Arizona Coyotes Season Preview

After another disappointing season in the desert with no playoffs, the Coyotes were one of the busier teams over the off season acquiring veteran talent. Derek Stepan, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Antti Raanta should help the team improve from last year but it still won't be enough for a playoff push. The roster has too much young unproven talent to be a playoff team. This season will be about growing young players such as Dylan Strome, Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Derek Stepan, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Antti Raanta, Nick Cousins, Adam Clendening, Zac Rinaldo, Andrew Campbell, Mike Sislo, Joel Hanley
Departures: Mike Smith, Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Peter Holland, Alex Burmistrov, Josh Jooris, Jamie McBain, Zbynek Michalek, Jarred Tinordi, Grayson Downing



Forwards:

Derek Stepan will be asked to be the leader of the offence in his first season with the Coyotes but he may not be capable. Stepan is a good two-way player who consistently provides 50 points but asking him to be the best forward on a team could be too much to ask. The wingers playing with Stepan are not great either as Max Domi missed a large part of last season while Anthony Duclair played for the Tuscon Roadrunners in the AHL for a majority of the season. Tobias Rieder is the only proven player on the second line as his speed helps him create offence especially short handed. Dylan Strome and Clayton Keller could each play on the second line in their first full season; both have great careers ahead of them but that may be asking too much of them in their rookie season. Christian Dvorak had a decent rookie season a year ago and will likely start as the third -center between Lawson Crouse and Brendan Perlini. Crouse is a power forward who struggled to score in his rookie season while Perlini showed scoring flashes playing in 57 games last season. Nick Cousins was acquired via trade with the Flyers to be the fourth-line center while Jamie McGinn and Jordan Martinook play alongside him as solid fourth-line wingers. Brad Richardson is a proven NHLer who could step in to a young player's place if they struggle or if someone gets injured. Christian Fischer will also compete for a spot scoring three goals in seven games last season.



Defenceman:

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is and has been the best Coyotes' player for a long time with his offensive ability coming from the back end. Lots of the Coyotes' offence is generated by the puck moving defenceman but he needs help if the Coyotes are to compete. Help seems to be coming in the form of fellow Swede Niklas Hjalmarsson who plays a defensive defenceman's game but brings a winning pedigree to the fold. Last year's off season acquisition, Alex Goligoski, was not great in his first season with the Coyotes but he should improve with less playing time this upcoming season. Jakob Chychrun showed flashes in his rookie season and at only 19 years old he should continue to improve for years to come. The bottom pair will be shutdown defenceman Luke Schenn with either Kevin Connauton or free agent signing Adam Clendening. Andrew Campbell was another free agent signing who could compete for a roster spot.



Goaltending:

The Coyotes moved on from Mike Smith this off season trading him to Calgary and brining in Antti Raanta from the Rangers in a different trade to be the starter. Raanta has spent his career as a backup but based on flashes he showed for the Blackhawks and Rangers he could be a reliable starter. Louis Domingue will be the backup again, Domingue is just an average backup so if Raanta struggles the goaltending situation could be a mess.

Projected Lineup:

Max Domi	Derek Stepan	Anthony Duclair
Clayton Keller	Dylan Strome	Tobias Rieder
Brendan Perlini	Christian Dvorak	Lawson Crouse
Jamie McGinn	Nick Cousins	Jordan Martinook
Christian Fischer	Brad Richardson	Emerson Etem

Niklas Hjalmarsson	Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Alex Goligoski	Jakob Chychrun
Kevin Connauton	Luke Schenn
Adam Clendening	Andrew Campbell

Antti Raanta

Louis Domingue

Marek Langhammer

Top 10 Players:

10. Jamie McGinn 

9. Christian Dvorak 

8. Anthony Duclair 

7. Tobias Rieder 

6. Antti Raanta 

5. Max Domi 

4. Alex Goligoski 

3. Niklas Hjalmarsson

2. Derek Stepan

1. Oliver Ekman-Larsson 

Projected Finish: 82 Points (6th in Pacific Division)
Last Year: 70 Points (6th in Pacific Division) 

Photo credit for Derek Stepan goes to https://www.si.com/. Max Domi goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Oliver Ekman Larsson and Niklas Hjalmrsson goes to https://www.nhl.com/.