The 2017-2018 Arizona Coyotes Prediction Thread

[ClassLessCoyote]

Make your predictions here.

Click to read more...

 

[Ebb]

I predict a fun and exciting season for all...

Of course we still need a #2 and #1 RW with RHSs, but that is most likely not in the cards.

 

[Grimes]

If everything clicks, Ranta looks like a starter and the Ducks/Sharks struggle and have injuries there's a playoff shot. I think we would need to be 3rd in the Pacific to make the playoffs though.

Otherwise, 21/31 teams. Win the lottery and pick in the top three because the hockey gods are finally blessing the desert.

 

[moosemeister]

I expect a bottom 10 finish, but somewhere in between 7-10.

I also fully expect a fun year. Lots of speed and skill.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

I predict the Coyotes will play the remainder of their home games w/o having to cancel/reschedule due to ice issues.

 

[_Del_]

I expect a bottom 10 finish, but somewhere in between 7-10.

I also fully expect a fun year. Lots of speed and skill.

That's my hope/expectation as well. Much more confident with Demers, but we're still very young and thin. Would've liked another quality veteran add up front to push kids down, but maybe we're still working. We're going to have a rough season. Hopefully the guys get some confidence going and opportunities, and we'll be better next year.

 

[lanky]

I'm still on a high from the Demers trade... mark me down for 89 points!

 

[Spirit of Lindgren]

i predict the same excitement I've felt every night in that arena the last 5 years. After a couple of humiliating games where the fans don't come through again, they'll start showing up.
It won't be a humiliating experience in there anymore where there can be 5000 empty seats on Shane Doan Bobblehead Night or Tips 1000th game...no more experiences where a Yotes player can score a hat trick at home and no hats hit the ice because its against a big team and the fans are too intimidated to show up...
The times they are a changin'....starting around the 3rd game of the year!!!
LETS GO YOTES!

 

[Toadie]

93 points, third in the Pacific because of Pacific team domination

Also a nice lil tidbit from NHL.com

ARIZONA COYOTES

Last season: 30-42-10, 70 points, 24 points out of second wild card

How it ended: A 3-11-2 record in December left the Coyotes 13 points out of a wild card when the month ended.

Biggest offseason change: On June 23, the Coyotes acquired defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dauphin, and got center Derek Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta in a trade with the New York Rangers for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the No. 7 pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. General manager John Chayka said he found a No. 1 center, a No. 1 goaltender and solidified his No. 1 defense pair with the trades.

Why they could get in: Hjalmarsson adds leadership and a presence to a defense group that features offensive-minded Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski. Raanta could do for the Coyotes what another former Rangers backup, Cam Talbot, did for the Edmonton Oilers when he got a chance to be the No. 1. The Coyotes will be driven by their young forwards. Max Domi, 22, Tobias Rieder, 24, and Christian Dvorak, 21, were three of the top six in points last season, and joining them on a full-time basis this season should be Brendan Perlini, 21, Christian Fischer, 20, Dylan Strome, 20, and Clayton Keller, 19. All have been big performers at lower levels; now they'll need to show they can produce in the NHL. New coach Rick Tocchet will be tasked with keeping everyone focused through the ups and downs of an 82-game season. His abilities as a teacher were lauded during his time as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins and his two seasons as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-10). If he can keep things positive and the young players reach their potential, the pieces are in place to push for a wild card, or even a top-three spot in the Pacific Division.

https://www.nhl.com/news/western-co...eturn-to-postseason/c-291099162?tid=282278696

 

[cobra427]

It is too hard to predict at this point, too many changes and we need 20 points more than last year to likely get in. That is a tough hill for any team, so odds are against us.

The Good news:

We have the best 6D we have had since the WCF run, and all vets except for Chych. If we stay healthy, the D should be very good. Stepan is better than Hanzal and we get him for a full year.

The bad news: Verby and his production is gone. I know you guys hate Smith but he played well last year, kept us away from Colorado point wise.

The unknown: Does Raantta play as well as he did last year, and or as good or better than smith? And does LD play well as a back up or if he gets more time? What kind of year Strome/Keller/Duclair/Domi/Perlini/crouse/fischer have? We likely get a few standouts and a few missing expectations. Is Tocc a good head coach, better than Tip, maybe, maybe not? I hope he is, I'm rooting for him, but we just don't know yet how he will work out.

It could be a year of growing pains but because of our better D, I see us at 80 points minimum. If things went really well, I could see 90+ points and in the playoff hunt last 10 games.

 

[Matias Maccete]

Honestly I have no ****ing idea. I think we start slow, and pick up heavily after the first quarter of the season. I think we stay in the hunt but miss the playoffs. There's so much uncertainty though, I could see a bottom 5 or playoff finish too. Regardless I'm super pumped, I'm probably going to get another 10 game flex pack halfway through the season since I've used like 7 already.

 

[0point1]

I would say this is pretty close:

I expect a bottom 10 finish, but somewhere in between 7-10.

But I would bump it up to bottom 8-12.

(I know this won't happen but) If we land a top 6 forward that can put up 50pts then we would be a playoff team.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

All I know is that we'll be picking 12th.

 

[BUX7PHX]

82 points.

 

[TheLegend]

All I know is that we'll be picking 12th.

Does that mean you rank us the 9th worst and the usual lottery results kick us down three more spots??

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

Does that mean you rank us the 9th worst and the usual lottery results kick us down three more spots??

I think he meant will finish 12th and pick 15th.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Does that mean you rank us the 9th worst and the usual lottery results kick us down three more spots??

I think he meant will finish 12th and pick 15th.

It can mean many, many things...

 

[Bonsai Tree]

Man, I haven't a clue. I was so wrong last year. I thought that they would break .500 at least. The D backs have surpirsed, perhaps the Yotes will too.

 

[SniperHF]

I usually like to predict as a comparison to the rest of the league. Not ready to do that yet. Maybe in a few weeks.

Man, I haven't a clue. I was so wrong last year. I thought that they would break .500 at least. The D backs have surpirsed, perhaps the Yotes will too.

Might be useful to look at what constituted the surprise and see if that can happen here.

1)
The Diamondbacks had two all star level players in Greinke and Goldschmidt who had down seasons, prime for a return to normal levels. The Coyotes have one equivalent player in that space, OEL.

2)
Two key players who were injured most of the year, Peralta and Pollock. For the Coyotes, that applies to Domi.

3)
Several players finally put it all together in Bradley, Walker, Godley, and Ray. Obviously there are loads of examples of young players who could break out on the Coyotes.


4)
Corbin's resurgence/saving his career. Duclair is probably the only example available for the Coyotes in that regard.

5)
Culture change. Both teams did a full revamp.


The big problem for the Coyotes is #1 and 2. They don't have the established talent at that level to carry the load.

But obviously some of the conditions are there for a surge. Short of a Toronto style youth explosion though, I don't think it's enough to really foist the team into relevancy.

But we can always hope

 

[Mosby]

I think our division will go:

1. Anaheim
2. Edmonton
3. Calgary
4. San Jose
5. Arizona
6. Los Angeles
7. Vancouver
8. Vegas

If we add a right-shot winger, basically a Vrbata replacement, I think we can leapfrog San Jose. Likely need a top 3 finish to make the playoffs, considering the Central will likely lock up both wildcards.

 

[AZviaNJ]

I think our division will go:

1. Anaheim
2. Edmonton
3. Calgary
4. San Jose
5. Arizona
6. Los Angeles
7. Vancouver
8. Vegas

If we add a right-shot winger, basically a Vrbata replacement, I think we can leapfrog San Jose. Likely need a top 3 finish to make the playoffs, considering the Central will likely lock up both wildcards.

For me:

1. Anaheim
2. Edmonton
3. San Jose
4. Arizona (85 points...9th or 10 in the WC)
5. LA Kings
6. Calgary (epic fail)
7. Vancouver
8. Vegas

Agree, the path to the playoffs is through the Pacific. JT, Ward, Braun, Burns, Martin, Vlasic all 30+. Is this the year SJ falls back? And will they fall back enough?

 

[Mosby]

I wonder if SJ will be able to score enough goals. Their wing depth is terrible.

But right now, Pavelski + Burns + Jones > Stepan + OEL + Raanta

 

[Matias Maccete]

I think our division will go:

1. Anaheim
2. Edmonton
3. Calgary
4. San Jose
5. Arizona
6. Los Angeles
7. Vancouver
8. Vegas

If we add a right-shot winger, basically a Vrbata replacement, I think we can leapfrog San Jose. Likely need a top 3 finish to make the playoffs, considering the Central will likely lock up both wildcards.

I agree with your top 4, but I'm not sold on that other order. I'd switch San Jose and Calgary, and Edmonton and Anaheim. I'm also not certain we finish ahead of LA, that may be close. I'd switch Vegas and Vancouver probably too. I'd go:

Edmonton
Anaheim
San Jose
Calgary
Arizona
LA
Vegas
Vancouver

 

[cobra427]

I would be some what surprised if the Oilers or Ducks missed the playoffs, and shocked if Vegas or Vancouver made it. Outside of that, any of the other teams could be sub 85 points or be in at 95+ points.

 

[Tad Mikowski]

I think we just miss the playoffs but the excitement around the team explodes as we are in the hunt till the end. The team will look completely different from years past and it attracts some more fans than we are used to seeing. Not sellout status but just more numbers in general. Everything hinges on the young guns and the new faces. If they play well we have a good shot. if they don't then it could be a long year again.