{coyotes} Defense, goaltending strength of Coyotes lineup

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

{coyotes} Defense, goaltending strength of Coyotes lineup

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In 2011-12, the Arizona Coyotes enjoyed the most successful postseason run in franchise history, reaching the Western Conference Final before losing to the Los Angeles Kings.

Each of the past two seasons since then has followed a similar script. Coach Dave Tippett has kept the Coyotes competitive, but they've ultimately finished just shy of another playoff berth. In 2013-14, they were three points shy of the final wildcard spot after finishing two points behind the Dallas Stars, who would have owned the tiebreaker. Finishing the season with one victory in their final eight games marked the Coyotes' undoing. The year before that, the Coyotes lost eight of nine near the end of the season to fall out of contention.

The name is new, switching from Phoenix to Arizona, but the team will again rely on defense and goaltending to try and carve out a spot in the top eight of the West.

Their top-scoring right wing, Radim Vrbata, is gone. Their top-scoring center, Mike Ribeiro, was bought out because of off-ice issues. Sam Gagner has arrived, but this team was already short on offense up front.

Arizona's defense corps is among the best in the League at supplementing the offense, and if an exciting prospect or two makes the roster, maybe the Coyotes will be able to score enough to help Mike Smith in net. Given how other teams around them in the West have loaded up in the offseason, it isn't going to be easy.

Here's a look at the projected 2014-15 lineup for the Coyotes:

FORWARDS

Mikkel Boedker - Antoine Vermette - Shane Doan

Lauri Korpikoski - Max Domi - Sam Gagner

Martin Erat - Martin Hanzal - David Moss

Brandon McMillan - Joe Vitale - Kyle Chipchura

Rob Klinkhammer - B.J. Crombeen

Ribeiro had a great start to the season until his play dropped off and he was demoted, so the Coyotes aren't really losing their "No. 1 center." But they did lose two of the five players who scored more than 15 goals last season.

Gagner is a natural center, but he's never been great in the faceoff circle and had defensive issues at times with the Edmonton Oilers. If Max Domi or Henrik Samuelsson is ready, it might be worth trying Gagner on the wing to help maximize the talent on the top two lines.

Martin Erat had a terribly unlucky season, and it is possible he could be a productive player again. Arizona could certainly use more offense from Erat and Martin Hanzal.

The Coyotes always have hard-working, responsible role players up front, and new addition Joe Vitale will fit right in. This might be the last chance for Brandon McMillan to prove he's an NHL regular, at least in the desert.

DEFENSEMEN

Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Zbynek Michalek

Keith Yandle - Michael Stone

Brandon Gormley - David Schlemko

Chris Summers

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Keith Yandle are two of the best defensemen in the League at providing offense from the blue line. Ekman-Larsson played a lot with veteran Zbynek Michalek, but a top-four spot is open because Derek Morris was not retained.

Michael Stone and David Schlemko are the most likely candidates to earn a place next to Yandle, but prospect Connor Murphy could surprise. The other young player to watch in camp is Brandon Gormley, who is one of the elite prospects at the position. If Gormley is ready for NHL duty, this group could be even better than it was last season.

GOALTENDERS

Mike Smith

Devan Dubnyk

Smith started 61 games last season, but hasn't been quite as dominant in the past two years as he was in 2011-12, when he had a .930 save percentage in 67 games. The Coyotes also lost one of the best backups in the League when Thomas Greiss, who had a .920 save percentage last season, signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent.

Devan Dubnyk signed a one-year deal to hopefully resuscitate his career. He had a couple of nice seasons for the Edmonton Oilers despite a terrible team in front of him, but 2013-14 was a disaster. He was bad for the Oliers, worse (in a small sample) for the Nashville Predators and eventually ended up in the American Hockey League, where he was passed over when the Montreal Canadiens needed a goalie after Carey Price was hurt during the playoffs.

Dubnyk could be a bargain if he can find his previous form. If not, Mark Visentin might be ready for a backup role as well.

ALSO IN THE MIX: F Henrik Samuelsson, F Lucas Lessio, D Connor Murphy, D Andrew Campbell, G Mark Visentin

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