In the era of the Arizona Coyotes, they got off to extremely slow starts, which seemed to be their Achilles heel down the stretch. It’s happened numerous times, including last season, when they lost 14 straight, practically eliminating them from playoff contention. However, the tide is slowly changing in Utah, with the team having a 4-1-1 record through six games played.
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They’ve beaten the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and Boston Bruins, all of which made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. It’s a good sign for a team that has invested a lot into this young core, especially with rookie Josh Doan, son of Coyotes legend Shane Doan, Dylan Guenther, and so many more.
In this edition of Utah Buzz, we’ll examine the injuries to John Marino and Sean Durzi and what that means for the team. We’ll also evaluate the youngster Logan Cooley through six games and what to expect from him for the rest of the season.
Marino & Durzi Out for Foreseable Future
Losing never feels good, and when Utah lost their first game of the season (and of the franchise) against the New Jersey Devils, they also lost a crucial part of their blue line. Durzi, 25, was traded to the Coyotes last season from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second-round pick and since has played the best hockey of his life. Last season, he had 41 points in 76 games, and so far this season has two assists in four games.
The injury he sustained against the Devils will take four to five months to recover from and will require surgery. Of course, this is a massive blow to the team’s blue line, and with Durzi out for quite some time, others will need to be ready for the role of an everyday NHLer. That’s why they signed a veteran, Robert Bortuzzo, who is now in a prime position to be an everyday starter.
On the other hand, Marino was said to be week-to-week with an injury he sustained in training camp, but now it’s month-to-month. Marino was traded to Utah this past summer at the 2024 NHL Draft and has yet to play a game in a Utah sweater. There is no official report, but it’s assumed he had some sort of setback and will gear up later this winter.
These are two guys you want on the ice, so losing them for the foreseeable future is tough, but it certainly makes room for a possible trade or plenty of call-ups from the Tucson Roadrunners.
Logan Cooley Off to Hot Start in 801
When the Coyotes drafted Cooley third overall in 2022, it was a shock to the entire Montreal crowd and Shane Wright, who was projected to go first but fell to the Seattle Kraken at fourth. Looking back at it nearly three seasons after the draft, general manager Bill Armstrong made a good call taking the Pittsburgh native.
Cooley has gotten off to a hot start this season with his six assists in six games, but you have to wonder when his goal-scoring will pick up. He had 20 goals last season, and in his one and only season with the Minnesota Gophers, he had 22 goals in 39 games, so clearly, it’s there; it just hasn’t quite been unlocked.
His linemate Guenther has been on fire in terms of goal-scoring early this season, but again, very few have his elite shot. That’s not to say Cooley can’t score 20, 25, or even 30 goals this season. It’ll be interesting to watch the youngster play this season, and his line of Guenther and Jack McBain has been extremely exciting to watch. As long as they stick together, good things will continue to happen.
Utah Will Need Lots of Support as Injuries Riddle Early On
With the injuries to Marino and Durzi, the defense must play a big role moving forward. That means guys like Vladislav Kolyachonok, Patrik Koch, and Michael Kesselring will need to step up in light of the blows to some of Utah’s premier defensemen. The other night against the Boston Bruins, Kesselring and Kolyachonok were the lone goal scorers for Utah, which is a good sign moving forward since Durzi and Marino won’t be back for the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, Utah has gotten off to a hot start, and it’ll be intriguing to see how they continue to manage these injuries as we get closer to Thanksgiving.
