The Arizona Coyotes failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Arizona (20-41-5) was eliminated from contention when it lost 6-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. Prior to qualifying for the first round of the playoffs in 2020, when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in five games, the Coyotes did not make the playoffs for seven straight seasons.
Here is a look at what happened in the 2021-22 season for the Coyotes and why things could be better next season:
The Skinny
Potential unrestricted free agents: Jay Beagle, F; Phil Kessel, F; Loui Eriksson, F; Alex Galchenyuk, F; Dmitrij Jaskin, F; Antoine Roussel, F; Anton Stralman, D.
Potential restricted free agents: Lawson Crouse, F; Christian Fischer, F; Barrett Hayton, F; Kyle Capobianco, D; Cam Dineen, D; Josef Korenar, G.
Potential 2022 Draft picks: 10
What went wrong
Bad start: The Coyotes went 0-10-1 in their first 11 games before getting their first win of the season against the Seattle Kraken (5-4) on Nov. 6. They didn't have their first winning streak until winning two in a row, against the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings, on Nov. 20 and 21.
Giving up too much: The Coyotes have allowed 236 goals in 66 games, an average of 3.58 goals per game this season, which has them 29th in the NHL. They have struggled the most in second periods, allowing 86 goals (last).
Special teams issues: Neither the penalty kill nor the power play was the source of much success for the Coyotes this season. They are 31st on the power play (13.8 percent) and 29th on the penalty kill (73.5 percent).
Reasons for optimism
Rebounding Clayton Keller: The forward leads the Coyotes with 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists). The goals are an NHL career high and Keller is two points away from the NHL career-high 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists) he scored in 2017-18. It's a bounce-back season for the 23-year-old, who scored 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 56 games last season. Keller is wrapping up the second season of an eight-year contract he signed with Arizona on Sept. 5, 2019. If he can produce like this consistently, it'll be a boon for the Coyotes moving forward.
Nick Schmaltz: The forward is having one of the best seasons of his NHL career. Despite being out more than a month because of a lower-body injury, Schmaltz is second on the Coyotes with 45 points (19 goals, 26 assists) in 47 games. He's six points away from his NHL career-high of 52 (21 goals, 31 assists) he scored in 78 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017-18.
Draft picks: The Coyotes have 10 picks in the 2022 NHL Draft, including three in the first round (two conditional) and four in the second round. It's an opportunity to help while they continue to rebuild.
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