Examining the core of the Arizona Coyotes moving forward

The Arizona Coyotes have a very young and fast NHL team. The NHL is built differently these days. Teams are no longer focusing on the now, they are looking at the long term view of the team. So let’s jump in with our analysis of the Arizona Coyotes core.

The Forwards :

Nick Schmaltz, Christian Dvorak, and Clayton Keller

Although Clayton Keller has looked anything but great in my opinion so far this season I do still consider this to be the Coyotes big 3 forwards going forward. The Coyotes are a young skilled team, and the players here showcase that.

Nick Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak have been lighting the net up so far this season, the two players combine for 12 points on the year. Keller also has put up 6 assists on the season showing he can help his linemates and teammates score.

The Coyotes need these 3 players to continue to take steps forward in their development. These players are all 23 and younger, so the Coyotes are set to be good in the long-term.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that these 3 Coyotes forwards are all signed through at least the 2024-25 season? Not bad

The Defense :

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakob Chychrun

Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been the leader on the Coyotes blue line for a long time, and that is not going to change for a long time either. He is signed through the 2025-26 season for a contract of 8.25 million a year.

Outside of Ekman-Larsson, in my opinion, the next piece to the Coyotes core would be young defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Chychrun is signed through the 2024-25 season. Although contract length does not mean everything it does make an impact on how long a player is guaranteed to play for a team.

Chychrun has also been a great player for the Coyotes on the ice. The 21-year-old goal has one goal on the year through 7 games and is averaging 19:19 minutes of ice time a night.

The Goalies :

Darcy Kuemper and… Eric Comrie?

The Arizona Coyotes saw something in Eric Comrie in order for the team to claim him off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. What that is they saw is still unknown but I am interested to see what kind of impact Comrie makes on the team down the line.

Arizona currently has 3 goalies at their NHL level. Eric Comrie, Antti Raanta, and Darcy Kuemper are all sharing the Coyotes net. However, we might not consider it the Coyotes net anymore, it appears to be Darcy Kuemper’s net.

Kuemper has been the backbone for the Coyotes throughout the entire 7 games of the season thus far, although that is a small sample size he is playing very good. Raanta might have some ways to go before you can take that net from Kuemper, and our followers agree over on twitter.

The Arizona Coyotes have a bright future, and it is because of all the great players the ‘Yotes have in their core. I did not include a player like Phil Kessel in the core because the ‘Yotes are more than who they will be for the next two or three years. This team is poised to be good in the long run.

We have talked about how experienced the Coyotes are, but when it comes to winning in the long term it is all about your core.