ARIZONA COYOTES

Coyotes are going to land a top-5 draft pick

Jan 18, 2017, 6:00 AM | Updated: 11:44 am

Newly appointed Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka speaks at a news conference announcing ...

Newly appointed Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka speaks at a news conference announcing his promotion as head coach Dave Tippett listens, Thursday, May 5, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. Chayka is the youngest GM in NHL history. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP Photo/Matt York)

When the Coyotes take the ice at MTS Centre on Wednesday, they will trail the host Winnipeg Jets by 12 points. That’s not a 12-point deficit dividing Arizona from the playoff line; it’s a 12-point deficit separating Arizona from 12th place in the 14-team Western Conference.

Stretch that view to the league standings and the Coyotes trail the New York Islanders by 10 points for 28th place in the 30-team NHL. Teams near the bottom of the standings don’t make up 10-point deficits with three months left in the season.

The point here is not that the Coyotes will miss the playoffs. That has been clear for some time. The point is that the Coyotes are going to draft no lower than fifth in this year’s NHL Draft in Chicago, based on the draft lottery odds assigned to the second-worst team in the league.

If they should fall below Colorado, which trailed the Coyotes by five points entering Tuesday’s game against Chicago, Arizona would pick no worse than fourth (in case you’re wondering, the expansion Vegas Golden Knights will have the same odds of winning the lottery as the team that finishes with the third fewest points).

NHL executives will generally tell you they plan to take the best player available, instead of drafting for need, but that’s a half-truth. Need absolutely weighs into a team’s draft-day decisions and if the Coyotes were to draft a left wing this summer at a position that already boasts Max Domi, Brendan Perlini, Jamie McGinn, Tobias Rieder, Jordan Martinook (sometimes) and Clayton Keller, well, it would be fair to question their sanity, even if it might open some trade possibilities.

So, what might the Coyotes do with one of the top five picks? Here’s a quick glance at six players that could warrant a look at those spots and also fill a need.

Nolan Patrick

Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 198
Age: 18
Stats: 8 games, 6 goals, 15 points (Brandon, WHL)

Patrick just returned to action after missing 35 games with a sports hernia. He had two goals and two assists in his debut, an 8-5 win over Kootenay on Friday. In 72 games last season, he had 41 goals and 102 points. He added 30 points in 21 playoff games to tie for the WHL playoff scoring lead and he was named postseason MVP after helping Brandon win the league championship.

Patrick was one of 14 players from the Canadian Hockey League to earn an “A” rating on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary list of players to watch. He is not considered on par with Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, the two generational centers that topped the past two drafts, but he is considered an excellent two-way center. His size is an obvious plus.

“Nolan Patrick is a really good hockey player,” Coyotes director of amateur scouting Tim Bernhardt said. “He’s probably not in the class of McDavid and Matthews, but he is without a doubt the top guy in the draft. It’s really just a bunch of sorting out after that. ”

It’s hard to gauge how much of a concern his injury history should be. He has been injured in every single season dating back to 2012-13. In 2012-13, he suffered a shoulder injury and missed half of the season with the Winnipeg Hawks. During the 2013-14 season, his first with Brandon, he suffered another shoulder injury. He was out for a month with what was an upper-body injury in 2014-15, and he suffered the sport hernia injury last season.

Timothy Liljegren

Position: Right defense
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 191
Age: 17
Stats: 16 games, 4 assists (Rogle and Timra IK, Sweden)

Liljegren did not get an invitation to World Juniors after missing almost two months with mononucleosis, but he is considered the top defenseman in the draft and packs the added bonus of being a right-handed shot.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie: “Scouts say his offensive game is far more developed than his defensive game. He is an elite skater, both in terms of speed and agility, and adept at running a power play. He is seen as both a puck mover and an offensive point producer.

“No one is suggesting he’s the next Erik Karlsson, not by any means, but scouts say he has some of the same qualities and, therefore, has the potential to be projected as a possible top pairing defenseman in time.”

Nico Hischier

Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 176
Age: 18
Stats: 36 games, 30 goals, 60 points (Halifax, QMJHL)

Hischier led all 2017 NHL Draft-eligible players with four goals and seven points in five games for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship. U.S. coach Bob Motzko called Hischier the best player his team had faced after five games of the tournament, and that included games against Canada and Russia.

“There is very little he doesn’t do well,” Central Scouting’s Troy Dumville told NHL.com. It wasn’t surprising that he played at even a higher level with more experienced players at the World Juniors. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the second Swiss player in three years to go top 10 in the draft.”

Gabriel Vilardi

Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 192
Age: 17
Stats: 25 games, 17 goals, 34 points (Windsor, OHL)

Per scouts, Vilardi has good size, deceptive skating ability and excellent stick skills with a heavy shot and a quick release.

TSN’s Craig Button: “A smart, playmaking, offensive producing center who can not only make plays but can finish them as well. He has an ease to his play, both physically and mentally, that he combines with excellent skill to impact the game in every situation. He has all the elements to be a No. 1 offensive center in the NHL.”

Michael Rasmussen

Position: Center/Wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 200
Age: 17
Stats: 46 games, 30 goals, 51 points (Tri-City, WHL)

Per scouts, a strong player with mobility who wins most board battles and is dominant in front of the net and below the goal line. A mobile skater who is difficult to contain or move and brings a strong two-way game to the ice.

TSN’s Craig Button: “A big man with size and skill. When these factors come together, he has a chance to be a real impact player. Good skater, good hands and can assert himself – maybe not physically, but can make things difficult for opponents. A top-two line winger or center.”

Klim Kostin

Position: Right wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 185
Age: 17
Stats: N/A

Two of 10 scouts surveyed by TSN had Kostin outside the Top 10, but six had him in the Top 5.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie: “The Russian is a big, strong, aggressive winger who can score and make plays. He doesn’t have blinding speed but is a strong, powerful skater who can play both the power and skill game, though there tends to be an erratic quality to his play. He is, however, identified as a potential top six winger who has some similar traits to Russian winger Valeri Nichushkin.”

Coyotes at Jets

When: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
TV: FOX Sports Arizona
Radio: ESPN 620 AM
Records: Coyotes 13-24-6. Jets 20-23-4.

Injury report: Coyotes — C Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) and LW Max Domi (hand) are out indefinitely. RW Ryan White (lower body) is day to day. Jets — F Marko Dano is out five more weeks with a lower-body injury. RW Patrik Laine (concussion) is out. D Tyler Myers (back) is on IR.

Scouting the Jets: Winnipeg has lost four straight games (0-3-1) and five of the last six to fall four points behind Los Angeles for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. … G Ondrej Pavelec will start in goal. … C Mark Scheifele leads the Jets with 42 points (20 goals); Laine leads in goals with 21.

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