Season Outlook: Arizona Coyotes

[_Del_]

I'm counting on KConn to steal Richie's spot at 4RW

So then we're only rolling seven D.

Honestly though, I have no problem keeping 8 on the roster. Hopefully they all look good and we're forced to rotate them in and out, trade some one, or run 11F-7D.

 

[cobra427]

1. OEL
2. Hjalmarsson
3. Goligoski
4. Chychrun
5. Demers
6. Connauton
7. Oesterle/Lyubushkin
8. Lyubushkin/Oesterle

My money is on Oesterle, but I really doubt we carry 8 D regularly, so I don’t expect a three man rotation.

We will have an injury in the top 6 along with Chych not being ready to go opening night. All 8 will get time and chances.

 

[Mosby]

The other factor here is Lyubushkin can make AHL money in Tucson, so that will likely dictate where he plays.

 

[SniperHF]

I actually don't think it's a long shot we carry 8. They did that toward the end of last season.
If KConn asserts himself or Oesterle clearly takes his job, then they might carry only 7. But otherwise I think we will carry 8 for a while.

 

[moosemeister]

The other factor here is Lyubushkin can make AHL money in Tucson, so that will likely dictate where he plays.

I'm guessing we terminate his contract if he doesn't make the NHL squad.

 

[rt]

Morgan’s article in the Athletic indicates he’s willing to go to the AHL if need be

I'm guessing we terminate his contract if he doesn't make the NHL squad.

 

[Lilhoody]

I actually don't think it's a long shot we carry 8. They did that toward the end of last season.
If KConn asserts himself or Oesterle clearly takes his job, then they might carry only 7. But otherwise I think we will carry 8 for a while.

He's probably cool until Chychrun returns.

 

[azcanuck]

we're still to weak on the back end and don't have enough skilled/gritty type forwards.
We will be looking at that 8th playoff spot for much of the year but in the end it will prove to be elusive.

 

[Lilhoody]

we're still to weak on the back end and don't have enough skilled/gritty type forwards.
We will be looking at that 8th playoff spot for much of the year but in the end it will prove to be elusive.

...much like the Diamondbacks!

 

[Name Nameless]

we're still to weak on the back end and don't have enough skilled/gritty type forwards.
We will be looking at that 8th playoff spot for much of the year but in the end it will prove to be elusive.

I don't agree. The defence is very good. The group of forwards are stronger than last year. And Raanta will make the saves.

This game was really not much to care about, a good thing it wasn't televised then

 

[BUX7PHX]

Have a weird feeling that Lyubushkin will stay up in the NHL.

I am not suggesting that his signing is intertwined with the trade for Galchenyuk, but a player like Lyubushkin with less understanding of the English language would kind of be in a strange spot in Tucson with very few people likely to be able to communicate effectively with him. I truly believe we added him to put a sense of fear into our opponents, provided that he doesn't go out of his way to hit players and put himself in bad spots. Having Galchenyuk around will help with communication aspect and while it would be wrong for us to keep Lyubushkin up in the NHL just b/c it makes communication lines easier, I believe that was also part of the reason for continuing to pursue Galchenyuk as well, with both players in the NHL to start the season. Could also open the door for trades if he shows some extreme promise as a 5/6/7 D type.

 

[Jakey53]

Have a weird feeling that Lyubushkin will stay up in the NHL.

I am not suggesting that his signing is intertwined with the trade for Galchenyuk, but a player like Lyubushkin with less understanding of the English language would kind of be in a strange spot in Tucson with very few people likely to be able to communicate effectively with him. I truly believe we added him to put a sense of fear into our opponents, provided that he doesn't go out of his way to hit players and put himself in bad spots. Having Galchenyuk around will help with communication aspect and while it would be wrong for us to keep Lyubushkin up in the NHL just b/c it makes communication lines easier, I believe that was also part of the reason for continuing to pursue Galchenyuk as well, with both players in the NHL to start the season. Could also open the door for trades if he shows some extreme promise as a 5/6/7 D type.

I don't think signing Lyubushkin had anything to do trading for Chucky. I do believe that Chayka thinks Lyubushkin has a good chance of making the team in the near future, but time will tell. We sure could use his physicality. That's why I hope Crouse makes the team, but RT only played him less than 12 minutes in the first preseason game, the least TOI of any forward not named Archibald.

 

[zerekstar]

Is Lyubushkin's game similar to Schenn?

 

[BUX7PHX]

I don't think signing Lyubushkin had anything to do trading for Chucky. I do believe that Chayka thinks Lyubushkin has a good chance of making the team in the near future, but time will tell. We sure could use his physicality. That's why I hope Crouse makes the team, but RT only played him less than 12 minutes in the first preseason game, the least TOI of any forward not named Archibald.

I agree that the signing doesn't appear to be related, but I do find it interesting that Lyubushkin has little English skills and the only person that it would appear that he could converse easily with is Galchenyuk. No one of Russian descent in the AHL.

Plus, he is 24 years old and has played in the KHL for the last 4 years, so I don't know if the learning curve is quite that extensive for him.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

Luby is going to stay on the club, IMO and become that solid, physical stay at home defensemen that we have been lacking. We've had physical defensmen and stay at home defensemen, but they haven't been solid enough.

 

[azcanuck]

I don't agree. The defence is very good. The group of forwards are stronger than last year. And Raanta will make the saves.

This game was really not much to care about, a good thing it wasn't televised then

The defense is essentially the same. The same one that allows to many shots. Raanta had top 5 save percentage in the league. Now that's a good thing but we were still cellar dwellers.
getting close but we'll see. Will be a fun season and the first time in a long time I'm not predicting they are at the bottom of the league.

 

[rt]

Beating Connauton and Oesterle is a very long shot. I think his chances are extremely slim. Connauton had ten goals in the nhl last year. Oesterle averaged over 20mins of ice time per game for the Blackhawks last year. Lyubushkin has never played a professional hockey game in North America. He’s got a VERY long way to catch up. I don’t think he does it in a single camp.

He’s going to need to prove himself in Tucson until there are injuries to the nhl blue line. Even then, he has to make himself the top call up over the likes of Murphy and Capobianco. I think that’s the real challenge for him. He’s not competing with Connauton and Oesterle for an nhl spot; he’s competing with Murphy and Capobianco for the first call up spot.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Beating Connauton and Oesterle is a very long shot. I think his chances are extremely slim. Connauton had ten goals in the nhl last year. Oesterle averaged over 20mins of ice time per game for the Blackhawks last year. Lyubushkin has never played a professional hockey game in North America. He’s got a VERY long way to catch up. I don’t think he does it in a single camp.

He’s going to need to prove himself in Tucson until there are injuries to the nhl blue line. Even then, he has to make himself the top call up over the likes of Murphy and Capobianco. I think that’s the real challenge for him. He’s not competing with Connauton and Oesterle for an nhl spot; he’s competing with Murphy and Capobianco for the first call up spot.

Possibly - I mean, he has played in the KHL for 4 years since being 20 years old. He has been in the upper 70th percentile or better in +/- every year in the KHL (probably speaks more to what Lokomotiv Yaroslavl's talent level is). And this was on a team that basically had to rebuild itself after that plane crash (I think Ilya was 16 or 17 at the time, playing for their junior team). He is right-handed, so depending on what Tocchet/Chayka's penchant is for having righties and lefties to choose from, he may be closer to being brought up for need as a RH shot than need as a player, in general. I agree that he would have a tough time knocking Connauton or Oesterle off their perch, but if the idea is to get a crease clearer and someone who is willing to throw their body around, he is up there on the shorter list of individuals whose game is built that way.

 

[Jakey53]

Possibly - I mean, he has played in the KHL for 4 years since being 20 years old. He has been in the upper 70th percentile or better in +/- every year in the KHL (probably speaks more to what Lokomotiv Yaroslavl's talent level is). And this was on a team that basically had to rebuild itself after that plane crash (I think Ilya was 16 or 17 at the time, playing for their junior team). He is right-handed, so depending on what Tocchet/Chayka's penchant is for having righties and lefties to choose from, he may be closer to being brought up for need as a RH shot than need as a player, in general. I agree that he would have a tough time knocking Connauton or Oesterle off their perch, but if the idea is to get a crease clearer and someone who is willing to throw their body around, he is up there on the shorter list of individuals whose game is built that way.

I agree with rt, but I can't wait to see him play. I love big hits, something we don't see very often.

 

[_Del_]

The defense is essentially the same. The same one that allows to many shots.

We allowed 32 shots against a game last year about the middle of the pack. Only five teams were under 30. The year prior we were with Buffalo at the bottom of the pack.

2016-17
27.8/34.1 -6.3 differential
2017-18
29.9/32.2 -2.3 differential

We've got some work still to do, but we're not resting on the floor of the basement anymore either.


Re: Lyubushkin
His chances were obviously better before we picked up Oesterle, but I'm fine having him as our number eight on the roster depending on how it shakes out.

Play the hell out of those three in the preseason and see what we've got. I think Kconn falls back to earth, but Tocchet likes him and will consider him a "known". See what Oesterle looks like as a complimentary piece higher in the lineup. Schenn got into sixty something games last year, so if Lyubushkin is even semi-decent, he'll probably get into games. I also still think they are open to moving Demers, so I think all three of those guys are going to get an actual chance.

 

[AZviaNJ]

The defense is essentially the same. The same one that allows to many shots. Raanta had top 5 save percentage in the league. Now that's a good thing but we were still cellar dwellers.
getting close but we'll see. Will be a fun season and the first time in a long time I'm not predicting they are at the bottom of the league.

The Coyotes were tied for 18th in SA per game while icing a very young team, learning a new system and shot suppression king Hjalmarsson playing only 48 games.

Coyotes gave up 3.06 goals per game, 21st in the league...…….negatively driven by the ugly start with Louie playing 7 games (.856 save %), Wedgewood starting 17 games (.899) and Hill 4 games (.891).

If Raanta can play 75% of the games this season and match his career .922 save percentage and Kuemper play the other 25% and match his career .912 (this one's a concern) the Coyotes can reduce their GA from:

251 goals - 2017-2018
214 goals - 2018-2019

214 goals allowed would have been 5th best in the NHL last season.

 

[Price is Wright]

Galchenyuk also speaks Italian if anyone cared.

 

[Name Nameless]

I agree with rt, but I can't wait to see him play. I love big hits, something we don't see very often.

To me, this would depend on how close he is to getting a minor every time he hits. And how the refs reacts.

We don't need to practice the penalty kill all the time IMHO.

 

[Jakey53]

To me, this would depend on how close he is to getting a minor every time he hits. And how the refs reacts.

We don't need to practice the penalty kill all the time IMHO.

I understand, but I like the old time hockey with lots of hits and a fight or two here and there.

 

[cobra427]

The Coyotes were tied for 18th in SA per game while icing a very young team, learning a new system and shot suppression king Hjalmarsson playing only 48 games.

Coyotes gave up 3.06 goals per game, 21st in the league...…….negatively driven by the ugly start with Louie playing 7 games (.856 save %), Wedgewood starting 17 games (.899) and Hill 4 games (.891).

If Raanta can play 75% of the games this season and match his career .922 save percentage and Kuemper play the other 25% and match his career .912 (this one's a concern) the Coyotes can reduce their GA from:

251 goals - 2017-2018
214 goals - 2018-2019

214 goals allowed would have been 5th best in the NHL last season.

I think this is wishful thinking. Raanta has never played 60+ games, let alone being able to do it at a .922 pace. He would win the Vezina, thats a los to expect. I do hope you are right, we make the playoffs if we are top 5 in GAA.