Arizona Coyotes Details
In the 2016-17 season, 6th place in the Pacific Division belonged to the Arizona Coyotes. Dave Tippett’s squad finished with 70 points and a 30-42-10 record. It wasn’t a very encouraging year for Arizona and the fans sitting in Glendale’s Gila River Arena. The Coyotes finished the year 27th in goals scored and 28th in goals against, posting a -63 goal differential. After Tippett led Arizona – then, Phoenix – to a Conference Finals birth in 2011-12, he hasn’t been able to get the team back to the playoffs since. The past five seasons have been disappointments for the Western Conference squad and the team will certainly be looking for more success in the 2017-18 campaign.
After another rough season, the Coyotes’ leadership is up in the air. Long-time captain Shane Doan was not re-signed by Arizona and the 40-year-old is currently an unrestricted free agent. Despite a 20-point dropoff from the 2015-16 season, Doan was still a well-respected leader of the franchise. He finished last season with just six goals and 21 assists in 74 games. For comparison purposes, he finished the year before with 28 goals and 19 assists in 72 games. Leading scorer Radim Vrbata (55 points and 20 goals) won’t be on the Coyotes either, as he’ll be suiting up for Florida this coming season. 22-year-old Max Domi will be the team’s biggest offensive threat this year. Domi, a winger, had just nine goals but 29 assists last year. He’ll be helped by wingers Tobias Rieder (16 goals, 18 assists) and Christian Dvorak (15 goals, 18 assists). There are pieces that should keep the fans encouraged, but it will take a lot for Arizona to make waves in the Pacific Division this season.