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Arizona Coyotes: Offense, Defense Should Be Improved

By William Grigsby

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Arizona Coyotes’ Offense Gets Boost, Defense Additions Will Help, Along With A Good Season From Mike Smith

When you grudgingly review last season’s lack of success, you see very quickly that some things must change.

  • Losing leads in the third period will never work for ANY NHL team.
  • Not protecting your net-minder will not only lose games, but destroy your goalie’s mental sharpness and sanity.
  • Scoring just over an average of just two goals a game will not be adequate to win games, unless your defense is strong… it wasn’t.
  • Injuries (which are part of the game, but are not preventable) can destroy a team’s season. Playing shorthanded will test your bench to the hilt. Losing TWO key starting forwards like Hanzal and Boedker are sure season destroyers.
  • Special teams are vital to a team’s success. Being 27th in penalty kills in the league made it difficult to score when you are on the penalty kill 3.4 times a game.
  • Arizona Coyotes’ power play was respectable, but they only had 2.8 power plays a game, that needs to improve.
  • Shots on goal – They managed 29.2 shots on goal per game, while giving up 33.2 per game. It’s not rocket science, good things happen when you shoot the puck on net, and better things happen when you prevent shots on net.

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There can be many reasons for the above shortfalls. There also can be NO excuses. They must improve on the puck possession also. Too many times the opposing team would be in the Arizona Coyotes defensive zone, and if you are stuck in your own zone it becomes very difficult to score, or get some offense going.

Let’s break down how the offense should improve:

  • The addition of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and possibly Brendan Perlini should put a shot in the arm for the offense.
  • Bringing back Antione Vermette, will certainly help also.
  • The addition of Brad Richardson will bring another hustler to the front line. And, although he may not be a big scorer, he is a solid forward who fore-checks with the best of them.
  • The emergence of Tobias Rieder will come to the forefront, and he will definitely enjoy having another speedster in the lineup in Duclair.
  • Getting Boedker and Hanzal back from season-ending injuries will be critical.
  • Boyd Gordon will help with their poor puck possession numbers of last season, with his excellent face-off skills. He’s a handy two-way player who blocks a ton of shots.

Now for the how the defense/goaltending should improve:

  • Bringing back a defenseman like Michalek, who is a stay-at-home blue-liner, and one of the best shot blockers in the league will help fortify the defense.
  • The addition of Nicklas Grossmann should give them some size and toughness. He will tutor Dahlback.
  • The progression of Connor Murphy will show he is a steady NHL defenseman, who can hit with the best of them.
  • When you have OEL, you have a superstar in the making. He led the team in scoring last season, and doesn’t look to slow down. He doesn’t miss many games, and plays extended minutes. Watch him improve more this season.
  • If Philip Samuelsson gets a shot to play, he will definitely help the defense
  • Klas Dahlbeck will be watched to see if he can progress to a top line defenseman. If he does the defense will be more reliable (which isn’t saying much) than last season.
  • Mike Smith, with the upgraded defense MUST (and he knows it…) improve on his horrific last season, the worst in his career. If his play at the IIHF Championships was any indication that he has turned his game around, then the Arizona Coyotes will prosper. The goal is to get his game back to the level he showed in the 2011-12 season, where he earned his big contract he now enjoys. Now, he gets to earn that contract. If he fails, so will the Yotes… simple as that.
  • The addition of Anders Lindback as backup goalie should give Smith some adequate relief. But, if Smitty plays to expectations, he will not need a backup much. They’ve committed to Smith, and he knows it, now he needs to perform.

Will this season’s version of the Arizona Coyotes be better than last season’s version? The answer is — THEY MUST !

Next: Arizona Coyotes: Looking Forward To Opening Day Lineups

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