By: Joel Forman - The Forman Faceoff
Last Season: 24-50-8 with 56 points, last in the Pacific Division and last in the Western Conference
The Coyotes had a season to forget last year, their 50 losses were 2nd worst in the NHL only to Buffalo who had 51. The Coyotes missed out on Connor McDavid and ended up selecting Dylan Strome 3rd overall, a nice piece for the future of the Coyotes. The Coyotes were a dreadful group last season, a team seemed destined to tank from the beginning. Dave Tippett seemed constantly frustrated with his team and they never were able to get things going, a big reason they finished last in the Western Conference. One of the only positives from last year was Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who lead the NHL for goals by a defenseman with 23. The young Swede will look to build off his goal total last season and potentially push 30 goals. Here is a look at their 2015/2016 Season Preview:
Forwards:
Mikkel Boedker - Martin Hanzal - Shane Doan
Max Domi - Antoine Vermette - Anthony Duclair
Tobias Rieder - Brad Richardson - Steve Downie
Kyle Chipchura - Boyd Gordon - Joe Vitale
Extra: John Scott, Jordan Martinook
The Coyotes are going to have a tough time competing in the Western Conference this season, and if they have any chance they're going to need big contributions from young stars Max Domi and Anthony right away. The Coyotes have a solid 1-2 punch at center with Martin Hanzal and Antoine Vermette, and they are strong on the wing with Boedker, Doan, Domi, and Duclair. However, outside their top 6 the Coyotes lack goal scoring and could have a lot of trouble this season in the goal department.
Defense:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Zbynek Michalek
Nicklas Grossmann - Michael Stone
Connor Murphy - Stefan Elliot
Extra: Klas Dahlbeck
If the Coyotes needed help on forward, they certainly are a work in progress on defense. The Coyotes let up a whopping 272 goals last season, and they might be in the same situation this season. The only name that really stands out in the defensive group is Oliver Ekman-Larsson, with the departure of Keith Yandle last season he took over as the leader of the D group. While Ekman-Larsson will certainly have a good season, it is hard to expect much else from the Coyotes D offensively.
Goaltending:
Mike Smith
Anders Lindback
Mike Smith has had quite the fall from grace since being named to Team Canada in 2014. Smith had a career-worst 42 losses last season and a horrid 3.16 goals against average. A lot of this can be said about how bad the Coyotes were, but Smith seemed off from the start and never found his game last season. The Coyotes brought in Anders Lindback to backup Smith, and if Smith struggles again don't be surprised to see Lindback get his shot. It will be up to Smith to find his game again and prove he is still a #1 goalie in the NHL.
2015/2016 Outlook and Prediction:
7th in Pacific Division, 14th in Western Conference
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