No division is as close as the Pacific Division right now. The top 5 teams are all just 4 points apart. That really makes an impact on the division and how the teams are going to play moving forward. Luckily some recent moves should improve the Coyotes chances.
The Arizona Coyotes are playing some of the best hockey they have in a long time. Currently, they are on a four-game win streak, and they need to continue to get wins because despite those eight points they still find themselves tied with Vegas for the division lead.
Luckily Arizona should not have to worry about a few of the other teams in the division as much. LA released Ilya Kovalchuk, who went on to sign with Montreal. San Jose placed Logan Couture on injury reserved, and Calgary traded Michael Frolik to the Buffalo Sabres.
So three of Arizona’s divisional opponents have been weakened. You never want to root for the downfall of another team, but it definitely does not hurt Arizona. No team in the NHL, let alone the Pacific Division, has made a bigger trade this season than the Coyotes when they brought in Taylor Hall.
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Arizona is one of the top teams in the division, there is no doubt in my mind of that. Now they just need to go out and show it. Look at the roster we have Coyotes fans it certainly is a bright one, and we still are facing injuries to some big players.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, Barrett Hayton, and Darcy Kuemper are all out right now. Imagine the bump this team can get when Hjalmarsson returns. I would imagine if we are going to make a trade it would be after we get Hjalmarsson back and we see if we honestly need to improve the defense.
I would argue that Arizona should not make another trade this season. We have all the pieces and don’t want to break up this core group. Now is the time for the players to go out and prove what kind of players they can be.