ESPN: Coyotes receive B in re-grade of offseason moves

With the regular season winding down and the Arizona Coyotes second-to-last in the NHL in points, with 68, now is the time to use hindsight to evaluate what led to this.

According to ESPN senior NHL writer Craig Custance, one thing that isn’t to blame for the team’s performance on the ice is the 2016 offseason, as he gave them a B in his re-grading of their offseason moves.

We loved the addition of Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun in the first round of the draft, as they are two possible cornerstones of the rebuild. The signing of Alex Goligoski was also applauded, as was the trade for Anthony DeAngelo. After a slow start, Goligoski is going to finish near career averages in points, and is playing over 23 minutes per night. It’s been a disappointing season in Arizona, but the summer additions from 2016 aren’t the reason.

Custance originally gave the Coyotes a B+ for their offseason last July.

The biggest prize for Arizona is Keller, who accumulated 21 goals and 24 assists in 31 games for Boston University Terriers before debuting with the Coyotes last Monday. The highly touted 18-year-old has since played in three games with the ‘Yotes, tallying two assists.

Unlike Keller, fellow first-round pick Chychrun has spent the entire season in Arizona, where he has seven goals and 12 assists in 66 games.

Another youngster looking to get valuable experience is DeAngelo. The 21-year-old split time between the Coyotes and American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners, scoring five goals and eight assists in 38 games with Arizona and three goals and 13 assists for the Roadrunners.

One of the few veteran additions last offseason, Goligoski had only one goal and 14 assists prior to the All-Star break but has since brought those numbers up to six and 28, respectively.