Follow @james_tanner123 The Coyotes were basically the worst team in the NHL this year.
And while you can blame bad luck for their not getting the draft pick the worst team should get, they essentially did it to themselves. The Coyotes, you see, went 5-0 against the Oilers this year.
Had the Coyotes lost but two of those games, they'd have been in last place and guaranteed one of the two gems of the draft. Had they lost four of them, not only would the Coyotes have had a 20% chance at picking first, but the Oilers would have been passed by the Leafs.
And there is no reason that the Coyotes couldn't have lost four of those games: even with a 5-0 record against the league's third-worst team, the Coyotes still finished below them.
So you can blame the improbable 5-0 record of the Coyotes vs the Oilers for the top pick going to the worst possible place.
But I digress from my main topic. I want to look over the next few days at the Coyotes potential lineup. Not next year, because too many of their best prospects were playing junior this year, but soon.
I thought if we looked at a potential future lineup, we could get an idea of where the Coyotes need to look for improvements and perhaps get a better idea of who they should draft with this years with the third pick.
Centres:
Christian Dvorak:
Currently playing centre for the London Knights. He is 6' 190 and was drafted by the Coyotes in the second round, 58th overall.
In his draft year, injuries limited him to 33 games and he picked up just 14 points. This year, he exploded for 109 points in 66 games. This suggests that his injury was fortunate to the Coyotes and that if a do-over occurred, he'd likely go in the first round.
He centres Max Domi in the OHL and there is no reason they can't team up in the NHL.
Martin Hanzal:
At a $3.1 Hanzal would be one of the biggest value players in the NHL if he could stay healthy. After having season-ending back surgery, there is optimism that his health woes could be behind him. A freakishly huge player who dominates down low and posts good possession numbers, only health issues hold Hanzal back from being an elite two-way centre.
Ryan MacInnis:
67 games, 62 points this year with the Kitchener Rangers. The Coyotes took him in the second round 43rd overall, in last years draft. Like Dvorak, MacInnis production jumped sharply in his second OHL year and he looks like he'll eventually be a solid NHL centre.
Kyle Chipchura:
The Coyotes should invest long-term in Chipchura. One of the great underrated players, Chipchura can anchor the fourth line, making it useful and gaining an edge over most teams other fourth line, but he can also move up the lineup when necessary. He's 29 and can provide leadership to a young team going forward. One more years is on his contract, but the Coyotes should lock him up now.
Other Centres:
Laurent Dauphin is a 20 year old former second round pick. He put up 75 points in 56 games playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this year.
Brenden Shinnimin Had a cup of coffee in the Show this year, played 12 games looks alright for a grinder. He's 24, put up 2/3 of a ppg in the AHL this year. He could be a nice depth piece for the future.
Sam Gagner and Tobias Reider are both extremely useful players going forward and both are often listed as centres, but I think that both players' future in the NHL are on the wing.
Still, I don't think they are deep enough with Blue-Chippers to discount the idea of drafting Dylan Strome. That being said, Hanifin is an excellent choice and the Coyotes have always shown a love for building through the blue-line. If they chose to go with Hanifin at third, they would still have a very deep crop of centres coming up, and I think it's reasonable to think that Dvorak, Hanzal, MacInnis, Chipchura - though maybe lacking a truly elite high-end C - is still a great overall group.
Plus, you have to factor that they have three other first round picks in the next two years, so it's not strictly necessary that they decide today who their top line C will be going forward, and it's not strictly necessary that they take Strome, although I think that group does look a LOT better if you have him.
Something to think about.
Thanks for reading.