and last year he also asked to be put back at wing.

I have never seen any evidence that he asked to be put back to wing. All I ever heard was he said he would play where the coach wanted him to. If you have some evidence that he did say that, share it with us please.

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