Coyotes need to get Nick Schmaltz back at center
By Jim Lynch
Nick Schmaltz, in my opinion, was brought to Arizona to be one of the Coyotes’ top 6 centermen of the future. He has not really been able to fill that role.
Every game the Coyotes play is a learning experience for a roster that consists of a lot of players under 25. One player that continues to grow and adapt to the NHL is Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz has already played almost 230 games in the NHL, and he is only 23 years old.
Nick Schmaltz is going to be one of the faces of Arizona going into the future. They have already made the decision that he is a core piece of this team when they gave him his contract last season. However, now I believe Schmaltz needs to step up a little.
Yes, Schmaltz does lead the team with 35 points this season, yes he has been one of our best players on the ice. However, I need him to do more. I want Nick Schmaltz to become one of the best centers on the team.
Right now the Coyotes are trying to avoid having Nick Schmaltz take faceoffs. He has not had the best face-off percentage throughout most of his career, just check out his stats so far.
| Scoring | Goals | Assists | Shots | Ice Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | EV | PP | SH | GW | EV | PP | SH | S | S% | TSA | TOI | ATOI | FOW | FOL | FO% | BLK | HIT | TK | GV | Awards |
| 2016-17 | 20 | CHI | NHL | 61 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 9.1 | 127 | 809 | 13:16 | 84 | 188 | 30.9 | 27 | 20 | 46 | 22 | Byng-45 |
| 2017-18 | 21 | CHI | NHL | 78 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 1 | 18 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 118 | 17.8 | 218 | 1422 | 18:14 | 321 | 480 | 40.1 | 39 | 13 | 86 | 31 | |
| 2018-19 | 22 | TOT | NHL | 40 | 7 | 18 | 25 | -12 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 62 | 11.3 | 122 | 713 | 17:50 | 104 | 177 | 37.0 | 12 | 5 | 35 | 25 | |
| 2018-19 | 22 | CHI | NHL | 23 | 2 | 9 | 11 | -4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 6.1 | 61 | 407 | 17:41 | 52 | 68 | 43.3 | 7 | 5 | 23 | 15 | |
| 2018-19 | 22 | ARI | NHL | 17 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -8 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 17.2 | 61 | 306 | 18:01 | 52 | 109 | 32.3 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 10 | |
| 2019-20 | 23 | ARI | NHL | 49 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 61 | 11.5 | 119 | 772 | 15:45 | 102 | 150 | 40.5 | 23 | 9 | 35 | 21 | |
| 3 yrs | CHI | NHL | 162 | 29 | 62 | 91 | 7 | 30 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 11 | 2 | 217 | 13.4 | 406 | 2638 | 16:17 | 457 | 736 | 38.3 | 73 | 38 | 155 | 68 | ||
| 2 yrs | ARI | NHL | 66 | 12 | 37 | 49 | -2 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 10 | 0 | 90 | 13.3 | 180 | 1078 | 16:20 | 154 | 259 | 37.3 | 28 | 9 | 47 | 31 | ||
| Career | 4 yrs | NHL | 228 | 41 | 99 | 140 | 5 | 46 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 76 | 21 | 2 | 307 | 13.4 | 586 | 3716 | 16:18 | 611 | 995 | 38.0 | 101 | 47 | 202 | 99 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/16/2020.
Never getting past a faceoff percentage of 45% is not a very reliable center. I think the Coyotes need to focus on getting Schmaltz some more chances in the faceoff dot whether in practice or in the game.
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Out of anything that can be taught in the game of hockey, how to win a faceoff should be the easiest thing. Some players are fast, you really can not change your speed in your career, you can, however, change your numbers in the faceoff dot if you work hard enough.
Moving Schmaltz to center would give Vinnie Hinostroza a chance on the wing in the top 9, in my opinion, this is the best-case scenario for the team. Arizona does have a lot of reliable centers. Derek Stepan, Christian Dvorak, Carl Soderberg, and Brad Richardson are all very reliable in the position. However, moving Schmaltz to a center would give the team yet another option.
I know Schmaltz has taken nearly 252 faceoffs this season, but that doesn’t really mean he is playing the center position. Schmaltz can be a game-changer if he is quarterbacking the plays from the center spot on the ice, and I believe he can do it! Only time will tell what kind of role Nick Schmaltz will play for the Arizona Coyotes!