Arizona was knocked out of playoff contention after the Vegas Golden Knights earned a point in a 5-4 overtime defeat against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
The future is promising for Arizona with its current lineup and upcoming players. Maccelli, aged 23, has already surpassed his previous record for goals in the NHL with 12, while 20-year-old Dylan Guenther, who was drafted as the No. 9 pick in 2021, has 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 35 games. Rookie defenseman Michael Kesselring, aged 24, has made an impact with 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists), 93 hits, and 45 blocked shots in 55 games while averaging 15:16 of ice time. Forward Josh Doan, aged 22, made a strong debut in the NHL by scoring twice in a 6-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. He was brought up from Tucson of the American Hockey League where he was the top scorer this season with 46 points (26 goals, 20 assists) in 62 games. Doan, the son of Coyotes’ all-time leading scorer and former captain Shane Doan, was drafted as the No. 37 pick in 2021. Additionally, forward Conor Geekie, who was drafted as the No. 11 pick in 2022, has had an impressive performance with 99 points (43 goals) in 55 games for Wenatchee (26 games) and Swift Current (29 games) of the Western Hockey League.
Possible unrestricted free agents: Barrett Hayton, Forward; Sean Durzi, Defenseman; Juuso Valimaki, Defenseman; Michael Kesselring, Defenseman; J.J. Moser, Defenseman
Potential 2024 Draft picks: 13
The skinny
The Arizona Coyotes have spent resources on acquiring picks to support their rebuilding efforts. In the previous year, they possessed 12 picks, with two being in the first round (defenseman Dmitriy Simashev at No. 6 and forward Daniil But at No. 12). In the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft, they have a total of 13 picks, including seven in the first three rounds. This year, they have their own first-round selection, which has the potential to be the first overall pick and allow them to choose the highly touted forward prospect, Macklin Celebrini from Boston University. The Coyotes have never had the first overall pick before, but have made three selections at No. 3 in the past.
Drought: At the start of the year, Arizona’s record of 19-14-2 put them in second place for the wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they were only eight points behind the Dallas Stars for third place in the Central Division. This gave fans a reason to be optimistic. However, since February 5, the Coyotes have had the same number of losses as the San Jose Sharks, the most in the NHL (7-15-2). Their points percentage has dropped to 30th place (.333), and they are now 21 points behind the second wild card spot. In fact, from January 24 to February 29, Arizona lost 14 consecutive games (0-12-2), including not winning a single game in February (0-9-2).
Possible unrestricted free agents: Liam O’Brien, Forward; Joshua Brown, Defense; Travis Dermott, Defense
What went wrong
Road weary: The Coyotes are 19-17-0 at Mullett Arena, their temporary home on the campus of Arizona State University, but have struggled mightily on the road (11-20-5). Their 11 road wins are tied with the Ottawa Senators for the fourth-fewest in the NHL, and they rank last in road winning percentage in one-goal games (.167).
In the past two seasons, Clayton Keller has scored 30 goals for the Coyotes, but the 25-year-old forward needs support from his teammates in order for the team to make progress. Keller has a total of 63 points (30 goals and 33 assists) in 68 games, which is 11 points more than his closest teammate, Nick Schmaltz (who has 52 points with 20 goals and 32 assists). Keller also has 15 more points than Matias Maccelli (48 points with 12 goals and 36 assists) and 22 more points than Nick Bjugstad (41 points with 19 goals and 22 assists). Currently, the Coyotes have an average of 2.93 goals per game, which ranks 22nd in the NHL, and they have a goal differential of minus-23, ranking them 24th in the league.
Logan Cooley, the third overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, has been a standout performer in his debut season. The 19-year-old center has recorded 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 72 games, ranking fifth among all NHL rookies. Cooley boasts an average ice time of 15:49 and has also displayed his defensive abilities, ranking eighth among first-year forwards with 26 takeaways. One of his most memorable moments came in his first NHL game for the Coyotes in the 2023 Global Series in Melbourne, Australia. Cooley dazzled with a spin-o-rama move, evading three defenders before finding the back of the net with a slick forehand shot in a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on September 23.
Reasons for optimism
For the fourth year in a row, the Arizona Coyotes did not make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Take a glimpse at the highlights from the Coyotes’ 2023-24 season and explore the potential for improvement next year.
The Coyotes reached the Western Conference Final in 2012, but have only qualified for the postseason once since then. In 2020, they were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche in five games in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round after winning against the Predators in four games in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
