{coyotes} Coyotes add Zucker, Kerfoot in quest to boost offensive punch

Monday 10 July 2023

{coyotes} Coyotes add Zucker, Kerfoot in quest to boost offensive punch

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2022-23 season: 28-40-14, seventh in Central Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Jason Zucker, F: The 31-year-old signed a one-year contract July 1. Zucker had 48 points (27 goals, 21 assists) in 78 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and is a five-time 20-goal scorer. … Sean Durzi, D: The 24-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on June 24 for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Durzi had 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 72 games last season, his second in the NHL, and one goal in six playoff games. … Nick Bjugstad, F: The 30-year-old signed a two-year contract July 1 after having 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists) in 78 regular-season games for the Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers last season and three goals in 12 postseason games for Edmonton. … Alexander Kerfoot, F: The 28-year-old signed a two-year contract July 1. Kerfoot had 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season and two goals in 11 playoff games. … Troy Stecher, D: The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract July 1. Arizona traded Stecher to the Calgary Flames on March 3. He had a combined 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 81 games last season.

Key departures

Christian Fischer, F: Signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 2. Fischer had 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 80 games last season. … Zack Kassian, F: An unrestricted free agent after the Coyotes bought out the final season of his contract, Kassian scored two goals and was minus-18 in 51 games last season. … Patrik Nemeth, D: Another player who had his contract bought out, Nemeth had five assists and was minus-7 in 75 games. … Connor Mackey, D: Signed a one-year contract with the New York Rangers on July 1. Mackey had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 30 games for the Flames and Coyotes last season.

On the cusp

Logan Cooley, F: The 19-year-old was the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and had 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) in 39 games as a freshman at the University of Minnesota last season, second in NCAA Division I to forward Adam Fantilli's 65 for the University of Michigan. Cooley's 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in seven games for the United States at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship ranked second behind Canada forward Connor Bedard (23 points; nine goals, 14 assists). … Conor Geekie, F: The 19-year-old, the No. 11 pick in 2022, had career-highs of 35 goals and 77 points last season for Winnipeg of the Western Hockey League. Geekie's 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 19 playoff games helped Winnipeg advance to the WHL finals, a five-game loss to Seattle. He'll have a chance at a top-nine spot with the Coyotes, but if he isn't ready, he'll have to play another season in the WHL. … Josh Doan, F: The 21-year-old, selected in the second round (No. 37) of the 2021 NHL Draft, made his professional hockey debut last season with six points (three goals, three assists) in 14 AHL games. The son of Coyotes icon Shane Doan had 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 39 games as a sophomore at Arizona State University. … Jan Jenik, F: The 22-year-old has five points (four goals, one assist) in 17 NHL games. Jenik, chosen in the third round (No. 65) of the 2018 NHL Draft, had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 30 games for Tucson of the AHL last season.

What they still need

Depth scoring. A team that averaged 2.74 goals per game last season, 27th in the NHL, needs Zucker and Kerfoot to add punch to the projected second line. They also need 23-year-old forward Barrett Hayton to take a big leap after he had NHL career highs in goals (19), assists (24) and points (43) in 82 games last season.

They said it

"If you look at where we are as an organization, it's a proud point to be because of how many picks we've accumulated, the picks that we've not only made, but the quality of team that's on the ice in a small timeframe has been a tremendous positive. Now we can take another step of being a better team. We're taking that step with a boatload of draft picks and a lot of talent coming to us." -- Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong

Fantasy focus

Durzi ranks 29th in the NHL among defensemen in power-play points (31; three goals, 28 assists) over the past two seasons combined despite playing mostly on the second unit. Durzi could now see his man-advantage minutes and production skyrocket with constant exposure to high-scoring forwards Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, giving the defenseman fantasy sleeper upside and a realistic chance to be a top-20 player at his position this season. -- Pete Jensen