GLENDALE, Ariz – With the third overall pick in one of the most anticipated drafts since Sidney Crosby was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Arizona Coyotes just missed out on the Conner McDavid/Jack Eichel sweepstakes. Both considered “generational” players, McDavid and Eichel are expected to be drafted first and second overall by the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres, respectively.
With the second worst overall record last season, the Coyotes would have been in position to take one of them (presumably Eichel) but the draft lottery awarded the #1 pick to the Oilers. This leaves the Coyotes on the outside looking in. Still, the third overall pick gives Arizona first crack at the players that are left, unless they decide to trade the pick for more immediate help.
It’s no secret that the Coyotes are in a rebuilding phase. How quickly they rebuild is yet to be seen, but the clock is ticking. The team’s arena deal with the City of Glendale has an out clause that could be triggered if the team continues to lose money the way it has been. Stopping the bleeding almost certainly hinges on the team’s on-ice fortunes. Phoenix is a notorious fair-weather sports town and the Coyotes will need to at least compete to capture and hold the attention of the casual valley sports fan.
The pressure is on now for General Manager Don Maloney to ice a winner as soon as possible. He has built a solid foundation for the future, but he may be running out of time. He has been steadfast in his philosophy of allowing young talent to develop and not rushing anybody to the NHL before they’re ready. This may affect the team’s draft strategy for this season. They have a dearth of draft picks from their deadline deals last season, and a lot of good young talent in their system. They may be tempted to trade their #3 pick for some more immediate help, but it will have to be a very good deal involving NHL-ready prospects and perhaps more picks, or they may use their picks to replenish their system after trading away younger prospects for some NHL-ready players.
The Coyotes have two very pressing needs that will need to be addressed in the very near future: Offense and defense. The team had the 29th ranked offense and the 28th ranked defense in the NHL last season. The Coyotes were shut out 11 times last season, and their two leading scorers were traded away at the deadline. Their only 20-goal scorer was defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the team’s only All-Star.
The team’s most obvious need for a scorer may be solved by the addition of some of their prospects. Max Domi is almost certain to make the club this season, and his World Juniors linemate Anthony Duclair is likely to join him. If they can recapture the chemistry that led Team Canada to the Gold Medal, they should provide a boost to the Coyotes’ offense.
Tobias Rieder had an outstanding rooking season and his experience in the World Championships should only make him better. Mark Arcobello should also benefit from his World Championship experience, winning Bronze with Team USA. He led the team in scoring over the last two months of the season after being cast off by three teams earlier in the season and seems that he has found a home in the Valley of the Sun.
Big winger Brendan Perlini nearly made the club out of training camp last season, but he was sidelined by a wrist injury. He went back to junior and notched 60 points in 43 games for the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs, then added 12 points in 11 playoff games for the Dogs before joining the AHL’s Portland Pirates for their playoff run. He added one goal in four games for the Pirates. He could join the wave of young talent crashing the Coyotes roster this season.
While the answer to the team’s offensive woes may lie in their organizational depth, their defense is another story. With the departures of Keith Yandle and Zbynek Michalek, the team’s most experienced defenseman is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He is locked up for this season, along with Michael Stone and Connor Murphy. Andrew Campbell is an Unrestricted Free Agent, and is probably not a high priority to re-sign. John Moore, Brandon Gormley, and Klas Dahlbeck are all Restricted Free Agents and will probably re-sign. Moore was acquired from the New York Rangers in the Yandle trade, and didn’t look bad but didn’t really impress down the stretch. Gormley showed flashes of really good defensive play but was fairly inconsistent. Dahlbeck looked impressive and is probably the best defensive defenseman of the RFA class.
After that, the Coyotes’ depth on defense drops off dramatically. They have James Melindy and Justin Hache locked up for this season, but neither one of them stood out in the American League last season. Dylan Reese did show a lot of offensive prowess, but he is a UFA as is Patrick McNeill who put up some decent numbers in limited time notching 12 points in just 23 games. RFA Philip Samuelsson made an impression in Portland and earned himself a late callup to the big club. Beyond that, there isn’t much to get excited about.
The Coyotes will also be looking for some goaltending depth in the system, as David Leggio and Mike McKenna are both UFAs. Marek Langhamer represents the future of the Coyotes at the backup goalie position. He has two years left on his deal with the Coyotes, and has spent the last three seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He will likely compete for a spot in Portland this season. RFA Louis Domingue was in line for the backup position, but injuries prevented him from taking over after Devan Dubnyk’s trade to Minnesota. His future is up in the air.
RFA Mike Lee has been in the system for three seasons and managed to play in two games in Portland this season. He was called up briefly to the Coyotes as part of their revolving-door backup goalie program, but didn’t play a minute in the NHL. He spent the bulk of this season with the Coyotes’ ECHL affiliate, the Gwinnett Gladiators.
All in all, the Coyotes’ most immediate need is on defense. Noah Hanifin is the most likely candidate to fill that need. At 6’2” and 205 pounds, he has the size to be a defensive stalwart in the NHL. He is strong on both sides of the puck, possessing both the speed and skill to be effective on offense while having the size and positional awareness to play solid defense in his own end. He is big, but mobile, and rarely makes defensive mistakes. That is why I expect to hear Coyotes GM Don Maloney make the following announcement at the upcoming draft.
“With the third overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, the Arizona Coyotes are proud to select, from Boston College, Noah Hanifin!”
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