Trouble With Police Led To Quick Contract Termination For Galchenyuk

It was an odd bit of news earlier on Thursday, when the Arizona Coyotes sent out a terse release saying they'll be terminating Alex Galchenyuk's contract just 12 days after signing him as a free agent. 

Now, we know why. The 29-year-old was arrested last weekend in Arizona on a number of charges.

NEWS: Scottsdale Police Department has confirmed to The Athletic that Alex Galchenyuk was arrested on July 9 on a number of charges including private property hit and run, disorderly conduct, failure to obey, resisting arrest, Threatening or Intimidating

— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) July 13, 2023

Galchenyuk was arrested by Scottsdale Police for private property hit and run, disorderly conduct, failure to obey, resisting arrest, and Threatening or Intimidating.

It's not the first time the 11-year veteran has been in trouble with the law; he was involved in a domestic violence dispute in 2016 for which he was said to have received treatment in the NHL’s drug and alcohol program. 

The Coyotes recently were made aware of his July 9th arrest, and immediately acted to terminate his one-year, $775,000 contract. The NHLPA is doing their own investigation, and we'll have to see what their take is on the team's move.

Spoke with an agent today about Alex Galchenyuk (who doesn't represent him). Given the details @KatieJStrang laid out, will be interesting to see how the NHLPA approaches this contract termination regarding precedent. Don't think we're done with this story.

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 13, 2023

The former No. 3 overall pick in the NHL Draft (2012), Galchenyuk began his career with six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, but never lived up to his potential. He's also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche all within the last four years. 

Photo: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports