Galchenyuk last played Dec. 4 and has missed the past 18 games with a knee injury.
The Canadiens feared the worst with the injury, but have held their own in the meantime, posting a 9-5-4 record in Galchenyuk's absence.
Galchenyuk has been a key cog for the Canadiens this season, posting 23 points in 25 games, with his offensive game taking off since coach Michel Therrien elected to shift the young forward from wing to center.
Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw will also return to the lineup Saturday after missing the past 14 games with a concussion.
The World Junior Hockey Championship can serve as a coming out party for emerging talent.
Consider last year's tournament, when the play of explosive winger Patrik Laine, who finished third in tournament scoring with 13 points in seven games, helped secure Finland's second gold medal since 2014.
That performance saw Laine climb several spots in the 2016 NHL Draft, as he was selected second to only Toronto's Auston Matthews.
This year's edition of the world juniors has plenty of talent of its own. With that in mind, here are 10 players to keep an eye on:
Pierre-Luc Dubois - Canada
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
LW
18
6-2
201
Left
The Columbus Blue Jackets' third overall pick in the 2016 draft has a solid frame and the offensive talent to go with it, so it's fair to say he'll play a key role on Canada's scoring lines.
A native of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, Pierre-Luc Dubois is strong at both ends of the ice, while the early scouting reports have compared his game to Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar. With Cape Breton (QMJHL) this season, Dubois has tallied 18 points in 20 games.
The tournament will mark his first appearance at the world juniors, after he didn't make the final cut last year.
Jeremy Bracco - United States
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
RW
19
5-9
181
Right
Jeremy Bracco doesn't let his lack of size keep him off the scoresheet.
The diminutive winger stars for the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, with whom he's put up a staggering 51 points through 27 games this season. That after tallying 64 points in 49 games with the Rangers a year ago. The product of Freeport, N.Y., was originally recruited by Boston College before leaving for Kitchener.
Bracco, selected in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be make his first appearance in the world juniors.
Dylan Strome - Canada
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
C
19
6-3
198
Left
Chosen to captain Team Canada, Dylan Strome is a returnee to the world juniors after leading the team in scoring last year, when Canada finished a disappointing sixth place. He'll look to avenge that performance this time around.
Strome also serves as captain of his junior club, the OHL's Erie Otters, with whom he's tallied an impressive 16 points in just seven games this season, after being returned to the OHL by the Arizona Coyotes, who drafted him third overall in 2015.
The native of Mississauga, Ontario, hasn't been short on offense through his development years, scoring 295 points in 191 games with Erie.
Nico Hischier - Switzerland
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
C
17
6-0
174
Left
Nico Hischier has the chance to become one of Switzerland's better known hockey talents, joining a group headlined by the likes of Mark Streit, Roman Josi, and Nino Niederreiter.
That's because his game is built for offense. A star player with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, Hischier is a creative center who has tallied 48 points in 31 games this season.
He'll be a top pick in this summer's NHL draft, with the most recent draft rankings by ISS Hockey placing the Naters-born forward as the eighth-best available talent. Hischier recorded two assists with Switzerland at last year's world juniors entry.
Eeli Tolvanen - Finland
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
LW
17
5-10
179
Left
Among the top-ranked Finns in this year's draft, Eeli Tolvanen is known for his scoring touch and impressive release, which are already of NHL quality.
Starring with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, Tolvanen paces his team in both goals (16) and points (27) through 23 games. The 17-year-old will finish the year in the USHL and has committed to Boston College next season.
Ranked No. 9 by ISS, Tolvanen will make his first appearance at the world juniors. He previously appeared at the Under-18s with Finland, posting seven goals and two assists in seven games.
Elias Pettersson - Sweden
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
C
18
6-2
161
Left
Sweden is a tournament favorite, and a big reason why is the inclusion of lanky playmaker Elias Pettersson.
Ranked 13th by ISS, Pettersson will make his first appearance at the world juniors, although he's not short on experience on the international stage. At last year's Under-18 tournament, he tallied a goal and seven assists through seven games.
The Sundsvall native plays with Timra IK in Sweden, where he leads his team with 27 points in 27 games.
Martin Necas - Czech Republic
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
C
17
5-11
148
Right
It has been a few down years for Czech hockey talent, but forward Martin Necas could play a big part in reversing that trend.
Necas is an elusive playmaker whose on-ice vision is always apparent. He plays for the HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, and has tallied six goals and seven assists through 29 games this season.
Ranked 19th overall by ISS, Necas will make his first showing at the world juniors. He tallied five points in five games in the Under-17 tournament.
Mikhail Sergachev - Russia
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
D
18
6-3
216
Left
Like Team Russia, the Montreal Canadiens liked what they saw in Mikhail Sergachev, opting to draft the hulking blue-liner with the ninth overall pick in June's draft.
The smooth-skating and offensively-creative defenseman is effective on both sides of the blue line. It's that type of play that has enabled him to put up 15 points in 18 games with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. He also saw an early showing with the Canadiens, as the 18-year-old played three games in the NHL at the start of the season.
The Nizhnekamsk, Russia, product will be making his first appearance at the world juniors.
Charlie McAvoy - United States
Position
Age
Height
Weight
Shoots
D
19
6-1
212
Right
The United States boasts an impressive blue line, and it begins with Charlie McAvoy of Boston University, who was drafted by the Boston Bruins in June.
McAvoy is a strong two-way defender who plays a physical brand of hockey. Born in Long Beach, N.Y., he'll make his second appearance at the world juniors. While he was held pointless in seven tournament games last year, he also held down a plus-five rating over that stretch.
McAvoy has tallied 13 points in 17 games in the NCAA this year, after scoring 25 in 37 with Boston a year ago.
Playing with the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Samsonov has just one loss on the season, racking up a 12-1-3 record through 19 games, with a .936 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average.
Samsonov, who hails from Magnitogorsk, appeared in two games at last year's world juniors, posting a spectacular .956 save percentage and 1.00 GAA, as Russia finished with the silver medal.
The Hurricanes and Red Wings were originally scheduled to play Dec. 19 at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., but an issue with the arena's ice cooling system ultimately postponed the game.
The two teams met earlier this season, with the Red Wings winning the Oct. 25 game by a 4-2 score. Thomas Vanek, Andreas Athanasiou, and a pair of goals by Dylan Larkin pushed the Red Wings to victory.
Captain Coyote is about to join an exclusive group.
When the Arizona Coyotes and their leader Shane Doan take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, it will mark the 1,500th game of Doan's long-tenured career, one in which he has spent entirely with the same franchise.
With the feat, Doan will become just the sixth player in NHL history to play as many games with one organization:
Player
Team
Games
Gordie Howe
Detroit
1687
Nicklas Lidstrom
Detroit
1564
Alex Delvecchio
Detroit
1549
Ray Bourque
Boston
1518
Steve Yzerman
Detroit
1514
Shane Doan
Arizona
1500
Doan also becomes just the 17th player to reach 1,500 games all together.
It won't be the only mark that Doan could hit Friday. The wily veteran sits one goal shy of 400 for his career, and has the chance to achieve the feat versus Arizona-born Auston Matthews.
"Anyone that gets to 400, I've definitely taken the longest," a humble Doan told reporters. "Anyone that's played this long should have had 400 a long time ago."
Drafted seventh overall by the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995, Doan stayed with the club when it left the Manitoba capital for Phoenix the following year.
Ever since, he's claimed every record in franchise history, as Doan holds the top slot in the team's all-time goals, assists, and points categories, scoring 954 points over the course of his career.
Things have never been lower in the Mile High City.
Indeed, it's been a rocky season for the Colorado Avalanche. Following Thursday's 6-0 stomping by the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of their home fans, the Avalanche fell to 11-20-1 on the season, further cementing their place in the NHL's basement.
The loss comes less than two weeks after the Avs lost by more than a touchdown to the Montreal Canadiens, on the wrong end of an ugly 10-1 score. Things weren't much better against Toronto, where Colorado failed to tally on two separate 5-on-3 man advantages, leaving the Denver faithful - who have witnessed just four home wins on the season - wanting more.
It's been a nightmare month for the Avalanche, who have come away with just two wins through 11 games in December. That stretch has seen the Avs shutout three times, and out scored 42 to 18.
It's a roster that once included Paul Stastny, who left in free agency, and Ryan O'Reilly, who was sent to Buffalo for a package of players including Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov, neither of which has had much impact through two seasons in Denver.
But for all of their offensive options, the Avalanche can't seem to score. And they surely can't defend with so little depth on the back end.
That problem was further compounded following the loss of top blue-liner Erik Johnson, sidelined with a broken leg and not expected back on the ice until February. The Avalanche are 2-7 in his absence. That's left Tyson Barrie and veteran Francois Beauchemin to hold down the fort in the meantime. Really? 50 more games of this?
Season
GP
Record
Points
2016-17
32
11-20-1
23
2015-16
82
39-39-4
82
2014-15
82
39-31-12
90
2013-14
82
52-22-8
112
Things were supposed to get better once Patrick Roy left his coaching post. After all, it was supposedly his system and his style that was holding back the Avalanche. But new coach Jared Bednar, fresh off a Calder Cup win in the AHL, hasn't been swept up with offense of his own. Still, as a first-year on the job, he's safe for now.
And short of a world where the Avalanche can cut loose general manager Joe Sakic, the most prolific player in franchise history, that means change must come elsewhere.
Poor drafting
It starts at the draft table, where the Avalanche have scored with their higher picks. MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Duchene were all taken within the top three, and are now big pieces of the Colorado core. Meanwhile, the likes of Tyson Jost and Mikko Rantanen, both 10th overall picks in the past two drafts, have delivered impressive early returns.
But the team hasn't had nearly as much luck on the second day of the draft, where clubs make their picks in rounds two through seven. Go back a decade and the results just aren't there. Outside of the opening round, only five picks have seen 100 games in the NHL - Barrie, O'Reilly, Kevin Shattenkirk, who was flipped to the St. Louis Blues for Johnson, plus T.J. Galiardi, now in the KHL, and the ever-obscure Bradley Malone.
So what's the answer for the one-time dominant franchise that made the postseason every year in its first 10 after uprooting from Quebec, a stretch which included two Stanley Cups and four other trips to the Conference Finals?
It's a distant past for the Avalanche, winners of a single playoff series since 2007 and just a three-time postseason participant in that time.
Blueline repair
A team that once featured the likes of star blue-liners Rob Blake and Adam Foote, former teammates of Sakic, surely knows the value of defense. After all, it wins championships.
Owners of the league's worst goals against, the Avalanche allow 3.25 goals per game. And at minus-40, their goal differential is a full 10 points worse than the second-last club, and 20 worse than the third-lowest.
That's led to many long nights for goaltenders Calvin Pickard and Semyon Varlamov, who both own save percentages in the .900s, despite standing behind a porous defense. Varlamov, after all, is just two years removed as a Vezina nominee. Surely the 28-year-old's game hasn't fallen off that quickly.
Duchene, Landeskog...name a core player and the rumors will be flying once the roster freeze lifts. Something has to give in Colorado.
Change is needed. Let the Edmonton Oilers serve as a model for the Avalanche. Like Colorado, Edmonton had collected years of scoring talent at the draft table, only to be continuously mired in losses and poor play. That ended last offseason, when the Oilers flipped former first-overall pick Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson, who has played a major role in reshaping Edmonton's defensive game.
Today, the Oilers sit fifth in the West, 18 points ahead of the Avalanche, and poised to make their first playoff appearance since 2006.
That is the path forward for the Avalanche, who have the opportunity to repair their ailing blueline, with just three defenders - Johnson, Barrie, and Beauchemin - signed through 2017-18. Depth is badly needed, and perhaps an entire second pairing all together.
That means one of MacKinnon, Landeskog, or Duchene should be on the outs. As captain, Landeskog is likely safe, and the same for MacKinnon, a dynamic talent and former Calder Trophy winner. That makes Duchene the likely candidate.
It's now up to Sakic to find the right trade partner, to not only strengthen his team's blue-line, but return the Avalanche to respectability and the glory days with which he is familiar.
The NHL offseason offers the opportunity for general managers to reshape their rosters. While some moves turn out to be the perfect fit, other buys often leave GMs scrambling for the receipt.
Here are three players who are not fitting in with their new squads:
Andrew Ladd
The New York Islanders GM Garth Snow should call for a mulligan after signing veteran forward Andrew Ladd to a seven-year, $38.5-million deal in the offseason.
To say Ladd has struggled in his first year in Brooklyn would be an understatement. With just four goals and three assists on the season, this wasn't what the Islanders had in mind when they splurged in the summer.
Ladd's play is a stark difference from the consistency he saw in the last five seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, where his point totals floated between 46 and 62. And at 31 years old, his best days are already in the rearview mirror.
To make matters worse, New York passed on re-signing Kyle Okposo, who was a fit with the Islanders and has seen early success with his new club, the Buffalo Sabres, already potting 22 points. That's would be good for second on the Islanders, who sit last in the East. Okposo's new deal pays $500,000 more than Ladd, but seemingly comes with some production.
Brian Elliott
The discussion point of taking Brian Elliott out of St. Louis and away from Blues coach Ken Hitchcock to see it all unravel appears to have some merit.
After a draft day deal sent him to Calgary, the veteran netminder has quickly seen his season go up in flames. Last year's save percentage leader, coming in at .930, Elliott has leaked goals through his first season with the Flames. Through 15 games, Elliott has come away with just four wins, while his save percentage has tumbled to an ugly .889.
That performance planted Elliott on the bench and saw journeyman goaltender Chad Johnson run with the starter's role, who has grabbed 13 wins on the season.
At the season's beginning, the Flames initiated extension talk with Elliott, a pending unrestricted free agent, but given his lagging performance this campaign, the Flames could change routes. That would leave Elliott to explore the market for a new crease next season.
Mikkel Boedker
After eight seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, the club that drafted him eight overall in 2008, Mikkel Boedker very quickly went from the only team he'd ever known to now being on his third team.
The Coyotes flipped Boedker to the Colorado Avalanche at last year's deadline, and he put up respectable numbers in Denver, tallying 12 points in 18 games. But that performance didn't follow him to Silicon Valley, after agreeing to a four-year contract with the San Jose Sharks this summer.
With just six points on the season, Boedker is on pace for the worst campaign of his career, a far cry from the career-year he put up in 2013-14, when he finished with 19 goals and 32 assists. No doubt the Sharks aren't getting bang for their buck on the $4-million salary they handed to the Danish forward.
Such a performance could see Boedker quickly move on to his fourth team, should the Sharks choose to cut ties by leaving the streaky winger exposed for the Vegas expansion draft.
Panarin received first-star honors after collecting 10 points in four games, including back-to-back three-point outings over the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues. The Chicago Blackhawks forward has helped power his team to five straight victories to sit atop the NHL standings.
Lundqvist was named the second star of the week following three straight victories in which he allowed just three combined goals. He also teamed with backup netminder Antti Raanta to record the first shared shutout in New York Rangers history in a 2-0 win over the Dallas Stars.
Staal ear the week's third star after registering five points in three games, including four goals. The veteran forward has seen a resurgence in his first season with the Minnesota Wild, tallying 24 points in 30 games and helping the Wild to their current seven-game winning streak.
theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.
Minnesota Wild
Winners of seven straight and grabbing points in nine of their last 10 games, the Minnesota Wild are one of the NHL's hottest teams.
The Wild installed coach Bruce Boudreau this offseason, and with that addition came a new philosophy - and a closet full of division championship banners. In four years with the Washington Capitals and another five with the Anaheim Ducks, Boudreau's collected eight division titles, winning his group every year except his first year in California, when he came on as a mid-season replacement.
Boudreau has brought those winning ways to Minnesota, where the Wild have collected 40 points in 30 games. While the team sits eight points back of the Chicago Blackhawks for the Central lead, it also has four games in hand. At plus-29, the Wild own the West's best goal differential, while starter Devan Dubnyk has allowed just 39 goals through 24 games.
New York Rangers
Impressive stat alert: The New York Rangers are now 34 games into their season and have not seen back-to-back losses along the way. In fact, their one low point - if you can call it that - was a slow spot toward the end of November in which they went 3-4-1 over an eight-game stretch.
But things are now back on pace for the Broadway Blueshirts, who are winners of six of their last seven and have suffered just three losses so far in December. Credit their special teams: at 21 percent, the Rangers' power play ranks ninth overall while their 86.8 percent effectiveness on the penalty kill is good for fourth.
Furthermore, as if owning one of the league's top goalies in Henrik Lundqvist wasn't enough, fans of the Rangers were pleased to learn that backup Antti Raanta is also capable of stealing the show. New York's No. 2 netminder strung together four straight starts through the middle of the month, coming away with three wins, just three goals against, and shutouts over his former club, the Blackhawks, and the rival New Jersey Devils.
Colorado Avalanche
Let the Colorado Avalanche serve as Exhibit A of why years of accumulating high draft picks doesn't guarantee future success, as the team remains mired in the NHL's basement.
With 23 points in 30 games, no team is worse than the Avalanche, who are on pace for a franchise-worst 63-point season, falling below their 68-point finish in 2010-11. That performance earned the Avalanche the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, which they converted into current captain Gabriel Landeskog. But he's not the Avs' only high pick in recent years. Forward Nathan MacKinnon went first overall in 2013, and four years earlier, Colorado grabbed Matt Duchene at third overall.
Meanwhile, fans are still waiting for the franchise's performance at the draft table to convert to the ice. This past offseason, Avalanche legend Patrick Roy walked away from his head coaching duties. Could a poor finish this year spell the end for another Colorado star in captain-turned-general manager Joe Sakic? Stay tuned.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Devan Dubnyk
Devan Dubnyk delivers. Since arriving in Minnesota in January 2015, he's taken on an impressive workload and made the most of it.
The lanky veteran ranks among the best goaltenders since that time, with the most games played and the most shutouts, plus second-best finishes in wins, goals-against average, and save percentage.
Dubnyk's success in the Wild's crease has continued this season, as he boasts the NHL's best GAA at 1.60, in addition to a mind-boggling .947 save percentage. After allowing just 37 goals in 23 games and coming away with 14 wins, there's no doubt he continues to be the MVP in St. Paul.
Dubnyk manned the crease through the Wild's December bounce back, winning five games in a row of the six they've played in the month. He hasn't lost in regulation since a 3-2 defeat to the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 19.
▼ Cory Schneider
After an incredible season last year, Cory Schneider has been incredibly pedestrian in 2016-17. Through 21 games, Schneider's captured just nine wins while owning an inflated 2.83 GAA and a very average .907 save percentage.
From another angle: 13 goaltenders who have played as many games as Schneider own a better save percentage.
Last season, Schneider posted an impressive .924 mark with 27 wins through 58 games. The New Jersey Devils need more of that kind of performance if the team is to snap its postseason drought and grab a playoff berth for the first time since 2012. That's already a tall task in the ever-competitive Atlantic. The Devils sit nine points back of a wild-card seed, so there's no doubt Schneider feels the pressure.
▲ Alexander Wennberg
Now we know why the Columbus Blue Jackets could afford to move a top center in Ryan Johansen to bring in stud defenseman Seth Jones: Their next top center was waiting in the wings.
Alexander Wennberg is a key reason why the Blue Jackets own one of the NHL's top records through mid-December. In just his third NHL season, the 22-year-old has already put 24 points on the board, on pace for a 73-point campaign. As a bonus, two of his six goals on the year have come as game-winners.
▼ Anze Kopitar
In the absence of starting goaltender Jonathan Quick, the Los Angeles Kings have looked to their offense to the carry the load, and that means expecting more production from new captain Anze Kopitar.
But fresh off signing a long-term extension with the club that pays him $10 million a year, Kopitar's scoring prowess has been beyond disappointing.
Through 23 games, Kopitar has registered just three goals and is on pace for just 50 points. Previously, his worst full season was his 61-point rookie campaign. The Slovenian center averaged 69 points a year over the past three seasons, and that's the sort of play that's helped him win two Stanley Cups already. Los Angeles currently sits outside the postseason picture, though, and the playoffs are no certainty for the Kings without a turnaround by Kopitar.
