Coyotes are No. 23 in ESPN’s NHL Future Power Rankings
Oct 4, 2023, 7:15 AM | Updated: 8:48 am
Barrett Hayton #29 of the Arizona Coyotes celebrates with Juuso Valimaki #4, Nick Schmaltz #8 and Josh Brown #3 after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period of the NHL game at Mullett Arena on March 27, 2023 in Tempe, Arizona. The Oilers defeated the Coyotes 5-4. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Arizona Coyotes fans have plenty to be excited about over the next decade or so.
A plethora of young prospects are climbing their way through the minors. Former first round picks Dylan Guether, Logan Cooley, Conor Geekie and Maveric Lamoureux are making a name for themselves during preseason play.
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ESPN released its NHL Future Power Rankings, where it considers how teams are set up for success for the upcoming campaign as well as the next three seasons. Different writers and editors rated each team in four categories: Roster (with an emphasis on players 26 and under), front office, ownership and coaching.
Scoring was calculated using this scale: 100: A+ (elite), 90: A (great), 80: B (very good), 70: C (average), 60: D (very bad) and 50: F (disastrous)
The Coyotes were ranked No. 23 out of 32 NHL teams with a score of 73.4. This is how they did in each category:
|
SCORE
|
NHL RANK
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Roster
|
62.2
|
29
|
|
Prospects
|
80.0
|
12
|
|
Cap/contracts
|
85.0
|
4
|
|
Owner/GM/coach
|
73.0
|
25
|
With the team’s youthfulness and cost-effective roster, the Coyotes come in at fourth in cap/contracts and 12th in prospects. However, the Arizona’s main issue is their is the long-term arena plan, resulting in a ranking of 25th.
“… they’ve got a solid GM in Bill Armstrong and a well-liked coach in André Tourigny. Yet the franchise finished just 25th in that category, potentially because of everything that’s happened under owner Alex Meruelo: getting kicked out of Glendale, playing NHL games at Arizona State and losing their Tempe arena bid,” hockey writer Greg Wyshynski wrote.
The team’s prospect pool can only improve, as they have 34 draft picks over the next three years. But for now, their current roster is ranked as one of the worst in the league.
However, the hope is there. With new signings Matt Dumba, Sean Durzi and Travis Dermott bolstering the blue line and Alex Kerfoot and Jason Zucker adding depth up front, the Coyotes have proven their commitment to success.
All in all, the future is bright in Tempe, or wherever they may wind up.
