Arizona Coyotes Rookie Brendan Perlini Proving He Deserves NHL Spot
Brendan Perlini is providing a spark to the Arizona Coyotes’ offense in Max Domi’s absence.
Watching Arizona Coyotes rookie Brendan Perlini skate is breathtaking.
He glides over the ice smooth as butter. He’s fast as lightning.
Couple that with the fact that he looks every bit of the 6’3 he’s listed at and getting a glimpse of this kid taking shifts at Gila River Arena is a delight.
Delighting fans is precisely what Perlini has done this season.
Arizona, we may have a keeper. Stand by.
Considered a potential bust as recently as this September, Brendan Perlini did not make the Coyotes’ roster out of training camp. That fired him up.
“If anything, I was pissed off and wanted to prove everyone wrong,” he said. “That really just motivated me.”
All he did was score 11 goals in 16 games for the Tucson Roadrunners. His efforts helped led the team to an unexpected surge to first place in the Pacific Division.
Then, Dave Tippett and John Chayka came calling. Perlini knew it was his time to shine.
“When I came here for the first time, I felt like I earned this,” he said. “This is my opportunity. Try and take it.”
Perl has now played in 17 games for the Arizona Coyotes.
He’s scored six goals which is already tops among the many rookies who have suited up in brick red and black this season.
It’s safe to say he’s taken the opportunity and ran with it.
More than the goals, however, is the one aspect of Perlini’s game which makes him indispensable to the team.
He shoots the puck without hesitation.
Often you see Arizona Coyotes players with opportunities at a clear shot who try to make an extra pass or hesitate too long and the shot gets mitigated by a block or a stick. Not so with #29. If he sees an opening, it’s on the net lightning fast.
As he’s gained confidence in his game at the NHL level, his shot totals have climbed.
Since you have a greater chance of scoring a goal with more opportunities, it’s easy to see why Perlini’s “bombs away” approach has quickly earned him a lot of fans in the desert.
His performance might mean he gets a chance to stick around when Max Domi returns to health.
The season is now about future growth and he’s proven he can be a useful player in the Coyotes’ lineup.
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Hopefully Chayka and Tipp make the decision to let him stay around. And it wouldn’t hurt if that decision included copious amounts of power play time.
Put him in spots where he can use his skill and watch him shine.