Niklas Hjalmarsson’s return will provide the spark for the Coyotes
By Jim Lynch
The Arizona Coyotes are a team that prides themselves on their defensive play. It is what makes them who they are, and yet they have been playing without their best defender the last few months when Niklas Hjalmarsson went down with an injury.
The Arizona Coyotes were almost written off when Niklas Hjalmarsson fell to an injury during the first few weeks of the season. Yet they have found a way to play some great hockey in his absence and so many different players have stepped up.
If you told me that Jakob Chychrun and Alex Goligoski were going to make up the Coyotes top shut down pair at the begging of the season I would have been very confused, and yet that is exactly what happened. Arizona’s defensive line consists of some great defenders, a lot of guys that have stepped up in the absence of Niklas Hjalmarsson.
One big challenge for Arizona when Hjalmarsson returns is how to divide up the ice time. Personally, I believed everyone on the crew deserves at least 15 minutes of ice time a night. Players like Jordan Oesterle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have been great, as well as Chychrun and Goligoski. When the team gets Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers back from injury they will be that much better.
Imagine how good the Coyotes are going to be when they get Niklas Hjalmarsson back on their blue line. It would be like trading for a player like Taylor Hall for the blue line but all it is would be getting one defender back. Hjalmarsson should provide the team with a spark to help get them to the playoffs. Although he might be a little rusty, having not played in over a month, he should be able to pull things off and provide for the team defensively. Hjalmarsson will be well-rested, I do not think anyone would deny he is the best defender on the team, and Arizona has been succeeding without him all season.
Things are truly looking up for Arizona, and Hjalmarsson could be back sooner rather than later. This team on paper should be better in the next few weeks then they were a month ago.