The NHL season is entering its home stretch and the injury-riddled, underdog Coyotes are still in a playoff hunt. As The Athletic’s Tyler Dellow noted recently, that is as much a product of this historically subpar Western Conference wild-card race as Arizona’s resiliency, but historical comparisons were not on the Coyotes’ minds when they resumed practice at the Ice Den Scottsdale on Thursday after a one-week break.
Advertisement
With some of the walking wounded getting closer to returning, the Coyotes were focused on staying in the race with the same scratching and clawing identity that has them two points off the pace.
“To sustain where we are at, that identity has to be our focus every night,” coach Rick Tocchet said. ”You could have two bad weeks and we could be out of it.”
The Coyotes will play 14 February games in 28 days, a condensed and grueling schedule that is common for teams at this time of year. The intensity will ratchet up another notch, as it always does after the All-Star break with the NHL trade deadline approaching and the playoffs in sight. To sustain the level of play that saw them go 6-2-2 before the break, the Coyotes will need to stick to a simple game plan predicated on tight defending, good goaltending and timely scoring from the entire lineup.
“I don’t think there’s too much to say,” said defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, a veteran of many playoff pushes in Chicago. “You just have to play consistent, simple hockey and not have off nights because every game is so important now. We know we have a lot of games in a short amount of time. We know we can take a big step toward it or out of it in the next month. That’s why it felt so good to have the break to rest and kind of clear our minds, get a new perspective on things, feel fresher and more motivated than ever to have a good February and put us even closer.
“It’s more fun to play in these types of games so I expect the pace to be a little higher.”
As the Coyotes open their post-All-Star break schedule on Saturday in San Jose, here are some storylines to watch over the final nine weeks of the season.
1. Returning players
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson skated with the Coyotes in their first practice after the All-Star and CBA-mandated breaks that gave the team a week off. He is still listed as day to day but he is expected to travel with the team on its upcoming three-game road trip through San Jose, Dallas and Nashville. The hope is he won’t miss more than another week with a knee injury he suffered in the second period of a win against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 22. Ekman-Larsson did not have a surgical procedure over the break. Despite reports, the nature of his injury is not clear, so it is unclear if surgery might be an offseason option.
Advertisement
Forwards Michael Grabner (eye) and Christian Dvorak (pectoral muscle) could start practicing fully with the team soon. Dvorak remained on the ice with the team for several drills on Thursday, but then left. Both have been skating before practices. Grabner has been doing everything aside from weaving in and out of traffic and engaging in contact so a return to practice could signal he is close. Dvorak recently started shooting, which is a big step, given the nature of his injury.
“He’s going to be practicing full time with us soon,” Tocchet said. “Obviously non-contact for a while, but yeah, he’s getting close.”
Center Brad Richardson (hand) is skating without a stick but should be back sometime in February. Tocchet said he’ll have another scan on his hand soon. Defenseman Jason Demers (knee) started skating on his own over the break, leaving open the possibility that he could return late in the season, although his timeline is still tight.
“Demers is, I hate to say ahead of schedule, but he’s done a really good job in his rehab,” Tocchet said. “He’s skating pretty well out there.”
Any of those players would help the Coyotes’ cause. The more who return, the better. When Grabner and Richardson return, it would also put some key parts of the Coyotes’ top-ranked, must-see penalty-killing unit back together with defenseman Hjalmarsson. If Demers can return, the whole band would be back together. Demers was the fourth Beatle on the original No. 1 unit. Kevin Connauton has been filling that role since Demers’ injury.
The Coyotes know Nick Schmaltz (knee) won’t be back this season, and that is a blow because he gave them something they sorely lacked at the center position, speed, a critical component in Tocchet’s style. It also appears that starting goalie Antti Raanta (knee) will not return this season, but Darcy Kuemper has played well enough to give his team a chance to win most nights. Kuemper’s .914 save percentage is six points above the league average of .908.
Advertisement
2. Shane Doan’s jersey retirement
You won’t want to miss this event on Feb. 24 when the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets come to town for Doan’s jersey retirement by the original Jets/Coyotes franchise. The list of attendees is impressive (more on that later), and there won’t be a dry eye in the house when the truest face of the franchise watches his No. 19 ascend into the Gila River Arena rafters.
On that note, The Athletic has a special series planned for Doan’s day. More on that later, too.
3. The NHL trade deadline
Coyotes general manager John Chayka has said many times that he is not a fan of the trade deadline. Rash, emotional and even damaging decisions get made on that day as teams engage in an often-illogical arms race to keep pace with their playoff competitors and, as the saying goes, to prove to their own players that they are in it to win it.
Don’t expect the Coyotes to be major players as the Feb. 25 deadline approaches, but Chayka is not shy about dealing if he feels he can improve the team. Back in November, we listed four names to watch on the most likely to be traded list. Two of them – Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini – have already been traded.
Keep an eye on forward Richard Panik (10 goals, 21 points), who is playing his best hockey and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The caveat here is the playoff picture. If the Coyotes are still legitimately in the race, will they want to be sellers, even if they are minor sellers?
Also keep an eye on defenseman Alex Goligoski (two goals, 17 points), who hasn’t had his best season, and has two more seasons remaining at a cap hit of $5.475 million, but could entice some clubs with his puck-moving, offense-igniting potential.
4. Meaningful March games?
The Coyotes were probably a playoff bubble team at best when the season began. The losses of Schmaltz and Raanta further lengthen their odds, as does the absence of several other key players mentioned above. That said, the Coyotes have found a way to stay in the race to this point.
The games will ratchet up another notch in intensity out of the break, and March will bring the fevered pitch that precedes the playoffs. If the Coyotes can survive February, they might gain some valuable lessons from a playoff push that some of their young, core pieces have yet to experience. Even if they don’t end this six-year postseason drought, that would be a sign of progress.
Advertisement
5. Call-ups
At some point over the final nine-plus weeks of the season, the Coyotes will dole out some rewards for players who have produced at the AHL level. Who’s on that list?
Start with AHL All-Star defenseman Kyle Capobianco, who leads the Tucson Roadrunners with seven goals and 32 points in 40 games, and is tied for fifth among AHL defensemen in points. The coaching and management staffs have been impressed with his development.
UPDATE: The Coyotes recalled Capobianco two hours after this story posted. With Ekman-Larsson sidelined for now, he gives the team a seventh defenseman. Coyotes fans may get a glimpse of another potential piece of the future on this three-game road trip.
Toss in forward Nick Merkley (17 games, four goals, 14 points), who should have enough games under his belt since returning from ACL surgery.
Among the others who might warrant a call-up: forwards Adam Helewka, Lane Pederson, Hudson Fasching and defenseman Robbie Russo.
6. Ownership
Multiple reports over the past two months have suggested a Coyotes sale is imminent, but league sources contend that the situation is still characterized by lots of fluidity and multiple groups that have expressed varying levels of interest. It’s doubtful anything is going to happen soon, but it would certainly help the Coyotes’ cause to get this deal done before the end of the NHL season and playoffs so that their executive team can plan for the offseason with a budget in mind.
Majority owner Andrew Barroway has been seeking investors for at least a year. Until the ownership situation is resolved, the franchise’s quest for a new arena will remain unresolved. The Coyotes need a new owner to come in and help broker the deal, but that doesn’t mean the current staff (or the league) has been sitting on its hands waiting. With the Phoenix City Council’s recent vote to approve a renovation of Talking Stick Resort Arena for the NBA’s Suns, it appears the Coyotes’ longshot hopes of a downtown location are dead. All of the team’s focus is likely now centered on an east side location.
(Top photo: Dan Hamilton / USA Today Sports)