Arizona Coyotes terminate Alex Galchenyuk’s contract over ‘material breach’

The Arizona Coyotes terminated the contract of forward Alex Galchenyuk on Friday, 24 hours after placing him on unconditional waivers and 13 days after signing him to a one-year, two-way deal. The Arizona Coyotes terminated the contract of forward Alex Galchenyuk on Friday, 24 hours after placing him on unconditional waivers and 13 days after signing him to a one-year, two-way deal. In a statement, the club said: “We are aware of the incident involving Alex Galchenyuk and strongly condemn this type of behaviour. Once the Club was made aware of the allegations, we immediately began the process of terminating his Standard Player’s Contract through the proper channels in conjunction with the National Hockey League. As a result, the Arizona Coyotes today have exercised the team’s right to terminate the contract of Alex Galchenyuk due to a material breach of the terms of his Standard Player’s Contract. The Club will have no further comment at this time.” Galchenyuk, 29, was arrested on July 9 on a number of different charges, including private property hit and run, disorderly conduct, failure to obey, resisting arrest and threatening or intimidating, the Scottsdale Police Department confirmed in an email to Sportsnet on Thursday. The Scottsdale Police Department confirmed to Sportsnet that for the hit and run, “it was only property damage with no injuries.” The Athletic’s Katie Strang was the first to report the news of the circumstances behind Galchenyuk’s release. According to Strang, a jail official said Galchenyuk was booked into the city jail on the evening of July 9, then released the following day on his own recognizance. The NHL Players’ Association said it is reviewing the matter. Galchenyuk, who was born in Milwaukee to Belarusian parents and whose father played for the Milwaukee Admirals of the now defunct International Hockey League, played just 11 games with the Colorado Avalanche last season and didn’t register a point. He was traded before free agency opened from Colorado to the Nashville Predators for Ryan Johansen. Montreal selected Galchenyuk with the third-overall pick of the 2012 NHL draft and he played his first six seasons with the Canadiens, starting in 2012. He had 30 goals and 26 assists in 2015-16, but has been more of a journeyman the past few years, playing in Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Ottawa, Toronto, and Colorado. — With files from Associated Press