2014-15 record: 24-50-8 (56 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Shane Doan
The Arizona Coyotes were awful, to make a long story short. Offense? Second worst. Defense? Third worst. Penalty killing unit? Tied for second worst. About the only thing that went well was the power play, which actually finished in the top third of the league. Even that may become an aberration, as while Oliver Ekman-Larsson returns, his partner Keith Yandle does not, as he was shipped out at the trade deadline last season. If you're looking for any signs that the offense or defense will be better, it's going to be a while, as the Coyotes will once again struggle to score goals and unless Mike Smith regains his 2011-12 form, they will have trouble keeping pucks out of the net. As for the good news? Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, the latter was one of the pickups in the Yandle deal, look like near certainties to make the opening night roster, and both would have actually led the Coyotes forwards in goals among returning players (Mark Arcobello had 17 with four teams while Sam Gagner had 15, which tied Duclair's junior goal totals).
Defensively, they hope the likes of Boyd Gordon and Brad Richardson will help up front and that Steve Downie will add toughness to a team that could use it. Antoine Vermette returns after a brief, albeit successful stay in Chicago, and he will bring a winning mentality and reliability to the team. Defensively, Zbynek Michalek returns after a short stay in St. Louis while Nicklas Grossmann joins the team, with both providing responsible, yet slow players in their own end. If Mike Smith falters in net again, there isn't much of a fall-back, as Anders Lindback will be the backup.
Prediction: 7th in the Pacific Division
It will be another long year for the Coyotes, and though they missed out on either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, they appear to be front-runners for Auston Matthews in next year's draft.
No comments:
Post a Comment