The 2021-22 Arizona Coyotes are setting all kinds of futility records as they embark on their rebuild. Will it guarantee a top draft pick? The way the team has started this season has certainly shown that the team is going to be in the running for a top draft pick if their level of play continues. They have gone 0-9-1 over their first 10 games as of this writing.
2021-22 Arizona Coyotes Are Playing Like a Top Draft Lottery Team
The team’s dreadful start may equal in futility that of the 2017-18 season when they went 0-10-1 over their first 11 games. That start equals the worst start since the 1943-44 New York Rangers. Will this year’s Coyotes team equal that once again? They play the Anaheim Ducks on Nov 4th in Anaheim. You can bet there are a lot of proud veteran players who don’t want to have that happen.
Statistics For This Season Tell a Tale of Woe
Besides their 0-9-1 record being the worst in the NHL, they are sitting down in the doldrums on other stats as well. They are dead last in goals scored with just 13, or 1.30 goals per game. No NHL team will have much success with such an inept offence. But don’t forget, they don’t have too many high-scoring players and are suffering some early season injuries not helping their cause.
On the defensive side of the puck, they are not much better. They rank 31st on goals allowed with 41. That’s 4.10 goals allowed per game and unless you’re the Edmonton Oilers who average 4.22 goals a game, that’s not going to work.
Other Statistics Aren’t Better
The special team’s play demonstrates why the team is losing so many games. Their power-play has just an 8 percent success rate, placing them 31st. Their penalty kill is a mere 62.5 percent putting them last and showing their inability to stop their opponents on the man advantage.
What’s the old adage… you can’t score if you don’t shoot? Well, this team ranks last with just 25.3 shots on the opposing goalie. That’s not good enough to win games in the NHL. They are at least halfway decent on allowing 32.1 shots on net putting them 21st.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Taking a look at how the team is scoring (or lack thereof) by period and shots by period paints a picture of futility and lack of execution. While new head coach Andre Tourigny may sound optimistic, this has to be a rude awakening for him in his initial role as a head coach in the NHL. Just think of it, he’s yet to win a game after 10 tries. Certainly, he realizes the objective to get that first overall pick in next year’s draft. Yet. the man realistically has pride in what he does. He can’t be blamed for the cards he was dealt. This rebuild was general manager Bill Armstrong‘s work, and poor Tourigny has to suffer through what appears to be a horrible season of losses and disgrace.
There Are No Guarantees of Drafting First
With what was just a 16.6 percent chance of getting the first overall pick last season the Buffalo Sabres did manage to be awarded the first overall pick. They selected Owen Power who is currently playing for the University of Michigan. Should the curse of the Arizona Coyotes bad luck in the draft lottery be broken, they will most assuredly select Shane Wright if they get that first selection.
Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
Some may say why would Armstrong mortgage the team’s success this season, and perhaps a couple more years? It’s quite simple. He is deftly aware that Wright can be a generational player that can change a franchise’s future. Besides that, Armstrong has methodically acquired eight draft picks in the first two rounds alone! Now if that isn’t planning for the team’s future success, then something is wrong.
Being an Arizona Coyotes Fan Right Now is Not Ideal
Some of the fans of the team understand what Armstrong is doing. Some others are abandoning their support already sick of losing. Patience is not a virtue of most sports fans. They seek immediate results, and that’s just not realistic. Armstrong’s plan is working just fine. While painful for some fans, in the long run, they will thank him for his foresight and his ability to build a winner.
For right now, it’s especially difficult to watch this team. For all it’s worth, they may have found themselves a skilled goalie in Karel Vejmelka. He has sported an excellent 2.54 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. He just hasn’t received any offensive support to get in the win column yet. When you’re on a rebuilding team, being the goalie has got to be tough.
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