Apr 13, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Phoenix Coyotes right wing David Moss (18), center Jeff Halpern (14), Dallas Stars center Vernon Fiddler (38) and defenseman Kevin Connauton (23) fight for the puck during the first period at Jobing.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Personally, I think that the Coyotes are in an awesome position this season.
They’ve got talent. They’ve got youth. They’ve got experience. They’ve got a healthy Mike Smith. They’ve got a prospect pool so full of NHL-ready guys, they can pick roster players based not on “what’s available”, but “what’s the best available”.
Most of all, though, the team is surrounded with an air of excitement. There’s a newly-renamed arena (with Tim Horton’s, so all the Canadians visiting the desert on business have a one-stop shop to feel at home), there’s a newly-renamed team with a ton of new corporate sponsors, and there’s an optimistic front office. General Manager Don Maloney put everything in perspective:
#Coyotes GM Don Maloney: "There’s been talk about a youth movement (here) & that’s not what we’re trying to do. We’re in a winning movement"
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) September 18, 2014
While the team is full of positivity and optimism, though, the fact remains that the team still isn’t season-opener ready. No one is certain of who’s going to get moved up to the big team on offense- and on defense, it’s hard to tell what the pairings are going to look like.
We’ve been bombarding fans with polls, opinion articles, and breaking news throughout the offseason in an attempt to inform everyone about what the team might look like come October. There’s only so much we can share with you ahead of time, though- and here are five reasons why you can get the answers you need over the next few weeks at training camp.