Alex Galchenyuk is confident he'll find his game with the Ottawa Senators this coming season.
"I'm definitely hungrier than ever and motivated," Galchenyuk said, according to NHL.com. "My body feels great. I feel great. Obviously, there's been a lot of time off and I used that time well. To get better, I think, obviously, my foot speed, my explosiveness, and it's my consistency, and I know what I need to do to get that. I went through a really tough year ... and learned a lot about myself as a hockey player and what I need to do. And I'm really confident I can fix those parts of my game."
Galchenyuk was an unrestricted free agent for the first time this offseason and signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract with the Senators after he spent 2019-20 split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild.
The 26-year-old struggled in the shortened campaign, managing just 24 points in 59 games. He put up a career-low 0.41 points per game, but Galchenyuk believes his difficult year has given him a better understanding of the type of player he can be.
"Sometimes you need a year like this to center yourself and to love yourself, and to really understand what you want to become and how you want to play," Galchenyuk said. "It was a big moment for me to realize that. I have a lot to prove to myself, to other people, and it felt like Ottawa was the right fit. Obviously, I was traded two times last year and so I have not been happy with how things went.
"I'm just looking to bounce back. I'm going to elevate my game even more and I just can't wait to start already."
The Montreal Canadiens drafted Galchenyuk third overall in 2012. His 320 career points are the second-most of all players in his draft class.
Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.