Post by Travis (DET) on Apr 24, 2016 0:58:09 GMT -5
If you were to consider the Arizona Coyotes a contender to make the playoffs before the 2016-2017 iNHL season kicked off you'd most likely have been laughed at or thrown in an insane asylum. The Coyotes got off to a bumpy start this year with only 6 goals in their first 5 games. Despite not being able to put up a decent number of goals, the team managed to hold a playoff spot for a few weeks due to being in a weak division.
The organization has since surprised many with trades involving core players such as Oliver Ekman Larsson (to Calgary) and Mikkel Boedker (to Colorado). Part of the return for these players saw Malcolm Subban, TJ Brodie (Briefly), Jarome Iginla and Mikko Rantanen brought to the desert. Malcolm Subban, since taking over the starter role between the pipes from Mike Smith, has a 2.99 GAA and 0.919 SV% as well as the only shutout from a Coyotes goalie this year. A few weeks ago Subban signed a contract extension that will keep him with Arizona for the next 3 years. The Coyotes management believe that Subban will be their starter goalie for many years to come. Veteran forward Jarome Iginla has disappointed so far with no points in the nine games he has dressed for the team. With 1 year remaining on his contract the 40 year old could be playing his last season in the iNHL.
With the teams two most talented players gone, some of the young players have stepped up to fill the roles left vacant by their predecessors. The Coyotes 3rd overall selection in the 2015 draft, Dylan Strome, and Danish winger Oliver Bjorkstrand have led the team in points this year. Strome has contributed 9 goals and 18 assists in 40 games this year while Bjorkstrand has put up 15 goals and 12 assists. Bjorkstrand was acquired in the offseason from the New York Rangers along with David Rundblad for Tobias Rieder and Ben Harpur. Before Lars Eller and Mikkel Boedker were moved to Colorado he played primarily on a line with them. Defenseman Colton Parayko has played well on the top pairing putting up 24 points this year. His size, stamina and offensive capabilities will make him one of the Coyotes top defensemen in the future. Mikko Rantanen has only played 5 games since joining the Coyotes, but he has 3 points and is a +5, making him look very promising. While less known than others, forwards Laurent Dauphin and Maxim Letunov have also been solid on the teams 3rd and 4th lines. Somewhat surprisingly, last years most hyped prospect on the team, Max Domi has been rather disappointing so far. Domi has only 16 points in 40 games with a -14 +/- rating and in his last 10 games he has only 2 assists and is a -10. A team spokesman mentioned that they have no interest in moving Max and that he is expected to be a core player for the team moving forward.
With the regular season now halfway complete the Coyotes sit with a 15-20-5 record and are 4 points out of the wildcard spot in the Pacific. The Pacific division has changed a lot recently with the LA Kings becoming weaker by moving Doughty and Carter and the Edmonton Oilers getting better by adding Andre Burakovsky. The divisions leaders, the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks possess a large lead in points over the other five teams. The Coyotes have seen some success recently with three straight wins, one of them being a 4-0 victory over the Flames. If the Coyotes can continue this success they may have a legitimate shot at clinching a playoff spot for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.