According to Renaud Lavoie have TVA Sports, Montreal Canadiens restricted free agent forward Alex Galchenyuk has decided to part ways with agent Ian Pulver, which has put a temporary halt to contract negotiations between him and general manager Marc Bergevin while he seeks new representation.
Where the disagreement was between Galchenyuk and his agent remains a mystery, but Lavoie believes the negotiation between Galchenyuk and the Canadiens is a simple one because it looks like it will be a bridge contract, however we all know how “simple” that was for P.K. Subban.
The Canadiens have just over a week until July 1st, when the possibility of an offer sheet from another team arises. It’s always unlikely that an offer sheet will be signed, but there is some worry in Montreal that the relationship between Bergevin and his star youngster is strained after an end of season press conference that was at best, uncomfortable. At the presser, Bergevin seemed to call Galchenyuk out for attitude issues, and hinted that he may never play center in the NHL.
Then again, the last player to fire their agent during contract negotiations with the Canadiens was Andrei Markov, who ended up signing a very reasonable deal shortly after. There’s likely no way to know whether this is a worrying or encouraging move until the results come in.
