A new opportunity stands before Alex Galchenyuk.

Traded to the Arizona Coyotes late Friday, the former Montreal Canadiens forward is not only headed to a new home, but he'll also be getting a chance to play his preferred position: lining up in the middle of the ice.

After shifting from center to wing during his time with the Canadiens, the former third overall pick will have a clean slate at center with his new club.

"I don't think we'd make this trade if we didn't think he had the ability to play center," Coyotes general manager John Chayka said following the trade.

Music to Galchenyuk's ears, to be sure, as prior to his exit from Montreal, he had discussions about a move back to the middle, but it never materialized, Galchenyuk indicated to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports.

He'll get that opportunity in the desert, a chance he last had in Montreal at the start of the 2016-17 campaign. For Galchenyuk's part, there is no shortage of enthusiasm.

"That's what I want. I'm excited about it," Galchenyuk added, according to Arpon Basu of The Athletic.

Galchenyuk appeared in all 82 games last season, netting 19 goals and 32 assists.

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Marc Bergevin can't quite put his finger on it, but there are qualities to Max Domi's game that he prefers to Alex Galchenyuk's.

Domi, the newest member of the Montreal Canadiens, was acquired Friday in a deal that saw the Habs part with the former third-overall pick Galchenyuk.

The two are separated by just one year and both have averaged 0.61 points per game over their respective careers, but it's Domi's work away from the puck which is most appealing, the Canadiens general manager told reporters Saturday.

"I encourage you to check out Max Domi highlights on YouTube. His energy and enthusiasm are off the charts," Bergevin said.

Billed as an offensive threat, the diminutive Domi also plays with an edge, something that rival players like Ryan Kesler have had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of.

"I welcome (fans) to watch him and to get to know him, and I think once he's here and they'll watch him play they'll appreciate what he brings," Bergevin added, as per TSN's John Lu.

The Canadiens GM also said that while Domi split time last season between left wing and center under former coach Rick Tocchet, he sees him lining up on the wing with his new club.

"We watched him (play center with Arizona) last year but we know he's a better winger," Bergevin said. "In a jam, I guess he could help at center but we don't want to put him expecting as a centerman."

Earlier Saturday, the Canadiens inked Domi to a two-year, $6.3-million contract extension.

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed winger Max Domi to a two-year deal that carries a $3.15-million cap hit, the team announced Saturday.

Montreal acquired Domi from the Arizona Coyotes on Friday in a deal that saw the club part with fellow forward Alex Galchenyuk.

Domi completed his entry-level contract over three years with the Coyotes. He finished last season with nine goals and 36 assists in 82 games.

Arizona originally selected Domi with the 12th pick in the 2013 draft.

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Almost one year ago, the Arizona Coyotes pulled off a draft-day blockbuster, acquiring Derek Stepan from the New York Rangers in hopes of rectifying the franchise's longtime weakness at center.

Less than 12 months later, the Desert Dogs struck another major move, landing Alex Galchenyuk from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for fellow young forward Max Domi.

The hope is that Galchenyuk will line up at center, likely as the Coyotes' second-line pivot behind Stepan. While he spent much of last season at wing, general manager John Chayka believes Galchenyuk will benefit from a move back to the middle.

"Our thesis on it is he has the ability (to play center) and we think that he has natural tendencies that lend itself to that," Chayka said in a conference call. "We feel, just based off of our research and what we've looked at, that he has the capacity to do it.

"I think having depth at that position and having players who can play that position is something that we desired in this trade. He's had success playing the center position. I don't think we'd make this trade if we didn't think he had the ability to play center."

While Galchenyuk saw little time up the middle under current Habs coach Claude Julien, he was a frequent middleman under former bench boss Michel Therrien.

Galchenyuk began the 2016-17 season at center, putting up nine goals and 14 assists in 25 games before suffering a knee injury. The 24-year-old was moved to the wing upon his return from the ensuing six-week layoff.

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Unless the trade market cools down over the next week, it seems rather unlikely that the Calgary Flames will be making a first-round pick this year.

The Flames don't have a pick in the first three rounds of the draft and while general manager Brad Treliving would love the chance to make a deal for a first-round selection, that's easier said than done as the asking price appears to be too much to stomach.

"Would we like to have a pick? Sure. The reality is it's expensive to get into the first round of the draft and for a reason," Treliving told Sportsnet 960, according to Sportsnet's Josh Beneteau. "If there's something that we can get done and a player sitting there that we like and a deal makes sense, we'll try to do it. But I wouldn't be holding our breath right now.

"The cost right now is a really good young player that's on your roster. And we can all connect the dots to those names," Treliving said. "And to move somebody like that just to go up and pick a player and hope and pray that they turn out to be at the level of the guys you have right now, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

The Flames are without a draft pick in the first three rounds due to dealing this year's first- and second-round picks to the New York Islanders as part of the Travis Hamonic deal, as well as trading away their third-round selection to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the Mike Smith deal.

Barring a trade to move up, the Flames' first pick of the draft will be in the fourth round, 105th overall.

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The Montreal Canadiens have shipped forward Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Max Domi, the teams announced Friday night.

The deal is player-for-player, and ironically comes one year to the day of Habs general manager Marc Bergevin's last big deal, when he acquired Jonathan Drouin for Mikhail Sergachev.

Domi, 23, is a restricted free agent, and recorded 45 points in 82 games for the Coyotes this past season. It's expected he and the Canadiens will reach a deal on an extension in the next few days, per TSN's Darren Dreger.

Galchenyuk, meanwhile, ranked second on the Canadiens with 51 points, including 24 on the power play. The 2012 third overall pick had his fair share of highs and lows through his tenure in Montreal, frequently bouncing between playing the wing and center.

The 24-year-old has two seasons remaining on his current contract, paying him $4.9 million annually.

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The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a two-year contract worth $2.8 million, the team announced Friday.

Grzelcyck's entry-level deal expired at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, and he was briefly a restricted free agent before inking a new deal.

The 24-year-old made his mark with the Bruins in his second NHL campaign, recording 15 points and averaging over 16 minutes per night in 61 regular-season games before suiting up for another 11 during Boston's playoff run.

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The Ottawa Senators have suspended assistant general manager Randy Lee until his harassment charge is ruled upon in court, general manager Pierre Dorion announced Friday.

Lee was charged with second-degree harassment in late May after allegedly making lewd comments toward and rubbing the shoulders of a 19-year-old male shuttle bus driver in Buffalo. Lee was there to attend the scouting combine. Last week, he pleaded not guilty, and he'll be back in court July 6.

Here's Dorion's full statement:

As our hockey club's initial statement made clear, our Hockey Team - and our organization as a whole - will always hold our leaders, coaching staff, players and employees to the highest standards of behaviour.

Harassment in any form is unacceptable, whether it occurs inside or outside the work place. As a result, and with all the care and caution required in such cases, we have spent the past two weeks listening carefully to, and consulting with our community, our fan base and our partners to understand their expectations on the matter.

At the same time, we have worked with authorities in Buffalo, as well as with Randy Lee's lawyer, to ensure that Randy be granted the due process to which he is entitled. Until now, the Senators had never been made aware of a complaint against Randy, whether before or during his 23-year career with the team. He must be allowed to address the allegations against him through the court system.

That said, the questions that must be answered by Randy are unlikely to be addressed until his next court date - on July 6, 2018 - we believe the best way to live our values and enforce our standards of behaviour is to suspend Randy Lee until the allegations against him are ruled upon by the courts.

The suspension is effective immediately and applies both to Lee's work with the Ottawa Senators and our AHL team in Belleville.

The suspension means Lee will not be in attendance at next weekend's NHL draft. It also affects the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, where Lee serves as general manager.

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