The Arizona Coyotes ordered forward Alex Galchenyuk to unconditionally waive his contract on Thursday, just 12 days after he signed his new contract.
Scottsdale Police have reportedly confirmed this Katie Strang from The Athletic Galchenyuk was arrested on July 9 on a range of charges, including hit and run on private property, disorderly conduct, disobedience, resisting arrest, and threats or intimidation. Police told Strang that no one was injured in the hit-and-run incident and that Galchenyuk was charged and released on Monday.
According to Strang, a pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 11th.
The Coyotes issued the following statement on Friday:
“We are aware of the incident involving Alex Galchenyuk and strongly condemn this type of behavior. After the club was brought to the attention of the allegations, we immediately began terminating their standard player contract through the appropriate channels in cooperation with the National Hockey League.
As a result, the Arizona Coyotes today exercised the team’s right to terminate Alex Galchenyuk’s contract for a material breach of the terms of his standard player contract. The club will not be making any further comment at this time.”
NHL Network correspondent Craig Morgan reported The NHLPA is reviewing the matter.
Galchenyuk played 11 games for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022–23 season, not scoring a point. He spent most of the year with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, recording 16 goals and 42 points in 42 games and three assists in seven postseason contests.
On June 24, he was traded to the Nashville Predators for Ryan Johansen, but the Predators had no interest in using Galchenyuk as the trade effectively amounted to a pay cut. Galchenyuk was an upcoming free agent and the Predators made no offer to re-sign him, allowing the Coyotes to sign him for his third stint with the organization.
The Coyotes gave Alex Galchenyuk a dispensation less than two weeks after signing him. (Photo by Scott W. Gray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Galchenyuk is best known for being the third pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, where he was selected by the Montreal Canadiens. He played six seasons for the organization after breaking into the league as an 18-year-old.
The 29-year-old has appeared in 654 NHL games over the course of his career, recording 146 goals and 208 assists. In his eleven years in the league, he has played for seven different franchises.