If the Arizona Coyotes intend to rid themselves of the streak of not making the playoffs for the past four seasons, they must play well against their own division. Those games become four point affairs, and can move a team up or down in the standings quickly.
Even with the success the Coyotes enjoyed against their Pacific Division foes last season, they fell short by nine points in qualifying for the post season.
Their 16-10-3 record for 35 points out of a possible 58 points gave them a .603 winning percentage, and those 35 points were .449 per cent of their points against the entire league.
If they can play as well as they did last season against the tough Pacific Division, and improve their play against the other opponents, they stand a shot at being in the playoffs.
What must be factored in is that the teams they face have improved, just as they have.
Here's the competition the Coyotes face in the Pacific Division:
Anaheim Ducks
New faces:
Jonathan Bernier (G)
Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs after the Leafs signed Frederik Andersen. It almost seemed that the two teams swapped goalies, when in effect both players were RFA's able to sign with any team.
Bernier will be the backup, as this is really John Gibson's team. It would seem that Toronto made out better in this exchange of goalies.
Antione Vermette (C)
After being bought out by the Coyotes to make room for younger centers like Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak, Vermette signed a two-year $2.5 million contract with the Ducks. Vermette is a veteran player with good face-off skills and should help the Ducks anemic scoring, which was 18th in the NHL last season.
Promising prospect
At the 24th pick of the NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks chose Max Jones of the OHL London Knights. He tallied 28 goals, 24 assists in 63 games, but may not be NHL ready. When he is, the Ducks will have another big body (6' 3", 203) to create havoc in front of the opposition's net. Like they really need that.
Last season's record:
The Ducks went 46-25-11 for 103 points, and first place in the Pacific Division. They had a really slow start with a lowly record of 17-24 by game 41. They then turned things around finishing the season with a 29-12 record, including an 11 game winning streak.
Losing 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs did in Bruce Boudreau as Head Coach. Randy Carlyle is back behind the bench to see if the Ducks can move past the first round of the playoffs this time around.
Coyotes' record - the Ducks last season:
With a 2-2-1 record, the Coyotes played them well, and the Ducks had the BEST goals against record in the NHL, just allowing a stingy 192 goals all year.
Scheduled games - the Coyotes 2016-17:
11-4-16 at Anaheim
1-6-17 at Anaheim
1-14-17 at Arizona
2-20-17 at Arizona
Outlook:
The Arizona Coyotes always play the Ducks tough, and have improved their offense and defense enough to at least split the four games against the Ducks. The key to defeating the Ducks is to stop Corey Perry and Ryan Getslaf. Easier said than done.
Los Angeles Kings
New faces:
None to really mention. The Los Angeles Kings really couldn't afford to make a pitch to keep Milan Lucic's $6 million cap hit, so they lost him in free agency to the Edmonton Oilers. They also lost Vincent Lecavalier when he decided to retire at age 36. Even without Lucic's lucrative salary, the Kings have other stars like Anze Kopitar ($10 million), Drew Doughty ($7 million), Dustin Brown ($5,875,000), Jonathan Quick ($5,800,000), Jeff Carter ($5,272,727), and Marian Gaborik ($4,875,000). That alone amounts to almost $39 million.
Last season's record:
The Kings finished 48-28-6 for 102 points, and second behind the Ducks by just one point. After being beaten handily by the San Jose Sharks 4-1 in the playoffs, there were rumors that Head Coach Darryl Sutter would leave his position. After some deep soul searching he decided to return.
He still has a very good team, and even without Lucic, they will be right up there competing for the Pacific Division crown.
Whenever your team has the Norris Memorial Trophy winner (Drew Doughty) protecting your blueline, you've got a valuable asset to use towards being successful on the ice.
Coyotes' record - the Kings last season:
The upstart Coyotes really took it to the Kings last season, accumulating a 3-1-1 record against their arch rival. The Coyotes' "Killer D's" Max Domi, and Anthony Duclair collected seven points in the five games against the Kings.
The Kings gave up only 195 goals last season. If the Coyotes' defense picks up after the acquisitions of Alex Goligoski and former King Luke Schenn, then the Coyotes' dominance over the Tinsel Town Kings will continue.
Scheduled games - the Coyotes 2016-17:
12-1-16 at Arizona
1-31-17 at Arizona
2-16-17 at Los Angeles
3-14-17 at Los Angeles
4-2-17 at Los Angeles
Outlook:
The improvements made to the Coyotes' roster has got to help them continue or improve on their success against the Kings. If a young player by the name of Lawson Crouse makes the final roster cuts for the Desert Dogs, his size (6' 4" 220 pounds) will give them the type of player that the Kings had in Lucic. Crouse is anticipating playing for Arizona, but he has to show the team he is NHL ready.
If he is, then the tide will turn, and other NHL teams will need to figure out how to handle two big bodies in Martin Hanzal and Crouse when they attack their net.
San Jose Sharks
New faces:
Mikkel Boedker (LW)
Boedker, a former Coyote, and Colorado Avalanche winger, will be on his third team in two years. If he doesn't excel on the San Jose Sharks with all their talent and success of late, then he may not be worth the four-year, $16 million contract he signed with them.
There's no doubt Boedker will add speed and scoring ability to the Sharks lineup, but it will be weird seeing him in a Shark uniform after playing his entire career for Arizona, until he was traded to Colorado.
That trade has not given many dividends to Arizona, as Alex Tanguay has not been re-signed, and Conner Bleackley's draft rights went to the St. Louis Blues after the Coyotes declined to offer him a contract due to his injury history.
The only dividend the Yotes kept in that trade is Kyle Wood, and he may turn out to be quite a catch. The prospect defenseman stands 6' 5", 209 pounds. He adds to the already impressive prospect depth the team has in their system.
David Schlemko (D)
Another former Coyote who played fairly decently last season for the New Jersey Devils (6 goals, 13 assists in 67 games) will help fortify the Sharks blueline. It seems that Schlemko was a late bloomer, and is finally progressing into a NHL player.
Last season's record:
The Sharks were 46-30-6 for 98 points and third in their division. Of course, none of that mattered because they went on to appear in the Stanley Cup Finals against the eventual winner, Pittsburgh Penguins.
Coyotes' record - the Sharks last season:
The Coyotes had little luck trying to defeat the powerful Sharks, finishing with a 1-4 season record. They were shutout twice in close games, but Coyote killer and World Cup Team USA Captain Joe Pavelski had two goals and an assist in the games against Arizona to lead the San Jose hockey club.
Scheduled games - the Coyotes 2016-17:
11-1-16 at Arizona
11-19-16 at Arizona
11-29-16 at San Jose
2-4-17 at San Jose
2-18-17 at Arizona
Outlook:
The Arizona Coyotes will do well to win two of the five games against the Sharks. The Sharks have improved their speed by acquiring Boedker, and are solid throughout their lineup.
The other factor is to limit the damage Joe Pavelski does against them and that just doesn't seem to be happening, as he has an amazing scoring record (29 points) against the Coyotes.
The only advantage to the Yotes is that three of the five games will be played in Arizona, and with a team who's gone to the Cup Finals that is hardly an advantage.
Calgary Flames
New faces:
Brian Elliott (G)
Elliott was acquired from the St. Louis Blues for a second and third round pick in 2018. It definitely fortifies the Calgary Flames net with his addition. Elliott boasted a 38-23-8 record with a .930 save percentage, and an impressive 2.07 goals against average.
So, why would the Blues give up such a talented goalie?
They still have Jake Allen, and the fight for who was the starter is now solved. Elliott went to the Flames, and will do well for them. And, seeing as how the Flames were dead last in goals against last season (260, 3.17 goals per game), Elliott has got to help them improve with that poor statistic.
Troy Brouwer (RW)
Brouwer was signed as a free agent away from the St. Louis Blues after having a fairly good season totaling 18 goals, 21 assists in 82 games. He also performed very well in the playoffs with eight goals, five assists in 20 games.
And that is exactly what the Flames hope to do -- make the playoffs.
Chad Johnson (G)
This is another good pickup by the Flames. They now have two excellent goalies to fortify the net. Johnson had a good year with a 22-16-4 record, and a .920 save percentage. His 2.36 goals against average was good for a team like the Buffalo Sabres who did not make the playoffs.
Promising prospect
At the sixth selection of the NHL Entry Draft, the Flames chose wisely in gathering in Matthew Tkachuk. His 30 goals, 77 assists in just 57 games with the OHL Memorial Cup champs London Knights in addition to his 20 goals, 20 assists in 18 playoff games shows he's NHL ready.
Last season's record:
The Flames finished 35-40-7 and were a disappointment, just one point behind the Coyotes in the final standings. They came out of the gate 8-16, before winning seven straight games. They were a lot like the Coyotes, in that their lack of consistency cost them a chance at qualifying for the post-season.
Coyotes' record - the Flames last season:
The Coyotes took three of four games from the Calgary crew last season. They hope to continue that record, but the Flames have really upgraded their team. They still need to sign their star young player Johnny Gaudreau to a contract, but did sign Sean Monahan to a seven-year $44.6 million extension.
Scheduled games - the Coyotes 2016-17:
11-16-16 at Calgary
12-8-16 at Arizona
12-19-16 at Arizona
12-31-16 at Calgary
2-13-17 at Calgary
Outlook:
The Arizona Coyotes are going to have a difficult task to match or improve on their record against the new and improved Flames this upcoming season.
But the Coyotes are also improved, and still have the speed and youth to take on any Pacific Division opponent. The three games in December can be very pivotal as to who has the upper hand between these two tough competitors.
It will be a dog-fight to the end to see which team bests the other, and perhaps propels them into playoff competition. The Flames have been in the playoffs twice since the 2008-09 season, but without much success losing in the first round once, and the second round another year.
They're hungry, but the Coyotes should be hungrier having not qualified for post-season play since 2011-12.
Grab your popcorn, this series should be very entertaining.
Vancouver Canucks
New faces:
Loui Eriksson (LW)
The Vancouver Canucks landed a top line free agent when they signed Eriksson to a six-year $36 million contract this summer. With Eriksson, 31 the Canucks immediately became a better offensive hockey club. He scored 30 goals, 33 assists last season for the Boston Bruins and played all 82 games.
The Vancouver offense was 29th in goal scoring last season, so Eriksson will be a welcome addition to supplement the team's anemic scoring.
The Sedin brothers are slowing down, and the team lost Radim Vrbata who went back to the Arizona Coyotes as a free agent signing.
Promising prospect
With the fifth overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, the Canucks selected defenseman Olli Juolevi who played for the (you guessed it...) OHL London Knights. With nine goals, 33 assists in 57 games, it was an obvious selection for the Vancouver team. He also added three goals, 11 assists in 18 playoff games for the Memorial Cup champs.
It's a fairly certain prediction that Juolevi will make the team at training camp. And, the Canucks can use him, as they finished 24th in goals against last season.
Last season's record:
The Canucks finished a disappointing 31-38-13 for sixth in the Pacific Division. With the addition of Eriksson and Juolevi they should be more successful.
Just another Pacific Division team who got better, and will compete for a playoff spot against the Arizona Coyotes.
Coyotes' record - the Canucks last season:
The Canucks had the Coyotes by the tail last season winning three of the four contests they played them.
With the Canucks added scoring from Eriksson, and their young defenseman Juolevi on the blueline, they will be a stronger hurdle for the Coyotes to jump over in the playoff race.
The Coyotes need to play them better if they wish to progress past them and battle the other tough teams in the division.
Scheduled games - the Coyotes 2016-17:
11-23-16 at Arizona
1-4-17 at Vancouver
1-26-17 at Arizona
4-6-17 at Arizona
Outlook:
The Coyotes need to win three of the four scheduled games to stand a chance to get to that magic 88-90 point plateau required to go to the playoffs.
Will they make it? They should, with three of the four games being on home ice where they tallied 48 of their 78 total points last season.
It would be nice to see Radim Vrbata go off and score some important goals against his old team-mates. Sweet revenge.
Edmonton Oilers
New faces:
Milan Lucic (LW)
The Edmonton Oilers struck oil when they convinced Lucic to join the team, and they had to cash in some of that oil stock to pay for his huge contract of seven-years, $42 million.
It seems like an excessive amount of money to pay a player, especially when he amassed just 20 goals, 35 assists. He did have five game winning goals, and had an above average shooting percentage of 16.1.
Will this mean the lowly Oilers will finally get out of the cellar of the division?
Perhaps...
Adam Larsson (D)
In a stunning trade, the Oilers knew they needed to upgrade their defense, so they traded with the New Jersey Devils to build up their blueline. Larsson is not an offensive player, and had just three goals, 15 assists last season in 82 games for the Devils. He's big at 6' 3", 205 pounds and a right hand shooter.
Some say New Jersey got the better end of the deal, receiving Taylor Hall, but Larsson was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft. Hall had defensive lapses which cost the team.
Promising prospect
With the fourth overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft this summer, the Oilers took the best player on the board when they selected Jesse Puljujarvi. He's a right wing, and only 18, but comes with high recommendations from scouts. He only played 54 games on two different Finish teams, collecting 18 goals and 17 assists.
We will see if he can meet the rigors of an NHL season. He has great size at 6' 4", 203 pounds, but may need some more maturing to be NHL ready.
Last season's record:
The Oilers came in last in the division, with a 31-43-8 record. They have a wealth of young talent, just as the Coyotes, and may be close to breaking things open and becoming a playoff team soon.
Coyotes' record - the Oilers last season:
The Coyotes enjoy playing the Oilers because they have had their number for a long time. The Yotes won four of the five games, with an overtime loss. Sometimes one team dominates another for no apparent reason. The Coyotes will take the wins, but again -- the Oilers will be a much improved team.
Scheduled games - the Coyotes 2016-17:
11-25-16 at Arizona
11-27-16 at Edmonton
12-21-16 at Arizona
1-16-17 at Edmonton
2-14-17 at Edmonton
Outlook:
Can the Coyotes continue their dominance over the Oilers?
Unlikely...
The Oilers seem to be on a corrected course to winning -- finally. They have an excellent coach in Todd McLellan, and improved their blueline and frontline to hopefully get out of the Pacific Division basement.
This just makes it more difficult for the Coyotes to win as many games as they have in recent history against the up and coming Oilers.
Mark the Oilers down for at least two wins in this series. The comparison as to which team has the better young talent will be front and center. Just look at both rosters and salivate.
Final analysis
The Arizona Coyotes are going to find a tough road to travel playing against the highly improved Pacific Division. Even when the Las Vegas expansion team joins the division next season, the new team will be stocked with some fairly skilled players.
In the end, the Coyotes need to stay focused and on task to make the playoffs -- finally. Their young players must again step forward and take it to the opposition as Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Louis Domingue and Jordan Martinook did last season.
The key still is will goalie Mike Smith be able to replicate his career year he had in 2011-12? And if not, will Domingue be able to take over if that becomes necessary?
Prediction
The Western Conference is every bit as competitive as the Pacific Division. With any NHL team needing a minimum of 85-90 points to qualify for the playoffs, the Coyotes will fall just short again and will be looking on watching other teams playing in the playoffs.
Now next year may be a different story. The young players will have another year of maturing, and the new veterans like Goligoski and McGinn will be more accustomed to their new team-mates.