NHL
Coyotes Add a Scoring Forward Who Wants the Opportunity at Center.
The Arizona Coyotes went on a crazy run to end the season surprising many people and putting false hope in the Canucks Owner Francesco Aquilini. With the addition of a scoring, playmaking center turned winger, the Arizona Coyotes look to be making a push for the playoffs, but are they contenders or pretenders?
Have the Coyotes Gotten Better?
With the addition of Alex Galchenyuk, they did get better on the First forward line but the depth really is not there. The Coyotes will still be the young team they were last year. Arizona got a little better but not much to help their case.
Additions
The big fish acquired this offseason is by far Marian Hossa from the Chicago Blackhawks… Oh wait, he’s still allergic to his equipment? Okay nevermind then, but you can see the details for that trade that also brought in Vinnie Hinostroza and Jordan Osterle here.
This Offseason the Coyotes needed to add a scoring winger. They did this by trading for Alex Galchenyuk. In a full season with the Canadiens last year, Galchenyuk scored 19 goals and added 32 assists for 51 points. Alex Galchenyuk can put up high amounts of goals, two seasons ago he put up 30 goals. Vinnie Hinostroza adds playmaking depth up the middle as well. In 50 games with the Blackhawks last year, Hinostroza had 25 points, 18 of those being assists.
Jordan Osterle is a guy the bottom d-pair needs. in 55 games with Chicago, he totaled 15 points (5 Goals, 10 Assists). Osterle can easily improve that if he is given more time to play.
Subtractions
The skater going to Montreal as part of the Galchenyuk deal happens to be Max Domi. Domi played a full 82 games this past year with Arizona but scored only nine goals and adding 36 assists. In three seasons, Max Domi has not once scored more than 20 goals.
The Coytoes also lost Luke Schenn to Free Agency. Schenn only had seven points last year but was a key part of the veteran presence in the locker room. Luke Schenn signed with Anaheim for one year at $800,000.
Where The Arizona Coyotes Stand
Time to combine the player points. From the additions, we get a total of 91 player points. The subtracted players had a total of 52 player points. The Net Gain here for the Arizona Coyotes is 39 points. A Net Gain of 39 points is very good. Alex Galchenyuk is the perfect replacement for Max Domi. Plus Galchenyuk can not only set up teammates, but he can score goals as well.
Between the pipes, Antti Raanta had a .942 SV% and a 1.82 GAA from January 1 to the end of last season. If Raanta can hold just under those numbers, something in the range of a .920/2.25 (SV%/GAA) for up to 60-plus starts, Arizona will be in business. Well, only if the team in front of Raanta holds up.
Arizona’s defensemen combined for a whole 148 points. The top pair of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski tallied 52 percent (77 points) of those points. The next two defensemen in terms of point scoring had 21 and 20 points. The bottom pair could use an improvement as Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun had a total of 23 points.
Upfront the Coyotes look like a young team that can do some damage if you don’t stick to your game plan. However, Arizona is still a few pieces short of the prize. It will be interesting to see the kind of ice time Dylan Strome is given. He is a capable center but the Coyotes have plenty of centers. It could be best fit for player and team that Strome finds himself on either wing on the second or third line.
It is going to be a season of ups and downs for this young Coyotes team but if they play well out of the gate this year, there is a slim chance they could be in a playoff race during March. However, I don’t see it happening with the lack of experience the team has. I see the Arizona Coyotes sitting 5th place in the Pacific Division at the end of the 2018-19 season and adding bigger pieces in the summer of 2019.
Follow Jared on Twitter at: @jared_pettus_00
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