A year removed from their Cinderella run to the playoffs, the Phoenix Coyotes will be hoping for a little bit of magic again this year. They’re a little lighter on defense this year, but also should pack a little more offensive pop, so the chance for another playoff run is still there, but of course, their fortunes rise and fall with the play of Russian goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. The Coyotes probably won’t be challenging for the Pacific Division title, with LA and the Sharks floating around, but if they play as solid as they did last year, they should be right in the thick of things come springtime.
*Offense:’ The Coyotes were one of the offensively weakest teams in the league last year, netting just 225 goals and had, get this, ONE player with more than 20 goals (Radim Vrbata - 24). Shane Doan led the team with 55 points, but the reason Phoenix was successful despite the lack of recognizable offensive firepower was the fact that 8 of their top 9 forwards had more than 10 goals last year, while newcomers Lee Stempniak and Wojtek Wolski stepped right in to contribute immediately upon arrival. A full season of Stempniak and Wolski along with Scottie Upshall back from injury should help ease the loss of Matthew Lombardi, but the big question will be the development of kids like Mikkel Boedker, Viktor Tikhonov and Kyle Turris, all of whom have tremendous upside and will be solid NHL contributors when they do mature. Ray Whitney’s addition adds a gun to the powerplay unit, which was absolutely horrendous last season.Grade: C’'’Defense’’’: The Coyotes’ bread and butter, the blueline should be solid yet again this season, with a front four of Derek Morris, Adrian Aucoin, Ed Jovanoski and Keith Yandle, in some order. The biggest loss is obviously Zbynek Michalek, who played his way into a fat contract in Pittsburgh, but it opens the way for Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a 19 year old prospect who the Yotes have high hopes for. He’ll get a shot to crack the bottom pairing, along with a few other youngsters, although Sami Lepisto has the inside shot on spot number 5, since he did play 66 games and went +14 last year. Keeping the pressure off the offense is what this defense does best, and that doesn’t change on the penalty kill either. The Coyotes had the 2nd highest penalty kill efficiency rate in the league last year, and should expect the same again this season. Grade: B+’'’Goaltending:’’’ It’s ridiculous to think that just a few years ago, Ilya Bryzgalov was placed on waivers by the Anaheim Ducks. Here in Phoenix, he’s crafted a spot for himself among the elitest goalies in the league. Bryzzie won 42 games last year, posted 8 shutouts and a 2.29 GAA. Quite frankly, without him playing the way he does, this team probably wouldn’t be anywhere near the playoffs. With him, though, they are a serious threat to any team every night of the week.Grade: A’'’Key Additions:’’’ Ray Whitney*Key Losses:’ Zbynek Michalek