OOOOOOOOkay so last season I predicted mid to high 70's point total and they ended up at 70. I was only off by 5-9 points so that's not too bad
Though I was wrong about wrong about how bad they would start but I think that was for reasons no one could have predicted.
Anywho, on to this season. I do think the roster is better. I also think it's overrated in the degree to which this is a good roster. There are too many what-ifs and holes. Sometimes it was said last season's roster was the best on paper the team had since at least the playoff years and some said even before that. And look how that worked out! That also means it would follow that they could have been better had things gone right than a team that had over a hundred points or a team that went to the WCF. I think people got enamored with the increased offensive talent from young players and did not recognize just how elite those teams were on the back end and in net. Raanta lived up to the second part in 3/4ths of the season but that still wasn't enough.
(yes some of this is my airing of grievances)
Okay now really on to this season.
I do not think Keller will have a major set back, he may not take a big step forward but he's already gone through prolonged slumps and come out as good or better. Sophomore slumps aren't caused by other teams focusing on players or whatever. Teams learn about new players fast in the age of the internet and video scouting. Players play each other frequently especially in division and talk. You can bet your ass Nico Hischier remembered
when Keller robbed him and scored in October. It just doesn't take till next October for that to get out, sorry. If Keller stumbles it will be for other reasons.
I was pretty high on a solid season (but probably not at center long term) from Galchenyuk and do not know what to make of his injury. I suspect it will take some time for him to get into a groove even when he is healthy. I'd be surprised if he topped 40 points and I think they were counting on more.
Stepan is super consistent and will yet again put up 55 points and frustrate everyone weekly for various reasons.
Dvorak's injury also has me concerned we'll be left waiting for another season or at least several months to see him take the next step. I do hope I'm wrong about this.
Hinostroza is going to be the big non-rookie surprise of the season. He looked super slick on the PP with Keller. I do not think he'll be super effective 5 on 5 but he can put up 40 points or so in limited 5 on 5 deployment + PP time even if our PP is weak like usual. It seems they liked him in the mix for his skillset so he's going to get ample opportunity there.
I believe the key to the season though is not Raanta (beyond a certain point of performance anyway) and not the center situation and what not. It's the team defense. Every single year since 2010 even under Tippett this team has struggled with any sense of cohesion out of the gate on the back end. Last year was the worst example of it but was overshadowed by what happened in net. The Coyotes can get their GF number up pretty easily with a few swaps between Galchenyuk and Domi, Stepan being less terrible early, and even more offense on the back end with the combination of Oesterle/KConn seeing minutes over Schenn. I also think Granlund and the third line will provide slightly more scoring this season along with Fischer's apparent improvement for wherever he ends up eventually.
You can be a halfway not awful team without scoring 250 goals. But you sure as shit can't give up 250 and that's what the Coyotes have done 2 years running (and the year before that was 244). We can't have 2 months of Demers passing to the other team, Hjalmarsson's brains getting rescrambled, OEL forgetting how to shoot again, and Lyubushkin playing more than 30 games cause no one else will clear the f***ing crease on occasion.
If the Coyotes are going to be a good team, meaning above average team that is pretty solidly in the 8-6 range for playoff spots that kind of crap cannot happen again. I think it's going to happen again. Not to the same extent, it won't be as bad or last as long, but they are going to get off to a .500 or slightly below that start and be somewhat behind the 8 ball again. They'll get back in the race a bit midway through but ultimately fall short. What they will do though is win a lot more regulation games.
81 points, 37-38-7
I do think though that if I'm wrong they will beat my prediction not fall far short of it. I would not have said that the last 2 years. IMO what a good Coyotes team looks like this season is a lot like the Blues of last year. Just enough scoring and defense but frustrating because you think they still have room to be better then that.