ARIZONA COYOTES

Don Maloney: Coyotes are a work in progress, but there’s a lot to be excited about

Oct 7, 2015, 1:26 PM | Updated: 1:29 pm

Arizona Coyotes' Max Domi (16) skates past Matthias Plachta (43) during the first full day of NHL h...

Arizona Coyotes' Max Domi (16) skates past Matthias Plachta (43) during the first full day of NHL hockey training camp Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

LISTEN: Don Maloney, Coyotes general manager

The Arizona Coyotes are ready to put last year behind them after finishing the 2014-15 season with a 24-50-8 record, the worst in franchise history since moving to Arizona.

Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney admits that the team is still a work in progress, but with the season opener in Los Angeles coming up on Friday he said that there is a lot to be excited about following training camp.

“We were really, really genuinely excited about rookie camp, the young kids we had. Just the plethora of talent in that group,” Maloney told the Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Wednesday. “Part of the challenge for us is the timeline, waiting for that group to get here.”

While the Coyotes will have to wait for some highly-anticipated players like Dylan Strome – their first round pick who made it to the last round of training camp cuts – to be ready for a full NHL season, a few of the rookies did lock down spots on the ‘Yotes Opening Day roster.

“A couple of our young players, Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, are here to start and bring some energy,” Maloney said. “They’re as talented as anybody we have on the roster right now.”

Maloney praised the speed and quickness that they both bring to the Coyotes roster as well as Domi’s strength and Duclair’s skills, but did so gingerly.

“I really try to downplay putting too much focus on 20-year-olds. It’s a men’s league. And we’re really trying to stay away from that. Hopefully they’ll merge as people come and see us play and as they grow their game. But they’re ready,” Maloney said.

Domi and Duclair weren’t the only young players who caught Maloney’s attention.

“We had a young player, Jordy Martinook that came in and just willed himself onto our roster.”

As was the case with Domi and Duclair, Maloney was impressed by the speed of Martinook.

“He plays with quickness and speed,” Maloney said. “That was the real focus for us in the offseason.”

“We know we have to play quicker, and I think we certainly will. Our defense is a stable group, and hopefully the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts and we’ll be one of those surprise teams this year.”

In order for that to happen, the Coyotes can’t only rely on their young guns.

“Our season is going to revolve around the play of our core veteran players. They’re going to have to carry the load again,” Maloney said.

Maloney said that players like Mikkel Boedker, Antoine Vermette, Martin Hanzal and Coyotes captain Shane Doan will be crucial to the team’s success.

“That’s the group that has to kind of keep this thing afloat for a while as our young players emerge and grow and figure out the NHL,” Maloney said. “It’s an exciting time for us.”

Vermette, who began the 2014-15 season with the Coyotes, returns to Arizona with a Stanley Cup on his resume after he was traded to the Blackhawks last year.

“Winning a Cup, knowing what it takes to play hockey in June – as we introduce more young people into our organization you can’t have enough of those kind of players,” Maloney said. “So we’re thrilled he’s back with us.”

With a Stanley Cup under his belt, Maloney said that now Vermette has a new goal.

“Now his goal is to help us get back to the playoffs and get on a winning streak,” Maloney said. “All he wanted to do was play with Max Domi and he was telling Tipp all through camp, ‘let me play with those guys’, those young guys and kind of help them along.”

Vermette will get the opportunity to do just that in the season-opener.

“Friday night we’re going to start up and Max will play with Antoine and Mikkel Boedker. There’s a perfect example of a line with all kinds of quickness and speed and (chemistry) if the chemistry works,” Maloney said.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Coyotes heading into the season came on the other side of the puck, with goalie Mike Smith being the topic of discussion.

Last season marked Smith’s toughest yet with Arizona, finishing the season with a save percentage of .904 and an average of 3.16 goals allowed per game.

But Maloney doesn’t think that Smith was their biggest issue.

“I think there’s way too much emphasis on Mike last year,” Maloney said. “I think our defense wasn’t good enough.”

This year, Maloney hopes that it will be a different story.

“Tipp has worked very hard in the off season — hundreds of hours with his staff — to try and put a game plan in place that protects our own goal, protects our own end a little bit better so we don’t have to have Mike be All-World every night to be competitive,” Maloney said.  “I’ve really liked the way Mike’s looked so far. He looks comfortable, he looks calm.”

Maloney said that this year, the story isn’t Mike Smith.

“I think collectively as a group, with a lot less emphasis on Mike and a lot more on the team in front of Mike, if everybody does their job then we’ll be a fun team to watch.”

 

Arizona Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller...

Associated Press

Clayton Keller becomes 2nd Coyotes player with 400 points in win over Devils

Karel Vejmelka stopped 37 shots and the Arizona Coyotes beat the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

2 days ago

Arizona Coyotes center Logan Cooley, right, is greeted by defenseman Travis Dermott (33) after scor...

Associated Press

Arizona Coyotes beat struggling Detroit Red Wings again

Logan Cooley had a short-handed goal in the first period, Michael Carcone broke a tie in the second and the Coyotes beat the Red Wings 4-1.

4 days ago

Arizona Coyotes CEO and president Xavier Gutierrez...

Associated Press

Arizona Coyotes cleared to bid on north Phoenix land for new arena

The Arizona Coyotes have the green light to bid on a tract of land in north Phoenix in their yearslong bid to build a new arena.

4 days ago

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Josh Brown, left, and Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (23) compete for...

Associated Press

Penalty kill falters again, Coyotes lose to the Minnesota Wild

Nick Bjugstad had another goal against his hometown team but the Coyotes penalty kill couldn't contain the Minnesota Wild in a road loss.

6 days ago

Arizona Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller...

Associated Press

Coyotes’ Clayton Keller scores twice in loss to Blackhawks, Colin Blackwell delivers hat trick

Colin Blackwell got his first hat trick and Connor Bedard had two goals, leading the Blackhawks to a victory over the Coyotes.

8 days ago

Dylan Guenther #11 of the Arizona Coyotes warms up before the NHL game against the Boston Bruins at...

David Veenstra

Arizona Coyotes’ Dylan Guenther has water turned off after he doesn’t pay utility bill

Arizona Coyotes' Dylan Guenther and teammate Jack McBain had their water turned off this week after they did not pay their utility bill.

9 days ago

Don Maloney: Coyotes are a work in progress, but there’s a lot to be excited about