“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased
to be one.”
-- Mark Twain
Stanislav Galiev was drafted in the third round of the 2010
NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals (86th overall). Six years later, he has 26 games of NHL
experience. Of his draft class, 68
players have more NHL experience, including Christian Thomas, immediately ahead
of Galiev on that list with 27 games of NHL experience. Those two might be competing for the last forward
spot on the Capitals roster before Opening Night and perhaps even into the
regular season.
Thomas comes to Washington as his fourth team in four
seasons after being taken with the 40th overall pick in that 2010
draft by the New York Rangers. For
Galiev, the Caps are the only NHL organization he has ever known, but this
season represents a critical point in his professional hockey career. He is in the second year of a two-year
contract that will leave him a restricted free agent at seasons’ end.
If head coach Barry Trotz is true to his word, Galiev will
get that opportunity to make a more lasting impression than he has done in his
26 NHL games to date:
“We want to give some opportunity to our kids. They’ve made great progress, and I think they’ve earned that right to challenge for spots, and I think we’re not going to block them.”
With Jason Chimera having headed off to the New York
Islanders, Michael Latta in Los Angeles with the Kings, and Mike Richards
seeking employment elsewhere, there would appear to be room for a forward, even
with the addition of Lars Eller. While
many of the lines and roles are set, Galiev should not face the logjam in front
of him that has stunted his progress.
His problem now is the clot of players in a similar situation fighting
for the same spot. Newcomer Brett
Connolly, Thomas, even perhaps up-and-coming Jakub Vrana will be competing with
him for one of the few open roster spots. At 24 years of age, it might be premature to
say that this is Galiev’s last opportunity to cement a permanent roster spot,
but those opportunities are certainly dwindling as prospects such as Vrana,
Riley Barber, or Zach Sanford could be competing for that spot Galiev has not
been able to lock down.
Fearless’ Take…
For someone who has as few games as Galiev has at this stage
of his career, one has to look at other things and in other places for sources
of optimism. First, there is that
2014-2015 season in Hershey in which he tied for the team lead in goals (25)
and led the AHL in power play goals (15).
Then there is last season. Yes,
he appeared in only 24 games. Yes, he
failed to score a goal in any of them.
Yes, he had only three points (one in his last 18 games). But in those 24 games, averaging only nine
minutes a game, he did record 14 hits (as many or more on a hits-per-game basis
as Daniel Winnik and Justin Williams), four blocked shots (as many on a
blocks-per-game basis as Chimera and Latta), and four credited takeaways (more,
on a per-game basis, than Tom Wilson and Chimera). It shows, on a limited basis to be sure, a
willingness to try to do other things to contribute.
Cheerless’ Take…
You wonder if in the back of some front office minds they
look at Stanislav Galiev and think “Mathieu Perreault.” It took Perreault four years in the
organization to get his first taste of the NHL, and it was another two seasons –
at age 24 – that he finally appeared in more than half the team’s games. He never recorded more than 30 points,
though, and he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for John Mitchell, a player who
never played a game for the Caps or any other NHL team. Perreault has gone on to record three
straight 40-plus point seasons with the Ducks and the Winnipeg Jets. Perreault was a far more prolific scorer in
juniors than Galiev, but he never came close to replicating Galiev’s best
goal-scoring season in the AHL (16 in 56 games in 2009-2010 to Galiev’s 25 in
67 games in 2014-2015).
The Big Question… Is this Stanislav Galiev’s last, best
opportunity to secure a permanent roster spot?
There are three parts to that question. First, it could be the “last” opportunity,
but it would seem that those who would answer in the affirmative with a measure
of certainty are speculating more than evaluating. Still, Galiev is going to be 25 years old in
January. That window on securing that
roster spot is closing. Second, the
matter of it being his “best” opportunity seems to be on firmer ground. The Caps have had a history of growing from
within in the post-2004-2005 lockout era, and it does not appear that the Caps
under Brian MacLellan’s leadership as general manager is much different in this
regard than his predecessor, George McPhee.
If the competition is close among those competing for the last couple of
forward spots on the roster, perhaps the nod goes to the player who has climbed
through the system since his draft day.
The last part is the “secure a permanent roster spot.” The phrase “with the Capitals” was left off
intentionally. Galiev does have a skill
set that suggests he would get a look from a team with less offensive depth
than the Caps if this is his last opportunity to finally get his permanent
roster spot here. But as much or more
than in any of his six (soon to become seven) seasons in the organization,
Galiev controls his own destiny.
In the end…
Stanislav Galiev was a 29-goal scorer in the USHL (in 2008-2009 in 60 games with the Indiana Ice). He was a 37-goal scorer in Canadian juniors
(in 2010-2011 in 64 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs).
He was a 23-goal scorer in 46 games in the ECHL (in 2012-2013 with the
Reading Royals). He was a 25-goal scorer
in 67 games in the AHL (with Hershey in 2014-2015). There is a pattern there; every other year he
has posted good goal-scoring totals at increasingly higher levels of play. That’s not to say he is going to blossom into
a 20-game scorer this season with the Caps, but it is indicative of the
tantalizing potential he has exhibited at each level at which he played. It might be, though, that the NHL is just one
rung on the professional ladder too high for him. He has to demonstrate that he can stick on an
NHL roster before those thoughts of significant production are entertained. The urgency of that task makes this season
an opportunity that needs to be seen and seized by Galiev.
Projection: 20 games, 1-2-3, even
Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America
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