I'm Naftali Clinton and I am the new Arizona Coyotes blogger for HockeyBuzz.com. I would love to connect with you on Twitter Follow @NaftaliClinton.


With the way the Coyotes roster is set up this year, there will be a lot of opportunities for players to shine. In my previous article, I examined what the Coyotes roster will look like for the 2021-22 season. Anyone who has been following the Coyotes knows that this season will be a long one in the desert.

Aside from Phil Kessel (who might be traded), Clayton Keller, and Jakob Chychrun, there aren't very many bright spots to be excited about. The defence is weak, goaltending atrocious, and the offence severely lacks depth. That's why first-time NHL head coach Andre Tourigny will be counting on depth players to step up.

Players such as Dmitrij Jaskin, Lawson Crouse, and Ryan Dzingel will be tasked to assist the stars with keeping the level of play high.

Jaskin was recently brought over from the KHL so it's hard to say how he'll fare in his NHL return. Crouse is a perennial 25-point player on a good contract. That leaves Dzingel as the one depth player who has had significant NHL success in the past.

Originally a 7th round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, Dzingel worked his way up to the NHL and eventually earned a full-time spot on the Sens in 2016-17. His emergence coincided with the Senators miraculous run to the Eastern Conference Final, ultimately falling short in overtime of game seven to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In his first full season with the Senators, Dzingel scored a respectable 14 goals and 32 points. He improved his goal and point totals over the next two seasons, culminating in a remarkable 26-goal 56-point campaign in 2018-19.

Over the last couple of seasons, though, he has struggled with consistency. His 2019-20 season was spent playing for the Carolina Hurricanes. Dzingel scored 8 goals and 29 points and his shooting percentage was a career-low 8.2%.

Seeing as it clearly wasn't working out very well for him in Carolina, Dzingel was traded back to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk and Cedric Paquette. In the 2020-21 season, Dzingel scored just eight goals and 13 points in 40 games played between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators.

There are a number of reasons why this happened. One, the omnipresent COVID-19 pandemic and everything that entails. Two, his ice-time fell from over 15:00 per night to just 12:42 this year.

The Hurricanes and Senators were keen on playing Dzingel in a fourth-line role, which probably was the reason why he didn't produce a lot of offence. The good news is, with Dzingel signing a one-year deal with the Coyotes, he will have opportunities the likes of which he hasn't had since his first stint in Ottawa.

After the aforementioned star talent the Coyotes have, the bottom-nine forwards leave much to be desired. Dzingel may very well be their best option as a second-line winger, or even centre. With the inevitable increased ice-time, the 2021-22 season could prove to be a huge one for the Wheaton, Illinois native.

Join the Discussion: » 4 Comments » Post New Comment

» Arizona Coyotes sign UFA Alex Galchenyuk

» Preseason Notes: Arizona Coyotes at Los Angeles Kings

» Logan Brown could end up in Arizona if it doesn't work out in Ottawa