2016-17 record: 30-42-10 (70 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: TBA
It was no surprise that the Arizona Coyotes were not very good last season. What was surprising was that the young players failed to take a step forward in their development. That was why Dave Tippett was replaced by Rick Tocchet as head coach and Shane Doan was not resigned. Now, with new faces in goal and veteran experience on the blue line and up front added, the Coyotes hope to take the long awaited step forward.
The offense was rather abysmal, with players such as Max Domi and Anthony Duclair failing to take that step forward. Part of the problem was that outside of Doan, there wasn't much in the way of veteran leadership helping to guide them when things got rough. Derek Stepan was added to provide some semblance of a number one canter, a sore spot for years. On the blue line, Oliver Ekman-Larsson had his worst year, but he should be in line to have a bounce back season. Having Niklas Hjalmarsson to help on the blue line should be a step forward, as will another year of experience for Jakob Chychrun. In goal, Mike Smith was traded and Anttii Rantaa will be the starter, though it remains to be seen if his time learning from Henrik Lundqvist the last two seasons is time well spent. Clayton Keller is expected to make the leap into NHL duty, and it is hoped that Dylan Strome can do the same.
Prediction: 7th in the Pacific Division
The Coyotes are in full transition mode, as it may take some time for the new pieces to gel, but one thing that the Coyotes won't be is boring, something that characterized Tippett's teams the last few seasons. They might be closer to the first overall pick than the playoffs, given the teams in front of them, though.
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