The Arizona Coyotes find themselves in a playoff spot as the new year begins, a position they haven’t been in for some time. Fans have howled that this is a playoff team, and the stats and miraculous comebacks at Mullett Arena back that up. While American Thanksgiving is always a good measuring stick for where teams are in the standings, it might be time to look more at the Christmas break and where teams sit.
Now is as good a time as any to get caught up on the news surrounding the Coyotes. While there’s a lot to discuss, we have to begin with the news of Artyom Duda’s new home for the season and get a grasp on the situation.
Artyom Duda Finally Finds New Home
Per Coyotes insider Craig Morgan on Twitter/X, Duda has found a new home for the remainder of the season. He will play at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly named Ryerson). He had previously made three appeals to the NCAA to play for the University of Maine but was denied all three times due to the 14 games he played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Any other route would’ve been problematic, too. The United States Hockey League (USHL) would have been a similar process, and at this point, just playing hockey is what his development needs.
So, what does this mean for the former second-round pick? It’s great that he’s going to be playing first off. He’s been skating on his own for a while, but not getting actual ice time and game scenarios is entirely different. Another tricky aspect of this ongoing situation is his contract in the KHL with CSKA Moskva, which is said to end in May 2024.
If it does, he would be eligible to sign a contract with the Coyotes. If this were to happen, he’d likely end up with the Tucson Roadrunners, which would be the best for his development going forward. It also helps that the Roadrunners are slowly starting to see a glut of prospects come into the system, and the product on the ice has been encouraging to see. Duda having a new home is excellent, and it’s been long overdue, to be quite frank, but he still has a long path ahead of him before he reaches the NHL.
Russia’s Surfacing Hockey News Is Concerning
There was a rumor on Twitter/X stating, “We have an order from the President, according to which young players should stay here – in Russia.” The Coyotes have both of their 2023 first-round picks in Russia right now, and if this were deemed accurate, it would be very taxing on the team. It was already a risk selecting both Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But at the draft, considering the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, it’s even more concerning.
Related: Coyotes’ Daniil But Proving Doubters Wrong
However, the quote is very vague, and there isn’t much further to look into. It could be a situation where Russian officials would like to make it a rule and enforce it, but at the end of the day, it not coming to fruition. There is also no legal way to make this happen. Players can play wherever and whenever they want; that’s the case for Simashev and But. General manager Bill Armstrong wouldn’t have picked the two of them if he weren’t confident they would come over and play eventually; his resume shows that.
At the end of the day, this is just a rumor, and nothing is sealed in concrete. Although, it’ll be an interesting situation to keep tabs on.
World Junior Championship in Full Swing
Christmas is celebrated all across the globe, but hockey fans get another present with the World Junior Championship (WJC), which is in full swing. The Coyotes are tied for first for having the most prospects at the highly anticipated tournament, with seven. Those players are Conor Geekie (Canada), Maveric Lamoureux (Canada), Michael Hrabal (Czechia), Samu Bau (Finland), Julian Lutz (Germany), Melker Thelin (Sweden), and Adam Zlnka (Slovakia).
It’s always fascinating to see the future at everyone’s fingertips, as lots of the Coyotes prospects are finding multitudes of success. Hrabal and Thelin, the two goaltenders on the list, have had their ups and downs but have made the most of their playing time. Hrabal, Czechia’s primary goalie, has had to carry his team to victory most of the time, making it challenging to stay consistent throughout. Thelin stood out most in Team Sweden’s shootout loss against Team Finland, and even though they lost, he played a strong game.
Geekie and Lamoureux have played pivotal roles for Team Canada, which has helped them gain decisive wins so far. Lutz has been one of the focal points of Germany’s offense but only has two points in the tournament. Zlnka and Bau have little to discuss, but they provide good depth for their respective countries.
Additional Tidbits
- Dylan Guenther has taken advantage of the task at hand in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Roadrunners. Being sent down is no fun; every young player wants to play in the NHL and live their dreams. This applies to Guenther, but instead of dwelling on it, he has been phenomenal, scoring 27 points in 27 games, ten of those being goals. Armstrong will continue to bake him in the AHL until he deems he’s ready for the NHL permanently; until then, it’s all fun and games in Tucson.
- The Coyotes started the season with an unusual strategy that most teams don’t use with goaltenders. The rotating cycle. One goalie, then the next, and so on. It went on for the first 20ish games until Connor Ingram took the helm, going on a hot spell like no other. Then, when he got cold, Vejmelka stood firm, providing exactly what the team needed to win games. If the goaltending can continue to play like they are, playoffs don’t seem to be out of the picture.
- It feels like this is mentioned in nearly every piece I write, but the arena situation still needs solving. It’s been a battle since the team arrived in the southwest, and time is running out. However, news regarding a concrete, crystal-clear plan should soon be coming out. The NHL set out the timeline after the disastrous Tempe Entertainment District vote was rejected, which is after quarter one of 2024. A lot of people have already lost hope in the current ownership, but the ship has not sailed quite yet.
- The Coyotes see a lengthy homestand on the horizon for the upcoming schedule. They’ll host plenty of teams, including the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames. More than half of these teams are fighting for the playoffs, so it won’t be easy, but the Coyotes are rolling as of now, so it’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. Not to mention, they’ve been exceptional at Mullett Arena, which always seems to give the team a boost of confidence.
