Hockey the Hard Way? Nah, There is Reason for Hope!
5. The team found a gem in goalie Karel Vejmelka
Typically when you have a goalie that went 13-32-3 with 1 shutout and a .898 goals against average, you don’t get excited, but hear me out.
Vejmelka played for the Coyotes.
On most nights he kept this team in most games. Have a look at the game on November 29th in Winnipeg. He posted a 46 save shutout, the first of his career. Winnipeg are a playoff caliber team loaded with scoring talent. They brought their best and so did Vejmelka. He did get better too, as the season went on, recording a save percentage above .900 in his final five games. He also faced 38 shots or more in three of those games.
As a result of his solid play, Vejmelka was re-signed to a three year, $8.2 million contract. I believe that this will end up being a steal, as Karel will man the crease and keep the team in games during this rebuild. You have to remember that he was not originally brought in to carry this team. He was an afterthought in last season’s crease dilemma, as the team tried to play anybody just to get through the season.
Sorry Carter Hutton and Scott Wedgewood. You were not in the team’s long-term plans.
The Yotes should have actually kept Wedgewood, he was solid. The poor guy barely got settled into his long awaited Coyotes gear (he played way too many games in his New Jersey Devils equipment) and was shipped off to Dallas for a 2023 fourth round pick.
Vejmelka is a gem and could very easily be our guy for the present and future.
4. Jack McBain is a Coyote
Originally drafted in the third round (63rd overall) of the 2018 entry draft by the Minnesota Wild, McBain elected to play out his college career at Boston College and became an elite power forward his senior year. At 6’3 and 210 lbs, McBain scored 19 goals, 14 assists, and 33 points in 24 games his final NCAA season.
This kid will be a massive part of the Coyotes rebuild. The Yotes acquired McBain for a second round pick in the 2022 entry draft. This trade is a steal for Arizona, and might raise the question “if he is so good, why would the Wild trade him?”
The answer is simple. McBain did not want to play for the Wild.
He was happy to sign his two year entry level contract and play for Arizona. This is a young, strong, scoring forward who the team can easily add pieces around and compete. Should the team lose players like Christian Fischer or Lawson Crouse this offseason, McBain could easily slide into one of their roles, but has a much higher ceiling. If the team keeps either or both players, look out. You could have a line comparable to the Minnesota Wild’s Foligno-Eriksson Ek-Greenway line. They will wear you out, and score ugly goals.
Jack McBain is and wants to be a Coyote.
3. Goodbye to Glendale, Arizona
For too many seasons the team has had to face the impending offseason drama with the city of Glendale. What started off as a marriage that would keep the team in the desert forever, quickly turned into a nasty divorce that finally ended this year.
The Coyotes broke free from their controlling partner, and found their new home, entering a relationship with Arizona State University and cohabitating with the Sun Devils until their new stadium build gets sorted out.
They say that the first relationship you have after a divorce tells you what you were missing in your previous relationship. Moving to Tempe brings the team closer to younger fans and the die-hards that reside in the East Valley. Majority of hockey fans in Arizona live in Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Paradise Valley. All the Coyotes were looking for was some attention, now they will get it.
That is not saying that the West Valley does not have hockey fans. There are a lot of great fans who reside on that side of town, just not enough of them.
The ugly conversation of money and revenue between the team and the city of Glendale ultimately led to both sides deciding to part ways for good.
However short lived this situation with the Sun Devils is, the team will be much better off in the long-term. This move does have the feel of moving from a house and into an apartment, but at least the chaos with Glendale is over. The team can now move forward, without the distractions and focus on hockey. The games will be much more intimate as the ASU multipurpose venue holds 5000 seats.
This is the cost of your freedom, Coyotes.
If you do not think that the drama was an issue for the team, ask Shane Doan about his experience being the captain of the Coyotes. Sure, there are some really awesome memories at Gila River Arena/Jobing.com, but it’s time to move forward.
2. The Coyotes have restocked the Cupboard
After losing picks the past few years from trading for Taylor Hall and as punishment from the league for violating the NHLs combine testing policy (thanks again, Chayka), the Coyotes were finally in a position again to restock the cupboard and load up on some talent. The 2021 NHL Entry Draft was highlighted with the selections of Dylan Guenther and Josh Doan.
Heading into the 2022 draft, the team was armed with three first round picks (Arizona, Colorado for Kuemper, and Carolina for Dvorak), and four second round picks (Arizona, Islanders for Laad, Flyers for Gostisbehere, and Sharks for Hill). The team walked out of the first round with Logan Cooley, Conor Geekie, and Maveric Lamoureaux.
The Yotes are stocked with young talent that should compliment Keller, Schmaltz, and company, moving forward.
The Coyotes taking USA U-18 Center Logan Cooley with the 3rd pick, gives them the most offensively gifted center in the draft, drawing comparisons to Mathew Barzal. Many fans (including myself) were shocked when the team stuck with their plan and took Cooley after the top rated prospect Shane Wright slipped to the Coyotes. Many fans probably felt that this was the universe correcting itself for the Coyotes getting screwed on past draft lottery picks that featured Connor McDavid and Autson Matthews.
The truth is, Wright is not the same type of talent as either of those players, and though he will be a solid leader for the Kraken, the Coyotes ended up with the better offensive player.
Conor Geekie is going to be a stud, drawing comparisons to Jeff Carter. Elite teams are built down the middle (look at the Avalanche) and the Coyotes might have just hit it out of the park with these picks.
The future is now. Locked and loaded, the team should take a massive step forward.
Let’s go!
1. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz are the franchise, and they are locked up long-term
The secret is out; Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz are stars in this league. Keller was on track for the best season of his young career (28 goals, 35 assists, and 63 points in 67 games) before a leg fracture ended his season. Watch the video, it was not pretty.
Prior to the injury, Keller played in his second All-Star game and shined on the big stage, logging a goal and two assists. All season long, Keller played at an elite level on a team void of any real scoring talent sans Schmaltz.
In now his seventh season with the team, Keller has taken a leadership role finally donning the ‘A’. Keller is the favorite to become the next captain, is the MVP of the team, and a player who leads by example. He is entering the third year of his 8 year/ $57.2 million contract.
Nick Schmaltz has had an up and down career as an Arizona Coyote. Upon being acquired by the team from Chicago in 2018 for Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini, Schmaltz scored 14 points in 17 games and was immediately locked up to a 7 year/ $40.9 million contract. The Coyotes finally had the number one center that they haven’t had since the days of Jeremy Roenick.
Since signing the contract Schmaltz has fought injuries and inconsistency under then head coach Rick Tocchet. This past season, Schmaltz fought through his usual injuries, but became a force to be reckoned with when paired with Keller under new coach André Tourigny. Schmaltz went 23-36-59 in 63 games played. Almost a point per game player.
Both Keller and Schmaltz excelled in the rebuild and have set the stage for the years to come. Having a legit number one center, and a super star right wing gives the Coyotes two of the biggest pieces to build around.
The team may be in a massive rebuild, but there are pieces currently in place to construct a not only competitive roster, but a team that could take a shot at going deep into the playoffs sooner rather than later. Being stuck in a perpetual rebuild sucks, and it seems at times that the team is never going to do anything to reward its die-hard fans. There is a lot to like about the direction that this team is in and many reasons to be hopeful rather than stuck in the same narrative- “here we go again, hockey the hard way sucks”.
This team is on the rise. Be excited, see a game next season (if you can get seats), and cross your fingers that GM Bill Armstrong’s picks pan out.
We are close to something special.