The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned depth forward Alex Galchenyuk to the AHL Toronto Marlies along with defenseman Martin Marincin on Saturday, recalling winger Kenny Agostino and 2017 1st-rounder Timothy Liljegren from the AHL to the taxi squad.
The primary reason for the move, according to Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, is that it will give Galchenyuk some time to get comfortable with the Leafs' system in an environment where there is less pressure, and where he won't be in jeopardy of losing out on a potential roster spot if it takes him awhile to get going.
This AHL assignment marks the first of Galchenyuk's career, as he began his career in the NHL in his draft year (2012) after being selected 3rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens.
Galchenyuk appears to be a full-blown reclamation project for the Maple Leafs' development staff, who have seemingly taken a 'from the ground-up' sort of an approach to helping the veteran forward find his game. With his skill set, at least from an offensive standpoint, picking him up from the Hurricanes earlier this month seems to be a very low-risk gamble that could potentially yield a pretty large reward if the 27-year-old can hold his own in a middle-six role for the Leafs when all is said and done.
The Leafs seem to be completely content with taking their time in hopes that they'll be able to tap into some of that same potential that made him top-3 pick in a lot of scouting circles ahead of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
It will be interesting to see how Galchenyuk's stint in the AHL goes, with the Marlies heading into a particularly busy stretch here this coming week. This one is definitely a story to follow as the season progresses.
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