4 players who must step up for the Arizona Coyotes after the All-Star Break
The Arizona Coyotes have hit a rough patch in what has otherwise been a successful season for one of the NHL’s most underrated teams.
The Arizona Coyotes were one of the biggest surprises during the first two-and-a-half months of the season, amassing a 19-14-2 record, good for 40 points and a spot in the second Wild Card. Unfortunately, that trend has not continued into the new year, and Arizona stumbled to a 4-8-1 record, which is the second-worst mark in the Western Conference.
For the Coyotes to turn things around when play resumes, there are quite a few players who must rediscover their game. Not all of them are stars or even players who see a ton of ice time, but their lack of impact so far in 2024 has directly contributed to what was a rough January.
While it takes a team effort to turn things around, the Coyotes will have a much easier time getting back to their winning ways if the following four players pick up their game.
Matias Maccelli was electric before the new year
With 32 points in 48 contests, it’s clear Matias Maccelli is on his way to a career-best season. Or was, as he has since hit a speed bump, and the 23-year-old has been far less effective recently. Here is the most striking statistic: Since the first of the year, Maccelli has just five points in 13 contests with a minus-8 rating and one goal.
Contrast that from the first 35 games when he logged 27 points, putting him on pace for an incredible 63 points through an 82-game season. While it’s true Maccelli hasn’t been a prolific goal-scorer this year or at any other time in his ultra-young career, he’s been an expert at finding open linemates and letting them score.
But until that part of Maccelli’s game returns, don’t expect the Coyotes to be anything more than pedestrian when they start play again next week. If a good takeaway exists, it’s that Arizona is always in contention when Macelli is finding open teammates and putting them in position to score.
Time for Logan Cooley to become a game-changer
If you were to rank the NHL’s rookies this season, Logan Cooley would find himself near the top. And his numbers show it, with 25 points in 48 games, which ranks eighth on the team through the All-Star Break. The 19-year-old has also pitched in with a respectable 19 takeaways, showing us he’s not afraid to challenge opponents for puck possession.
However, if the Coyotes want critics to uphold their newfound relevant status this season, Cooley must take the next step. This isn’t a critique of Cooley’s game, as he has more than performed well during his rookie season, but we need to see him start to take matters into his own hands if Arizona needs a game-changer to emerge.
Cooley may be the face of this long-suffering Coyotes franchise sooner than later, and the best way to hold the fans’ interest in the desert is to score that goal or make that big stop defensively to secure a win. If he does that a few times, look for Arizona to at least show some fight in the final 34 games of the season. But if he doesn’t take that next step quickly, it heightens the likelihood that the Coyotes will falter down the stretch.
Karel Vejmelka must make the most of his opportunities
It’s not often that you see a backup goaltender or, in Karel Vejmelka’s case, a 1B. But even through the rough stretch, Arizona’s starter, Connon Ingram, has held up. Vejmelka has been a different story, posting an 0-4-0 record to go with a pedestrian 0.857 save percentage since the new year commenced.
No, it’s not like Vejmelka was playing well before January, but at least he was putting up somewhat respectable numbers. While his record between October 13th and December 27th sat at just 6-7-2, Vejmelka still posted a 0.902 percentage and a shutout, which aren’t bad numbers for a 1B.
Contrast that with Ingram’s numbers since the first of the year, as Arizona’s starting netminder has put up a 4-4-1 record, a shutout, and a good 0.910 save percentage. Like Vejmelka, Ingram’s numbers haven’t been outstanding, but it’s not hard to tell who has done a better job of helping the Coyotes navigate through the tougher times.
Should Arizona start winning again, especially when Ingram is in the net, they may need to consider moving on from Vejmelka. With the trade deadline coming up, the Coyotes could easily bring someone to Tempe and team up with the steady Ingram.
The AZ Coyotes will win if Lawson Crouse’s productivity increases
If the Coyotes are looking to rediscover their winning ways, then Lawson Crouse must be their go-to. Clayton Keller has been Arizona’s most productive asset this season, and there is little doubt that he will keep his consistency going strong when the Coyotes retake the ice. But if Crouse can inch closer to Keller’s production, they will be tough for opponents to stop.
So far this season, Crouse ranks second on the team with 19 goals scored, and he’s third in points with 29, behind Keller and Maccelli. We also talked about Cooley earlier, but he and Maccelli are better suited for helpers than they are scoring goals, and the same goes for almost everyone else in Arizona other than Michael Carcone.
But the forward most likely to step up and help get pucks into the net is Crouse, and it must happen often over the final two months of 2023-24 for Arizona to complete its shocking season. And with a pair of prolific scorers, they may even open more opportunities for others mentioned in this article. If that’s the case, such a rebound will parlay the Coyotes into potential buyers at the trade deadline.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)