That's a hard sell. Domi is at another level than Galchenyuk. Trade is a massive win for Montreal and there's no denying it
And both teams are finishing 9th.
Crazy.
There’s an interesting angle somewhere in all of this.
Chayka gave up on Domi and Strome too early. That said, Galchenyuk has easily been Arizona’s best forward this season. Domi was never that for the Coyotes.
Strome has been amazing for the Hawks. He wasn’t for Arizona. And Schmaltz certainly was. He was really the only thing that got Clayton Keller going at all this season.
Schmaltz now has a seven year extension in place. I expect Galchenyuk will have a matching deal very shortly. Domi and Strome have been so amazing for their new teams that there is a temptation to just call these trades right now. However, assuming Galchenyuk extends, we likely have another five years remaining on this evaluation.
Further complicating matters would be if Arizona manages to qualify for the playoffs while Montreal and Chicago do not. As a Coyotes fan I’m furious about these trades. Yet, the Coyotes have undeniably taken a big step forward. If these new guys are fitting in great, signed long term, and the team is improving, it’s tough to stay completely outraged.
It’s possible both deals end up the quintessential win-win trade example. One thing is for sure, neither Chicago nor Montreal have lost these deals. Both are winners. It remains to be seen whether Arizona can say the same. There’s a half decent chance everybody wins all around on these.