I use the word “back” generously here. I’m not sure they’re all the way back and ready to compete for a playoff spot. There’s too many juggernauts and more serious contenders lurking in the Western Conference. The Coyotes are back in the sense they’re frisky and they’re fun again. For a franchise that’s been floundering in mediocrity for years now, that’s a huge win in and of itself.
Bill Armstrong Masterclass
It’s no secret the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes have been putrid since their relocation from Winnipeg to Arizona in 1996. They’ve won their division only once, made the playoffs nine times and have yet to play in a Stanley Cup Finals. They’re currently in a confusing stalemate with the city council, after the council decided not to renew their longstanding arena lease in Glendale and then a plan to build an entertainment district in Tempe was shot down. The fallout has the Coyotes temporarily crammed into Mullet Arena, a 5,000 seat facility on Arizona State University’s campus. I’m not totally sure who’s at fault here, but let’s make things easy and blame Gary Bettman. Hard to go wrong there. Regardless, the vibes have not been particularly good.
Although, ever since Bill Armstrong took over as general manager in 2020, the mood around the club seems to be on the upswing.
Bill and Arizona’s front office have amassed 31 draft picks in the last 3 seasons, the most across the NHL. They’ve committed to rebuilding the right way, they’re stockpiling assets out in the desert and it feels like nobody can stop them. Seems as though they’re having fun too, as they showed up to this year’s NHL Draft in color coordinated style. You say corny, I say culture.
Armstrong joined the crew on NHL Network this past Monday to share his thoughts on the state of the Coyotes. He claims there’s been a ton of emphasis over the offseason put on playing tough, gritty games on the road in order to take the next step as an organization. We’ve all heard the “tough to play against” mantra at nauseum, but you usually hear it in the context of playing that way all the time, or at least on home ice. I thought that was sort of unique.
He also elaborated on the way he’s changing the Coyotes’ reputation around the league, through tradition. Armstrong is striving to create a hockey haven that players want to flock to. He pointed out the importance of having Phil Kessel, Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson all reach the 1,000 game milestone in a Coyotes sweater. Those honors don’t come without a little sacrifice from the organization, but Armstrong was adamant about the dynamic being a two way street. He believes treating the players with respect is paramount, with winning on the ice as a byproduct.
Lastly, he recognizes they can’t be calling a college barn home for much longer and hinted at an announcement in the coming months. There’s been rumors of building a brand new arena in Mesa, but time will tell.
Clayton Keller & An Army Of Young Studs
Of course, Armstrong is also excited about the Coyotes’ young core, and how could you not be?
These guys are all so crafty with the puck and it’s not even like they’re over stickhandling to hotdog or to showboat. All the nifty dekes and fancy footwork are in the name of puck possession. They hound you for the puck and then play monkey in the middle at your expense when they have it. It’s a treat to watch.
Clayton Keller is the ringleader, and for my money, that dude is a superstar. I’m not afraid to say it, his game reminds me of a prime Patrick Kane’s. Not identical, but definitely parallels to be drawn. Keller exploded for 86 points last year and I wouldn’t be surprised if he reaches 100 this year. It’s been super inspiring to see him bounce back strong, after suffering that terrifying injury in March of 2022 where he broke his femur. Easy to root for a guy like Keller.
And then there’s Logan Cooley, who Keller helped recruit to the NHL ahead of schedule from the Minnesota Gophers, having done the same out of Boston University. Cooley was drafted 3rd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft and he’s still only 19. He may end up being the true #1 in that draft class when it’s all said and done, because he looks like a budding star already. Cooley has all the talent and all the speed to fit right in at the pro level and his confidence is through the roof.
Behind Keller and Cooley there’s Barrett Hayton, Matias Maccelli, Nick Schmaltz, Sean Durzi, Dylan Guenther and a bunch of solid veterans they added in the offseason. It feels like they have a team full of clones perfectly in sync.
Coyotes Strong Start To The Season
Quick side note, I love living on the east coast for a bunch of reasons. Although, the eastern standard time zone is less than ideal for watching sports. Western conference puck drops love to flirt with my bed time and I’m constantly relegated to watching highlights the morning after. I’m typically fast asleep while the Coyotes are playing, but this year was an exception. They opened the season in New Jersey to play the Devils, and then faced the Rangers, followed by the Islanders. I watched the large majority of all three games and was honestly super impressed.
It’s safe to say the Coyotes are buying what Armstrong is selling, because they started this season off with three gritty road games against stiff competition.
Going into New Jersey, they were +200 to win the game, but somehow found themselves leading 2-0 about 5 minutes into the 2nd period. The Devils stormed back to tie the game and then take the lead, on a pretty goal on the powerplay from Jesper Bratt. The buzzer sounded to end the 2nd period and I figured the Coyotes were cooked. Classic case of the inexperienced bunch blowing a lead on the road to an objectively better team. Nope! Arizona refused to quit in the 3rd period and Nick Schmaltz scored the equalizer with about 6 minutes to go. They weathered the Jack Hughes storm in overtime and then stole the two points in the shootout. Also two points on the night for Cooley in his first NHL action, who played with the confidence of a 10 year veteran. Gutsy win all around.
On Monday night, I was straight up spooked watching them play my Rangers. They had Madison Square Garden silent for extended periods of time, as they kept cycling the puck in the offensive zone and prancing around. The Rangers are learning a new system under coach Laviolette, but credit to the Coyotes for taking away time and space at nearly every turn. Subtract the Igor Shesterkin heroics and they easily could’ve won that game 4-2 instead of losing 2-1. I was also surprised to see some snarl and anger after the whistle. You don’t normally equate snarl and anger to the Arizona Coyotes, but here we are.
The 1-0 loss to the Islanders on Tuesday wasn’t their best effort of the three. You’d hope they could muster up more than 14 shots on goal. Nevertheless, it’s encouraging to see them compete and hang around in these low scoring, one goal affairs. You know they have the skill and the speed up front for track meet style games, but it’s these types of grind-it-out games they’re showing they have in their repertoire. It’s only a matter of time before they start winning these types of contests, especially when they’re not facing world class goalies in Ilya Sorokin and Shesterkin.
No Longer A Doormat
For the better part of a decade, the Coyotes were a doormat. A break in the schedule for opponents, where they coast to victory after one too many drinks in Scottsdale the night before.
I’m here to tell you those days are over. These Coyotes have a brilliant general manager, an abundance of young talent and some bite to back up the bark. The ‘Yotes are back!
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