Glendale, Az – As another new season approaches, the Arizona Coyotes find themselves in familiar territory, but approaching it from an entirely new direction. Following their recent trend, they are hoping to rebound from a disappointing season, looking forward to the future and hoping that the future is now.
The difference now is that it looks like the future may have finally arrived…or at least it’s 
within sight. After enduring years of poor ownership, no ownership, and league ownership the Coyotes finally are looking at uncertainty in the rear-view mirror. Principal owners Andrew Barroway, Anthony LeBlanc, and George Gosbee have stepped up to provide the stability that the team has long been lacking. They have brought with them a new approach.
After severing ties with GM Don Maloney, the Coyotes replaced him with John Chayka, a stats guru whom they had brought in just a year prior as an Assistant GM with a focus on analytics. In addition to promoting Chayka, thereby making him the youngest General Manager in all of the major pro sports, they restructured their entire front office. They began by expanding Head Coach Dave Tippett’s job title to Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations/Head Coach. In doing so, they gave him more of a hands-on involvement in player movement, and therefore greater accountability. I think both of these are good things. It’s important for the GM to assemble a team that the Coach can manage. Involving the Coach in the process is a great way to facilitate that.
Chayka was not shy about making a splash in his first months as the Coyotes’ General Manager. First, he acquired the negotiating rights to impending free-agent defenseman Alex Goligoski from the Dallas Stars to effectively get a jump on signing him before the free-agent signing period commenced. It was a bold move that paid off when the Coyotes were able to sign Goligoski to a five-year, $27.375 million contract. Goligoski is an experienced, puck-moving defenseman who should fit in nicely with the Coyotes’ new approach. The emphasis is on speed and skill, and Goligoski has plenty of both. His experience should be a stabilizing influence on a very young corps of defensive prospects.
Next, Chayka parlayed a little cap-space flexibility into a draft day position jump, taking on retired Pavel Datsyuk’s salary cap hit for the Red Wings and swapping the Coyotes’ #20 pick and a second-round pick for Detroit’s #16 pick. They used that pick to draft sturdy defenseman Jakob Chychrun, a prospect they had rated at #7. He’s a big, strong, quick-skating defenseman who works well at both ends of the ice.
Still not finished, Chayka traded a second-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for former first-round prospect Anthony De Angelo. De Angelo is a highly-skilled offensive defenseman who some scouts think is NHL-ready.
Chayka next moved to replace the goal-scoring the Coyotes lost when Radim Vrbata signed with the Vancouver Canucks two years ago…by re-signing Vrbata. He had an off year last season, but could easily bounce back once reunited with fellow countryman and former linemate Martin Hanzal. His absence the past two seasons has been palpable. The Coyotes are happy to have him back.
The Coyotes also added depth and physicality with the signings of Jamie McGinn and Luke Schenn, and the acquisition of former Florida Panthers first-round pick Lawson Crouse.
By all accounts, John Chayka had a very eventful and impressive first summer as an NHL GM. He has already left his mark on this franchise, adding numerous important pieces to the puzzle. Combined with the young talent in the system, the Coyotes believe they have the right mix of players to be a contending team in the near future, if not the present.
Many of the Coyotes’ young prospects look ready to make the team and contribute in a meaningful way. The success last season of rookies Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Jordan Martinook may have paved the way for a new wave of young talent. Recent draftees Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak both led their respective junior teams in scoring last season. Both of them should see regular playing time.
Coyotes Captain Shane Doan returns for his 20th season in the Valley, with Martin Hanzal and Oliver Ekman-Larsson as Alternate Captains. Their leadership intact, the team will look to continue the development of their young players. With five rookies on their roster, that will be key to their success. The Coyotes are built around speed and skill, but they will rely heavily on first- and second-year players. Their ability to learn and adapt to the NHL will determine their fate.
Mike Smith will shoulder the load in goal for the Coyotes. Tippett has said he expects Smith to play as many as 70 games, so his health will be a factor. Otherwise, Louis Domingue will be called upon to fill in again, as he did admirably last season. His 2.75 GAA was more indicative of his play than his 15-18-4 record, with much of his playing time coming in the midst of the team’s freefall late in the season.
Defense will be a key factor, and the addition of Goligoski and Schenn should help solidify their young core. Ekman-Larsson will again pace the offense from the back end, his two-way play setting the standard for the rest of the squad.
The return of Radim Vrbata should help spark the offense, which has struggled mightily since his departure two seasons ago. His reunion with Hanzal should be good for both of them. They worked very well together in Vrbata’s previous stint in the desert. That should relieve some pressure from Domi and Duclair and allow them to just be themselves. Their unfettered creativity is the strength of their game, and without the added weight of having to carry the offense, they should be free to have fun again. That was when they were at their best last season.
The Arizona Coyotes will be exciting to watch this season. They have plenty of speed and skill, and their game under Tippett’s system will be relentless. They most definitely have turned a corner and are headed in the right direction.
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