When the National Hockey League (NHL) had to shut down, Alex Galchenyuk had a good time. He explained his success by the confidence placed in him by the coaches of the Minnesota Wild.
The striker was therefore very complimentary to Dean Evason, who was appointed interim head coach on February 14, four days after he himself was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Dean is good,” he said during a videoconference on Wednesday. When I arrived, he was appointed immediately after. We had a good streak at the end and we hope it will continue. He is good, he communicates well and he brings a lot of energy. ”
To explain his success with the Wild, he did not hesitate to compare his playing time in Pittsburgh and St. Paul.
“There have been different opportunities,” he said. I worked hard in training and I knew that sooner or later, with the right opportunity and the right minutes, I was going to start offensively. At the end in Pittsburgh, I didn’t play much. When I got here, I was given good opportunities to succeed, so I’m happy. ”
There is worse
Galchenyuk has collected three points in his last three outings and seemed to be finding his bearings with his new teammates. The team had won eight of its last 11 games when it stopped. But he refuses to feel sorry for himself.
“There are much worse things happening in the world. We just stopped playing hockey. But I think I was playing better and better and I found my game personally. […] But I am not worried. We will resume where we were. “
The Wild will face the Colorado Avalanche if the NHL moves forward with the qualifying round. This is the only thing on which the former Montreal Canadiens player is focusing, who will be a free agent after the playoffs.
“Honestly, when everything has stopped for the first few weeks or months, you have the feeling that you are going to be back for the playoffs,” he said. So I focused on getting back into shape. I don’t think thinking about the free agent market for me right now is of any use. ”
“Having said that, I like it here, I like the guys and the team. I like everything, ”he added, not closing the door to a return with training in the next season.
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