Arizona Coyotes Announce Final Roster; Strome, Dvorak, Chychrun Make Team

The Arizona Coyotes announced their roster for Opening Night and five rookies were included. Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak, Jakob Chychrun, Lawson Crouse, and Laurent Dauphin all made the squad out of training camp.

The Arizona Coyotes announced their initial roster for the 2016-17 season and it includes five rookies who survived training camp cuts.

After much debate over the merits of Christian Dvorak versus Dylan Strome, it looks like both impressed enough to make the Coyotes’ roster…for now.

Joining the center duo is fellow forward Laurent Dauphin, newly acquired winger Lawson Crouse, and 2016 first round draft pick Jakob Chychrun.

Its no easy task to determine which inclusion is the most surprising.

Among the Coyotes’ young stars, Chychrun could get the nod for some.

After falling from being the second ranked prospect in the 2016 draft class last fall, to being picked 16th overall, few would’ve expected Chychrun to make the NHL roster out of camp.

His work ethic and performance in preseason camp gave Head Coach Dave Tippett and General Manager John Chayka little choice, however.

Like Dauphin, Chychrun forced his way into the Arizona Coyotes’ plans this season.

Some may be surprised that Dylan Strome is included on the roster along with Dvorak and Dauphin. Ultimately, though, his inclusion was a foregone conclusion even if it’s just for a nine game tryout.

Strome has been battered a bit by Coyotes faithful for his lack of a 200-foot game, foot speed, and appearing to “float” in games. When put in direct comparison to the way Christian Dvorak plays, one could easily get the impression that Dvo is outhustling Strome in every way.

That’s incorrect, or at least misleading, however.

Dylan Strome plays a cerebral game. He’s not flashy, and he’ll never produce nightly highlights like Connor McDavid. #20 will produce points and convert possession into goals for the Coyotes, however, even if to the casual observer it appears he’s cherry-picking a bit.

The rest of his game will round out as he grows.

For Dvorak, making the roster is validation after a blistering set of camps where he was one of the most impressive prospects on the ice.

Dvo’s ceiling is still unknown, but it’s going to be great watching him get there.

For myself, the biggest surprise is Lawson Crouse. He doesn’t really have a spot on the roster unless someone is flipping wings or an unexpected name is going to sit.

John Chayka still has decisions to make in the near future regarding this roster.

Crouse, Strome, and Chychrun could all be sent back to junior after nine games if the Coyotes deem them unready for the rigors of a full NHL season.

Kevin Connauton and Michael Stone are currently on injured reserve but could be activated at any time. Defenseman Jarred Tinordi has just four games left to serve on his suspension.

Next: Christian Dvorak Impresses, Makes NHL Roster

There are still many balls in the air for the Arizona Coyotes.

All we know for sure is that for the first few games of 2016-17, Coyotes 2.0 is in full swing.