The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the Arizona Coyotes made three separate deals. The first of which came with general manager Bill Armstrong trading defenseman Troy Stecher to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2027 fourth-round pick. He then wrapped up the highly anticipated trade deadline by dealing Matt Dumba and Jason Zucker. It was quite uneventful, to say the least, and so were the returns from the respective deals.
Related: Grading the Coyotes’ 2024 Trade Deadline
However, the benefit of trading these players is that several spots are now up for grabs on the NHL roster. This allows two players in particular to get a shot up with the Coyotes: Josh Doan and Aku Räty, who could be given an opportunity later this season.
Josh Doan Continues to Adapt in AHL With Roadrunners
Shane Doan played his entire career with the Coyotes and is arguably the greatest player to ever rock the Kachina. Not only that, but his leadership on and off the ice showed what it meant to be a Coyote. It came full circle when Armstrong drafted his son Josh, who has since become a fan favorite, as he’s following in his father’s footsteps. Born and raised in the desert, he has made an impact on hockey in Arizona throughout his life. Playing for Arizona State University for two seasons and now under Steve Potvin’s Tucson Roadrunners.
“Pots told me that being myself was going to be the key; to play my game and trust my instincts and use my strengths and just be competitive and hard on pucks,” Josh said. “He wanted me to focus on playing a hard style before focusing too much on trying to make a cute play or a nice attempt at net. He told me: ‘Just play a simple game until you get comfortable and then once you get comfortable you can slowly start to get the rest of your game figured out.'”
“What I liked about Josh’s game the most was his competitiveness,” Potvin said. “When you look at him and you get to know him, you may not think that that’s at the forefront, but I felt like he was very competitive and he wanted to get better and he just made us better.”
With the Roadrunners, the 22-year-old is finding arrays of success, notching 22 goals and 38 points in 55 games. For his first full season in the American Hockey League (AHL), it’s rare to find this much success early on. However, given the current state of the Coyotes, he could very well earn a call-up later on in the season and give us a peek at the future.
While Josh could get a look with the Coyotes down the stretch, there’s no doubt he’s focused on the success of the Roadrunners as they chase the Calder Cup.
Aku Räty Has Potential Opportunity on the Horizon
Räty was not a draft selection of Armstrong, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be an impactful player. Throughout his young career, he’s always made the most out of every opportunity, and this season with the Roadrunners, he’s doing just that. Having six points in his last five games, he has scored up to 12 goals and 32 points in 42 games. He has been a dynamic playmaker this entire season. Thus, he could be called up similarly to Josh and have a couple of games to showcase his abilities at the NHL level.
“Nathaniel Brooks was just over there on the ice with him; spending a few days with him,” Stempniak said. “You can see he’s put in the work. Aku has done a good job to get to where he is from where he was two years ago. He took a step forward around the midway point of last season and he’s had a really good year this year.”
“He is a really big part of their team,” Stempniak said. “He plays top-six minutes on the power play, his line is very strong and he’s made strides. He’s skating better and his hands have improved a lot. I think that is one thing that you can really point to in his development; the puck skills and the ability to make plays with the puck on his stick. He’s put in a lot of work after practice and in the offseason and that has translated to where he is now. “He’s willing to play that gritty, grinding game. It doesn’t need to be pretty when you get along the wall but now he’s executing more of those plays with his hands because they’ve sort of caught up with the rest of his game.”
If called up, Raty will be given every chance to succeed, and could even see him on a line with Finnish native Matias Maccelli.
Any Other Notable Names That Could Be Called Up?
Recently, defenseman Patrik Koch made his NHL debut, but it’s a sign of more players like that being called up. Some other names that come to mind are Nathan Smith, John Leonard, and Jan Jeník. Of course, that decision will be up to Armstrong and the rest of his staff, but it’ll be reassuring to see the future of the Coyotes come up one at a time. Especially after the arena drama that still looms over the franchise, seeing draft picks become NHL players and actually playing indicates brighter things ahead.
