Arizona Coyotes season preview
Expectations are not very high for the Arizona Coyotes again this season, but some positives from this past season might give the fan base more to cheer about moving forward. That could very well include the 2023-24 season, which will once again feature home games in a 5,000-seat rink due to ongoing issues with local government. The small arena may have given the team an edge with a 21-15-5 record at home, but the road was unkind and unforgiving to a young team. With some new pieces on the roster, there’s room for improvement.
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Offense
A lack of depth was a big factor for the Coyotes last season. With just seven wins on the road, the front office made it a point to add to the forward group with signings of Nick Bjugstad, Jason Zucker, and Alexander Kerfoot. Third-overall pick Logan Cooley should infuse talent into the roster right away and could even find himself on a line with Clayton Keller, who was a breakout star last season with 86 points in 82 games.
Despite solid performances from Nick Schmaltz (58 PTS in 63 G) and up-and-comer Mattias Maccelli (49 PTS in 64 G), the Coyotes lacked explosiveness and finished with 2.48 expected goals per 60 minutes to rank among the league’s worst. They overperformed by scoring 2.74 goals per game, but failed to sustain some early-season power play success, which is why the focus was on improving the offense during the summer. Cooley and a continuation of the breakout season from Keller should help.