Arizona Coyotes: Adin Hill’s reassignment a positive sign for Darcy Kuemper
By James Reeve
The Arizona Coyotes called up Adin Hill from the minors after Darcy Kuemper was sidelined with an injury, but he has already been sent back down.
Per Arizona Sport 98.7 FM, the Arizona Coyotes have reassigned Adin Hill to the Tucson Roadrunners – a positive sign that Darcy Kuemper‘s injury is not as serious as initially expected.
Kuemper has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, with Calvin Pickard making his 100th NHL appearance in place of the Coyotes’ de facto starter.
The concern was that Kuemper might be sidelined longer than the one game against the Nashville Predators, but it appears that the 28-year-old could be in line to start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
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Kuemper has been a solid starter for the Coyotes since starter Antti Raanta‘s season was ended with a lower-body injury.
Kuemper holds a 2-1-2 record in his past five games with the Coyotes and holds an 11-12-5 record for the season – averaging 2.73 goals against and having a save percentage of .911.
While these numbers might not impress many, Kuemper’s performances have helped keep the Arizona Coyotes fighting for a playoff spot – with the team just three points away from the Vancouver Canucks, who hold the final wildcard place.
Losing both Raanta and Kuemper would be the blow that ends the Coyotes’ hopes of pushing for the post-season in 2019.
Pickard is a fine goaltender and Hill looks like he will have a bright future in the league, but having those two as the team’s primary tandem isn’t likely to produce the kinds of results needed to end over six years of waiting for the playoffs.
The fact that Hill was sent back down to the AHL so swiftly shows that Kuemper will be ready to make his return in the team’s first home game after the All-Star break.
With the Arizona Coyotes still within touching distance of the playoffs, having Kuemper return to the ice sooner rather than later can only be a positive thing if his injury truly isn’t serious.
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