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Injured Arizona Coyotes To Bounce Back In Offseason

By Adam Pierce

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The 2014-2015 season has definitely been a stressful one for the Arizona Coyotes. From a slow start to the season to an active trade deadline, fans are holding out for a promising future to come.

Receiving the third overall selection in the upcoming 2015 NHL Draft certainly did not help calm the minds of Coyotes Nation either with the much anticipated skill of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel sitting at one and two. Despite all the adversity directed towards this team, fans can look forward to something huge; the health of some of their core players.

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January was a rough month for the Arizona Coyotes as they went 3-7-2 and lost a few of their key players. Both Mikkel Boedker and Martin Hanzal suffered season-ending injuries that put a damper on an already dim season.

Coincidentally, these were the two players that recorded the only hat tricks of the season with Boedker on October 15th against the Oilers and Hanzal on November 14th against the Canucks. It definitely hurt the Coyotes that these two key members were out for an extended period of time.

Coyotes fans can rest easy in knowing that two offensive threats will be ready in October.

Mikkel Boedker

Mar 25, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Phoenix Coyotes left wing Mikkel Boedker (89) chases the puck as Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi (right) defends during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Coyotes won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Mikkel Boedker is one of the most anticipated skaters on the Coyotes roster. He is a young, skilled sniper with something to prove every time he steps out on to the ice. At the ripe age of 25, Mikkel has a long and promising career ahead of him with the Coyotes organization.

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    • The beginning of the 2014-2015 season looked to be a breakout year for the young Dane after a 51 point effort in the prior season. Mikkel had his fair share of ups and downs with a struggling Coyotes team but managed a 28 point effort through 45 games before tragedy hit. It was unknown to him that the game on January 18th against the Winnipeg Jets would be the end of the season for him.

    What started as a day-to-day injury was soon revealed as something much more serious for Mikkel Boedker. After further analysis it was revealed that he must undergo spleen surgery and ultimately miss the remainder of the season. With a ruptured spleen there was no way he would return to the ice and some people were even skeptical about his return for training camp in the fall.

    Those worries can be brushed aside as #89 is feeling much better than he did early this year. Boedker had this to say earlier this week in his blog:

    "“I’m feeling good and a lot stronger than just a few weeks ago. My rehab and workouts are going well. I’m not quite there yet but I’ll get there. I’m about five pounds short of reaching my target weight so it’s not a big deal. I will be 100 percent ready for training camp in September for sure.”"

    The addition of Boedker for the upcoming season is huge for the Arizona Coyotes program as they lacked the raw scoring power that he possesses. It would not be surprising if Boedker puts up a 50+ point season next year.

    Martin Hanzal

    Dec 19, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Phoenix Coyotes center Martin Hanzal (11) controls the puck as he looks for a play against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Coyotes 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

    Martin Hanzal’s size and physicality is something that the fans did not see enough of this season. Standing at 6’5″, the center from the Czech Republic could obstruct a goaltender’s view of the play and deliver bone crushing hits to eliminate the opposition from the puck. The Arizona Coyotes rely heavily on Hanzal as they work the blue line in efforts to score. It was no surprise that after his departure, goal scoring began to decrease across the whole roster.

    It was made public record on January 30th, after a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, that Hanzal suffered a back injury. The severity of of the injury was the problem as he needed surgery to correct a herniated disk. This would be the second straight season where Hanzal would be sidelined with a back injury.

    By taking much needed time off the ice to correct his season ending injury, Martin Hanzal is going to be ready for the 2015-2016 season. Hanzal scored 24 points in 37 games this year and he is ultimately looking to expand on that moving forward.

    #11 has has the right mindset going into this summer with small workouts to get back into the shape everyone is used to seeing. He had this to say about his plans this summer:

    "“I don’t think I’m going to take some time off, I’ll start working on my core and on my back right away, pretty much all the stuff I’ve been doing. I just want to get ready and make sure that I’m healthy.”"

    Hanzal’s return is something that every Arizona Coyotes fan will be looking forward to see.

    Next: Arizona Coyotes Future: Five Young Players To Watch

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