By Alex Hobson
LEADING SCORERS
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23 G, 20 A, 43 P)
Keith Yandle (4 G, 37 A, 41 P)
Sam Gagner (15 G, 26 A, 41 P)
LAST SEASON
The 2014-15 season was one to forget for the Arizona Coyotes organization and their fans. They didn't come remotely close to contending for the playoffs, and were looking forward to the draft lottery come the month of March. They ended up finishing second last in the league with a record of 24-50-8, and traded some key players at the trade deadline for further assets. They began trading their assets in December, sending forward Rob Klinkhammer and a 5th round pick in 2016 to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Phillip Samuelsson, and then began unloading their team at the deadline, then proceeded to trade goaltender Devan Dubnyk to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2015 3rd round pick. They then began unloading assets at the deadline, where they moved several key players.The largest move was trading defenseman Keith Yandle along with defenseman Chris Summers and a 4th round pick in 2016 to the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman John Moore, forward Anthony Duclair, a 2nd round pick in 2015 and a conditional 1st round pick in 2016. They also sent veteran Antoine Vermette to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Klas Dahlbeck and a 1st round pick in 2015, and veteran Zybnek Michalek along with a 3rd round pick to the St Louis Blues in exchange for prospect Maxin Letunov. Essentially, the Coyotes cleaned house at the deadline, and then looked forward to the draft lottery, where unfortunately for them, they lost out on the McEichel sweepstakes and landed the 3rd overall pick in the draft. Nothing was going right for the Coyotes, but they hoped for the best and looked forward to the draft.
OFFSEASON
IN
Nicklas Grossmann
Chris Pronger
Boyd Gordon
Antoine Vermette
Anders Lindback
Zybnek Michalek
Steve Downie
Brad Richardson
Alex Grant
John Scott
Michael Bunting
Niklas Treutle
OUT
Justin Hodgman
Mark Visentin
Tye McGinn
Mark Arcobello
Sam Gagner
John Moore
Martin Erat
BJ Crombeen
David Moss
Mike McKenna
Alexandre Bolduc
Andrew Campbell
Patrick McNeill
The Coyotes began the 2015 offseason on draft day, where they had the third overall selection in the first round. As everyone knows, it was a given that Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel were going to go #1 and #2 respectively, so there was tons of speculation surrounding the team on whether they would go with the big centre in Dylan Strome, or the big defenseman in Noah Hanifin. Eventually, the speculation came to an end when GM Don Maloney took to the stage and selected Strome. This was a great start to the offseason, but there was still work to be done. After releasing several players that would likely not hold a place in the 2015-16 lineup such as Martin Erat and David Moss, the Coyotes brought back veterans Zybnek Michalek and Antoine Vermette to the team to mentor younger players who are new to the big league. They also brought in veteran defenseman Nicklas Grossmann and gritty forwards Steve Downie and John Scott to provide some toughness to the team, along with cheap players such as Brad Richardson and Anders Lindback. In the Nicklas Grossmann deal, they also took on the contract of all-but-retired defenseman Chris Pronger, but there is absolutely no chance he plays with the team this coming year.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
The Arizona Coyotes have an interesting case when it comes to their scoring touch. Last year, their top two scorers were both defensemen in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and since departed Keith Yandle. But forward wise, look for most of their scoring to be lead by Danish scorer Mikkel Boedker as well as Antoine Vermette and Martin Hanzal. Watch for young players Max Domi and Anthony Duclair to make a serious push for the lineup and make an impact if they make the team.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
In general, the Coyotes defense looks about the same as last year. They lost top defenseman Keith Yandle via trade, but they have Zybnek Michalek and Nicklas Grossmann in terms of older and more experienced defensemen, with their youth core being lead by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Look for Brandon Gormley and Connor Murphy to step up into bigger roles, and also watch for Klas Dahlbeck to challenge for a regular spot on the team.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
As far as goaltending goes for the Coyotes, their one-two punch is generally a given. They will more than likely go with Mike Smith as their starter with free agency acquisition Anders Lindback backing him up. As for youngsters, recently signed Niklas Treutle could step up and act as a replacement when either goalie gets injured, but it's hard to predict at this point.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Mikkel Boedker - Martin Hanzal - Shane Doan
Tobias Rieder - Antoine Vermette - Anthony Duclair
Max Domi - Brad Richardson - Steve Downie
Joe Vitale - Boyd Gordon - John Scott
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Zybnek Michalek
Nicklas Grossmann - Michael Stone
Brandon Gormley - Klas Dahlbeck
Mike Smith
Anders Lindback
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