If Alex Galchenyuk is forced to miss at least the start of the regular season due to a lower-body injury he presumably suffered on Tuesday, the Coyotes could be in big trouble.

President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka went out and acquired Galchenyuk to boost the team’s scoring, which was subpar last season even when the team was playing well.

As a result, the Coyotes parted ways with Max Domi to acquire Galchenyuk’s services and try him out as a top-two center. And in his first game at Gila River Arena on Tuesday, Galchenyuk scored twice and showed what his potential could be.

But the Coyotes now have to wait for the results of Galchenyuk’s examinations to determine the extent of his injury and how much time he could miss. It could end up being a massive blow for a team trying to earn its first playoff berth since the 2011-12 season.

That is, unless someone else can assume the same role.

The problem with replacing someone like Galchenyuk is that the Coyotes don’t have many players capable of providing the same type of offensive output. One of those players, if one even exists, would be Clayton Keller.

Keller was centering the Coyotes’ top line in their preseason game against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday at Gila River Arena, a game they won by a 6-1 score. But was this just a phantom of the preseason or a viable option for the Coyotes moving forward?

Although he spent some time at center in college and as an amateur, Keller has been exclusively deployed on the wing since his arrival to Arizona in April 2017. Last season, as a 19-year-old rookie playing left wing, Keller led the Coyotes in scoring with 65 points and finished third in the Calder Trophy voting.

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But would the sophomore scorer, who was so lethal on the wing last season, be able to produce at the same level despite a move to center?

"I was drafted as a centerman and I've played center most of my life," Keller, who registered a game-high five shots on goal Saturday, said after the game. "I think it's good to get a few reps in there and see how it is moving forward. I know we've got a few guys banged up right now, but I'll play wherever to start the season.

"I'm comfortable in both positions. Whatever the coaches and management wants to do, I'm fine with it."

If Saturday was any indication, Keller should be able to handle the job. He was able to consistently create plays in the offensive zone and set up Lawson Crouse for a pretty goal in the third period.

It should also be noted that Keller’s linemates in this game were Crouse and Nick Cousins, both of whom project as fourth-liners this season. Keller would almost certainly be working with more high-end players if he were to play center in the regular season.

But the center position can be tricky for some players. Due to its requirement of greater and more disciplined defensive responsibility, it can be easy for a player to begin sacrificing offensive ability while trying to play a 200-foot game.

This was the case with Domi last season, although he wasn’t exactly leading the league in scoring on the wing, either. Regardless, Domi’s responsibilities changed upon his move to center last season and his offense undoubtedly took a hit because of it.

It’s not the case with every player, though, and there are many around the league that consider Keller a transcendent talent.

Even if Keller is forced into duty at center to start the season, it likely would likely be a temporary fix until someone from the injured center group of Galchenyuk, Christian Dvorak and Dylan Strome is healthy and ready to play.

"We've got to experiment now because we've got some bodies hurt at center," head coach Rick Tocchet said. "He's played most of his career at center, but he had a hell of a year at wing. We've got to throw some guys in and out, and the guys like that challenge.

"Now is the time to try these things."

Still, the notion at this point is still conjecture. We don’t know the extent of Galchenyuk’s injury and we don’t know whether he, Dvorak or Strome will have to miss any time to start the season.

But that doesn’t mean the Coyotes aren’t trying to figure out what they have or trying to come up with a contingency plan with opening night less than two weeks away.

“There’s some bingo balls in there, I’ll you that,” Tocchet said of creating lines during Friday’s practice. “That’s the world we live in. I know it’s the corny cliche of ‘next man up,’ but there’s an opportunity for guys to step up.

“It’s just one of those things where they’ll hold the fort until the cavalry comes back. That’s the attitude. We still have enough people here to establish something.”

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Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at richard.morin@arizonarepublic.com and by phone at 480-316-2493. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc.