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Arizona Coyotes Looking Ahead Three Years From Now

By William Grigsby

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Looking towards the Arizona Coyotes team three years down the road

Have you ever wondered what the Arizona Coyotes team will look like a few years down the road? I have… and I see good things.

When a team has loaded up excellent draft choices, and added the third overall pick this past June, by the name of Dylan Strome, you realize the pains of rebuilding have a silver lining — IF you’re patient. Not only do the Arizona Coyotes have Strome signed to an entry level contract; they have Domi, Duclair, Perlini, Dvorak, Dauphin, Samuelsson (Henrik AND Philip), Fischer, and MacInnis, all under entry level contracts as well. They also drafted Nick Merkley, using the 30th overall pick they acquired when they “rented” Antione Vermette to the Cup champ Blackhawks. He is yet to be signed.

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BUT….(there’s always that word) do you see what I see? Not a single defenseman on the list. What’s really scary is that there are ONLY two defensemen on the Coyotes active roster signed longer than this upcoming season. They are Zbynek Michalek (two years) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (four years). Granted the team definitely has some blue-line talent in Connor Murphy, Klas Dahlbeck, Michael Stone, Brandon Gormley, but all of them become RFA agents after this next season. Nicklas Grossmann acquired from the Flyers has a contract good for just this upcoming season, as well.

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So, I’ve dusted off my crystal ball (man was it a hot mess…) and rubbed it endlessly to come up with a future roster which is really pontificating to the highest degree — but I like torture, so here goes:

Forwards:

Defensemen:

  • Connor Murphy
  • Oliver Ekman-Larsson
  • Klas Dahlbeck
  • Michael Stone
  • Nicklas Grossmann
  • Cody Franson
  • Kyle Capobianco

Goaltending:

  • Adin Hill
  • Nicklas Treutle

It’s a young team, but it’s an exciting lineup of talented players. Enough to make the playoffs? Perhaps. Much depends on how many of them develop. By then, Domi and Duclair, plus one other prospect will have been playing a few seasons, and will have established themselves in the league.

The other unpredictable factor will be trades and free agent pickups. But, even without those players being factored in, this is a strong enough team to make the playoffs. I doubt that will happen for the next couple years, but it definitely has possibilities for three seasons down the road.

What will happen to Captain Coyote, Shane Doan? I see a coaching slot for him, or some position he can add his vast knowledge to the success of a team he could never lead to a Cup. Tippett is under contract until the 2017-18 season, if he doesn’t resign or get fired. To imagine a Shane Doan coached team is to imagine a team with grit, fire in it’s belly, and determination to go after that Cup he so elusively couldn’t acquire as a player.

What about GM Don Maloney? I don’t see him around three years forward either. Another ex-player named Ray Whitney would be an excellent GM, or even a Keith Tkachuk. Whitney’s career and hockey expertise (along with his sarcastic wit) has my vote. Working with Doaner to form a team would be like an artist forming a masterpiece out of some clay — it would be a special thing to witness.

When all is said and done, this team is going in the right direction, but needs the injection of new blood in the front office to move them forward.

The other factor, which is another whole article I’ve already done, is where will the Arizona Coyotes actually be playing three years from now? If the current ownership doesn’t sit down with the City of Glendale in the next six to eight months and hammer out their differences, the team will have no option but to survive somewhere else.

Hopefully it will be right here in Arizona. Whether it’s in the east valley on some Native American land near the Talking Stick Casino and Diamondbacks spring training facility, or in downtown Phoenix (my personal choice), it more than likely may not be in Glendale. There are some deep wounds still festering between the two parties, and I’m not sure what will go down.

One thing is certain… this team WILL be better in three years

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