Former NHL winger T.J. Galiardi has reached a mutual termination of his KHL contract with Dinamo Riga, making him a free agent able to sign with whichever team he chooses. That decision comes after registering six points (all assists) in his first 11 games this year, putting him among the team leaders.
Galiardi was selected 55th-overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, but has dealt with injuries throughout his career and was given few chances at a full-time role in the NHL. In 2009-10 he scored 39 points for the Avalanche, but wouldn’t be able to come close to repeating that at his other stops, which included San Jose, Calgary and Winnipeg. He attended training camp with the St. Louis Blues last year on a professional tryout, but was cut before the season began and headed to the KHL instead.
Still, the 6’2″ winger is only 29 years old and could find himself in contention for an Olympic spot if he can prove he’s healthy and productive somewhere outside the NHL. Though he was born in Calgary, he is a dual USA-Canada citizen and represents the USA internationally.
It seems unlikely that this termination will lead to an NHL contract, but perhaps he’s looking at AHL-only deals to return to North America. Those would also allow him to chase an Olympic spot, but put him closer to those making the decisions for USA Hockey.