Arizona Coyotes: Eight Questions About The Trade Deadline And Youth

The Yotes appear to be on the outside looking in at the first overall pick, but have a decent shot at second overall. If Nolan Patrick is off the board, which player should the Coyotes select if they pick second?

Alex Temes — I think it’s hard to read what Chayka will do.

Nobody saw him taking Clayton Keller last draft (albeit a fantastic pick), so my bet is he will pick whomever has the best stats come the end of the season.

My gut tells me it will be Liljegren because the Coyotes really need to put a defense in front of Mike Smith before he goes insane and Liljegren will help expedite that rebuild.

Jason Harrison — After watching him in the WJC, I’d take Nico Hischier unless they are 100% convinced Timothy Liljegren can jump into the NHL and have some sort of impact next season.

Hischier was mighty impressive, particularly in nearly dismantling Team USA, and the Arizona Coyotes are in dire need of a center who can play immediately. If he’s that guy, they should take him.

On the flip side, if the consensus first pick is Nolan Patrick, I wouldn’t be awfully concerned if the Yotes miss out. Patrick has a bit of an injury history that is a tad reminiscent of a certain 6’6 Czech center currently on the roster, and it seems to be a recurring thing each season.

That could turn out to be a bullet dodged.

Marcus Velasco — I think Dave Tippett is in win now mode.

Now that he has some control over the player personal he may not want another young kid on the team.

If the Coyotes happen to miss out on the first or second overall pick I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Coyotes move that pick for an established star player.

Next: Shane Doan Should Stay In The Desert

A lot can happen between now and the draft and if the opportunity presents itself, why not? The draft is considered weaker this year and the Coyotes still have Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome coming through the system.