'Yotes Notes: Galchenyuk's Injury Not Considered Long-Term

GLENDALE -- Coyotes General Manager John Chayka on Wednesday confirmed that center Alex Galchenyuk would miss the start of the regular season because of a lower-body injury, but noted that the injury isn't too serious.

"Right now it's just week to week," Chayka told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the team's flagship radio station. "He had something we needed to get addressed and we've done that. Now, the next step is just getting him back on the ice skating by himself ... Some guys take longer. Some guys take shorter. I'm not sure exactly where it will land, but the good news is we don't view it as a long-term injury and we hope to have him back as soon as possible."
Arizona acquired Galchenyuk, 24, from the Montreal Canadiens this summer in a trade for forward Max Domi. He notched two goals in a home preseason game vs. Los Angeles on Sept. 18.
With Galchenyuk and Christian Dvorak sidelined because of injuries, look for wingers Clayton Keller and/or Vinnie Hinostroza to play center during the final preseason games. Dylan Strome, Nick Cousins and Laurent Dauphin also are candidates to play center leading up to the start of the regular season.
Neither Chayka nor Head Coach Rick Tocchet are concerned about lack of depth at center.
"There's some options," Tocchet said after Wednesday's practice at Gila River Arena. "We've got a couple of exhibition games to experiment with some stuff. Until Alex and 'Dvo' come back we've got some guys that have opportunities to get in situations and to play."

• Twenty-four of the 31 players on the training camp roster departed after Wednesday's practice for a two-game road trip that will conclude Arizona's preseason schedule. The trip is a dress rehearsal, if you will, for next week's season opener at Dallas.
"I want to get our team together," Tocchet said. "...We want to play our team and get ramped up."
However, Tocchet said he does not want the players to look too far ahead. "Invest in today" was his message on Wednesday.
Tocchet: "I told the players today: 'We had a good practice today. Tomorrow's a game. Invest in that game. Dallas will happen and everyone's excited, but don't try to skip these next five, six, seven days. We've got a lot of work to do still.'"
The first game of this week's road trip will be played Thursday vs. Edmonton at Rogers Place. The second game will be played Saturday vs. Vancouver at Prospera Place, the home of the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets, in Kelowna, British Columbia. Prospera Place seats about 7,000 fans. Per the Canucks, the game in Kelowna marks the start of a new tradition of hosting one home preseason game away from Rogers Arena each year. Kelowna is 170 miles northeast of Vancouver.

• Goalie Darcy Kuemper played for Red Deer of the Western Hockey League from 2008-11 and has tended goal inside Prospera Place. He's looking forward to the Coyotes competing in such an intimate setting.
"Kelowna is obviously a beautiful city, and I expect there's going to be a sold-out crowd," Kuemper said. "It's going to be a lot of fun. It's fun when you can play games out of market and give those fans an experience, and a chance to watch an NHL game."
• Forward Nick Merkley, who played four seasons of junior hockey for Kelowna, did not accompany the team on the road trip. He is nursing an injury that has kept him out of all preseason games.

• Tocchet has planned some team bonding exercises for the group during its stay in Kelowna including one involving balancing players positioned at both ends of a long plank, a la a teeter-totter.
• NHL Network plans to broadcast the Coyotes vs. Vancouver game at Prospera Place on Saturday, on a tape-delay basis, starting at 10 p.m. Arizona time.

• Tocchet delcared Antti Raanta the starting goalie for the season opener at Dallas on Oct. 4 but declined to reveal how many games Raanta would play on the final preseason road trip.
Raanta has stopped 45 of 46 shots in two preseason games thus far. His .978 save percentage is tops in the NHL among goalies who have played more than one preseason game.
• Lawson Crouse leads the Coyotes with three preseason goals on just eight shots. That's a 37.5 shooting percentage.