Arizona Coyotes to be without Alex Galchenyuk for league opener
By James Reeve
Arizona Coyotes forward Alex Galchenyuk will miss the team’s opening game of the 2018/19 season and is listed week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Galchenyuk suffered the injury during the Coyotes’ 4-2 win over the LA Kings earlier in pre-season and according to TSN, he could potentially miss the team’s opening game of the season against the Dallas Stars.
The American centre is expected to play a big role with the Coyotes this season, having joined the team in the trade that saw Max Domi sent to the Montreal Canadiens.
INJURY UPDATE: #Coyotes forward Alex Galchenyuk is listed as week to week with a lower-body injury. He is not expected to be ready for Opening Night. pic.twitter.com/7MrBg0cAOy
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) September 25, 2018
Galchenyuk was often used as a winger by the Canadiens but is determined to be a centre in the NHL – with the Coyotes looking to play him on the second line once he’s healthy again.
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In 418 regular season games with the Canadiens, Galchenyuk scored 108 goals and a total of 255 points – adding a further 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 28 playoff games.
His best season came when he last played as a centre full-time, in 2015/16, scoring 30 goals and 56 total points.
Despite Montreal missing the playoffs that year, Galchenyuk’s performances indicated that he could be the future at the centre position for the Canadiens.
The organisation’s leadership seemingly disagreed and kept Galchenyuk on the wing, where he still performed well.
Galchenyuk looked promising in pre-season action for the Coyotes, scoring two goals in two games with his new team.
He is listed week-to-week, so the hope will be that he will return to the Coyotes line-up sooner rather than later and look to help the team perform far better than last season.
The Coyotes are struggling with a number of injuries to key players before the season has even begun, with Christian Dvorak, Dylan Strome and Jakob Chychrun also sidelined.
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What do you think Coyotes fans? Are you optimistic that Galchenyuk will return to action quickly? What are your thoughts on the team’s current injury worries? Let us know your thought in the comments below!