Arizona Coyotes Twitter Reactions To Clayton Keller Picked 7th Overall
The Arizona Coyotes and new General Manager John Chayka made waves by drafting dynamic USNTDP forward Clayton Keller 7th overall.
Much was made of new Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka’s analytics background and how he might approach constructing the Coyotes’roster.
In the span of one week, we’ve seen two instances of just how much bolder Chayka is willing to be than his predecessor Don Maloney.
First, he traded a fifth round pick to Dallas for the rights to negotiate with pending unrestricted free agent Alex Goligoski. He managed to convince Goligoski to sign with the Yotes before free agency had even begun.
On Friday he broke with conventional wisdom that had the Arizona Coyotes drafting a defenseman 7th overall. Instead Chayka and company drafted puck wizard Clayton Keller in the 7th spot, an undersized yet astounding performer with the United States National Team Development Program.
After fans came to grip with the team not drafting a defenseman, it became apparent that Keller cut a surprisingly coveted figure at the 2016 NHL Draft.
Arizona Coyotes and John Chayka Drafted A Potential Gem
It’s no exaggeration to say that all of the “atta-boys!” and “what a steal” tweets regarding Keller’s selection was akin to a flood.
It seemed like everyone had something great to say about the kid and Chayka’s boldness.
Arizona take Clayton Keller. Have heard a lot of great things about him in the past week.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 25, 2016
Man, that feels like a good pick of the Coyotes taking Clayton Keller at 7.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) June 25, 2016
Arizona's crop of young forwards is CRAZY. Might be the best in the NHL. Up there with Toronto and Winnipeg. Keller is slick.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) June 25, 2016
Finally, a Clayton K. who will be liked in Arizona.
— out indefinitely - rotator cuff surgery (@jessespector) June 25, 2016
#Yotes add Clayton Keller & Jakob Cychrun in the opening 16 picks. Wow. They can go home happy right now.
— Brendan Ross 🇨🇦 (@RossyYoungblood) June 25, 2016
Coyotes already ranked No. 1 farm system in Future Watch. Now add Keller and Chychrun to the pool? Scary. Fun time for Arizona.
— Matt Larkin (@MLarkinHockey) June 25, 2016
Arizona Coyotes And John Chayka Just Wasted The 7th Overall Pick
Outside of a few disgruntled fans upset about the lack of a defensive pick (and whom were later sated by the Chychrun selection), there wasn’t much negativity to be found regarding Clayton Keller going 7th overall.
The kid’s skill is absolutely undeniable. It’s simply a matter of whether or not he has the drive to translate it to the next level.
Next: Yotes Slammed For Hiring Chayka On Pardon The Interruption
It’s going to be amazing watching Keller’s development unfold.
Clayton Keller’s Reaction
Clayton Keller: "I try to compare my game to Patrick Kane's. He's probably the same height as me. I think I can be as good as him one day."
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) June 25, 2016
He’s got confidence in spades. I love it.