It’s been quite the week for the Arizona Coyotes. For starters, Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff reported that they are done with taking on dead contracts and plan to be more competitive ahead of the 2023-24 season. This news followed PHNX’s Craig Morgan reporting that they are in talks with multiple locations on a new arena site. The week only got better with the team announcing the re-signing of forward Michael Carcone to a one-way, two-year deal, following the news of defenseman Patrik Nemeth and forward Zack Kassian both being bought out by the organization.
The end of this week came full circle with the club announcing that they had dealt their 2024 second-round pick (via the Montreal Canadiens) in return for Los Angeles Kings right-handed defenseman Sean Durzi. Amongst the string of recent positive news in the desert, we at The Hockey Writers continue our offseason position/player reviews. This week we take a look at the defensemen, the fourth iteration of our offseason series. The Coyotes ended the 2022-23 season with a total of six defensemen on the roster: J.J. Moser, Juuso Välimäki, Josh Brown, Victor Söderström, Patrik Nemeth, and Connor Mackey. Deadline acquisition Michael Kesselring is excluded from the list having only played nine games.
With Nemeth having been bought out, and Durzi being brought in, the Coyotes are expected to add another potential big-name defenseman before the start of 2023-24. For now, we break down each player’s past season and what to expect ahead of next season.
J.J. Moser
After dealing both Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakob Chychrun at the trade deadline, the Coyotes’ defensive unit was left rather shallow before bringing in both Valimaki and now Durzi. With a rather poor defensive pipeline, they are hoping that 2021 second-round pick J.J. Moser becomes the team’s next franchise defenseman. Having averaged top-four minutes on a nightly basis this past season, he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of former Coyotes defensive greats. Names such as Teppo Numminen, Keith Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Chychrun have all at one point in time dawned a Coyotes sweater. Each one has held the title as the franchise guy and the Swiss defenseman has all the makings to be the next one.
Related: Coyotes’ Moser Can Be Franchise’s Next Star Defenseman
Coming off a 15-point rookie season in 2021-22, the Coyotes were pleasantly surprised to see the young Swiss defender take a step this past year, registering seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 82 games. While on paper his stats looked rather positive, the 23-year-old struggled with staying out of the box and even bigger yet, struggled at maintaining the puck, turning it over 43 times, registering a plus/minus rating of minus-12.
Efficiency with and without the puck will be the biggest area of improvement needed this offseason to elevate his game further. On the other hand, Moser has continued to improve in areas such as shot blocking, blocking 137 shots, compared to 55 last season.
Juuso Välimäki
With top defenseman prospect Maveric Lamoureux still a few years away from making the jump to the NHL level, the Coyotes were left with a hole following some major deadline departures. Fortunately for the Coyotes, they found themselves some much-needed insurance in Välimäki, who the team picked up off waivers from the Calgary Flames this past season.
Originally a 16th overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft, Välimäki didn’t fully pan out the way Calgary had hoped, bouncing around between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL) before getting picked up off waivers by the Coyotes. Upon his arrival in The Valley, with a new lease on life, the Finnish defenseman recorded 34 points in 78 games, asserting himself as one of the team’s top young defensemen. Like his counterpart Moser, discipline will be an area of focus this offseason. Nevertheless, he was one of the biggest surprises this year for a rebuilding team, and will only improve with a more competitive roster.
Josh Brown
One of the more disappointing performances from a Coyotes defenseman this past season was that of Josh Brown. A new career high in goals ultimately didn’t matter much in the end, finishing the year with seven points in 68 games, along with a plus/minus rating of minus-18 and a staggering 87 penalty minutes. The 29-year-old who signed a two-year deal last offseason took a major decline in his game, including issues with discipline. With the Coyotes looking to be more competitive, Brown may find himself on the outside looking in at the start of next season.
Victor Söderström
One of the team’s younger core players who’s looking to solidify a spot in the NHL next season is Victor Söderström. The 22-year-old defenseman who finished the season on the Coyotes roster will look to build off what was a rather strong showing in 30 games, recording nine assists. Unfortunately, a couple of lackluster years down in the AHL with the club’s affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, may leave general manager Bill Armstrong wary of handing a permanent roster spot to him.
Originally the 11th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, the organization is hoping the young Swede is ready to live up to the hype. The hope is that the young defenseman can grow and build his game this offseason, and show up ready to compete at training camp. Another year down in Tucson may be best for his development if need be, but expect Söderström to come in with a new attitude and groove to his game in 2023-24.
Patrik Nemeth
Acquired last offseason from the New York Rangers, Patrik Nemeth was brought in to be a mentor and veteran presence to the team’s younger core. He played over three-quarters of the season, posting five assists in 75 games, along with 30 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of minus-7. His time in the desert would last a full season, but would ultimately be short, being placed on unconditional waivers and bought out by the team earlier this week.
Connor Mackey
The final defenseman on our list this week is 26-year-old Connor Mackey. Acquired along with Brett Ritchie from the Calgary Flames at the deadline, he played 20 games with the team, registering a goal and three assists for four points. One of the most highly coveted undrafted free agents in 2020 after three seasons with Minnesota State University, Mackey started his professional career with the Flames, before arriving in the desert this season.
Mackey finished his 2022-23 campaign overseas with Team USA at the 2023 World Championship, posting three points (one goal, two assists) in 10 games. Depending on what other moves Armstrong makes this summer, he looks to be a lock on the team’s blue line for the 2023-24 season. Nevertheless, he could end up splitting time between the AHL and NHL for additional ice time if need be.
Final Thoughts
This past season saw the Coyotes dress as many as 10+ defensemen over the course of the season, finishing the year with six, who amassed a total of 90 points. With free agency approaching, trades happening, and the team looking to be more competitive, the Coyotes’ defensive depth could look rather different next season. Regardless of what happens, we’ll keep you up to date at The Hockey Writers. Next week, we will take a look at our final position, goaltending.
