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Coyotes Can't Tank, But It's Tempting

July 5, 2020, 1:45 PM ET [51 Comments]
James Tanner
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The Coyotes are in a no lose situation.

They give their fans at least a quasi-playoff situation by making the play-in, and facing the Nashville Predators, but if they lose, they've got a shot at the #1 pick.

Since the Coyotes have a Hart Trophy winning MVP superstar forward, a defenseman on his way to being one of the best in the NHL, another one capable at least of regaining his former Norris worthy form, and a goalie who has been the best in the league for the last two years, they could theoretically do some damage in the playoffs.

All it takes is a hot goalie, then who knows?

And if they lose?

Well its a one-in-eight shot at the #1 pick, Alexis Lafrenierre.

Lafrenierre may not be a Connor McDavid/Auston Matthews level first overall pick, but he might be. And he's definitely better than average.

He would almost certainly give Taylor Hall a run for best player on the team next year, should he be drafted.

And that assumes that Taylor Hall will sign, because I think he will.

So the Coyotes can't really lose here. They either make the playoffs or they get a shot at the pick that has eluded them throughout their entire rebuild.

From McDavid, to Matthews, to Eichel, to Marner to Hischier and Hughes, the Coyotes haven't gotten lucky enough to alter their franchise with a single ping pong ball......god knows they've given themselves almost too many chances to do so, but it hasn't happened.



Keller, Dvorak, Chychrun, Hayton and Soderstrom give them a nice little group of young potential game-changers, but they really need that elite guy to make everything pop.

Maybe they have it in a combination of Hall and Kuemper, but Lafrenierre would be just what the doctor ordered.

Or maybe the doctor ordered a long playoff run.

All you can say with any certainty is that if a doctor ordered it, then most likely the state of Arizona will ignore it.

But here's hoping the Coyotes can finally do at least one of the things they've never done: win a playoff series or win the draft lottery.
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