Arizona Coyotes season preview
Expectations are not very high for the Arizona Coyotes again this season, but some positives from this past season might give the fan base more to cheer about moving forward. That could very well include the 2023-24 season, which will once again feature home games in a 5,000-seat rink due to ongoing issues with local government. The small arena may have given the team an edge with a 21-15-5 record at home, but the road was unkind and unforgiving to a young team. With some new pieces on the roster, there’s room for improvement.
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Offense
A lack of depth was a big factor for the Coyotes last season. With just seven wins on the road, the front office made it a point to add to the forward group with signings of Nick Bjugstad, Jason Zucker, and Alexander Kerfoot. Third-overall pick Logan Cooley should infuse talent into the roster right away and could even find himself on a line with Clayton Keller, who was a breakout star last season with 86 points in 82 games.
Despite solid performances from Nick Schmaltz (58 PTS in 63 G) and up-and-comer Mattias Maccelli (49 PTS in 64 G), the Coyotes lacked explosiveness and finished with 2.48 expected goals per 60 minutes to rank among the league’s worst. They overperformed by scoring 2.74 goals per game, but failed to sustain some early-season power play success, which is why the focus was on improving the offense during the summer. Cooley and a continuation of the breakout season from Keller should help.
Defense
To no surprise, the ‘Yotes struggled mightily in their defensive zone for most of last season, finishing towards the bottom of the league in shots against, goals against and high-danger chances against per 60 minutes. They made some nice acquisitions this offseason, bringing in veteran defenseman Matt Dumba from Minnesota and also adding Sean Durzi from Los Angeles. Bringing in these two players makes them a much better team defensively going into this season. Dumba might not be the same player that he was a couple of years ago, but a fresh start could be all he needs to get himself going. And he should be Arizona’s best defender.
Goaltending
Karel Vejmelka owned the blue paint for a majority of the season and just like the team in front of him, he had much more success on home ice as opposed to playing on the road. At Mullett Arena, Vejmelka skated to a record of 12-8-3, but this team never found its confidence in away barns, as he was 6-16-3 on the road. His record wasn’t strong, but he managed to do his job at keeping his team competitive in almost every game, boasting a +11.1 goals saved above expected on the year.
Backup Connor Ingram had some strong showings last season, but no matter who was in goal, they were most likely getting peppered with shots. Ingram appeared in 27 games, finishing with a record of 6-13-8 and a .907 save percentage to go with a 3.37 goals against average. Goaltending isn’t the Coyotes’ biggest strength, but these two are more than capable of stealing some games here and there, especially on home ice.
Player To Watch – F Clayton Keller
Keller enters the 2023-24 season following a career year in which he tallied 37 goals and 49 assists while remaining healthy the entire season, playing in all 82 games. Keller is an elite playmaker, especially at 5-on-5. In fact, during the 2023 calendar year, Keller finished with the fifth-most points at even strength, scoring 21 goals and adding 20 assists for 41 even strength points in 47 games. His production last year was no fluke, and I expect Keller to drive the Coyotes offense yet again.
Outlook
Arizona has a wide range of outcomes and could finish anywhere outside the top six in the conference. I firmly believe that the Coyotes took some steps in the right direction last season and improved the roster this summer. They could be sneaky good based on the young talent, but they’ll need to stay healthy and learn to win on the road to make a playoff push.
