GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes knew it would be a difficult season after jettisoning players and contracts for future draft picks. Goals were hard to come by, hard to stop at the other end and losses piled up, often in stretches of five or more in a row.
The rebuilding led to one of the franchise’s worst seasons since relocating from Winnipeg to the Valley of the Sun, but there were just enough bright spots to believe a solid foundation has been set for the future.
“Obviously, it’s a rebuild for a reason and I think a lot of guys took steps forward not only on the ice but off the ice,” said Shayne Gostisbehere, who had 14 goals his first season with Arizona. “Leadership qualities and learning a lot about themselves as players. We’ve got a lot of young guys who got a lot of opportunity, maybe they don’t get that somewhere else.”
The Coyotes made massive changes heading into Andre Tourigny’s first season as head coach, parting ways with captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, high-scoring forward Conor Garland and their top three goalies.
That left a mix of veterans and young players who were trying to prove themselves in one way or another.
They got off to a brutal start. Arizona opened the season with 11 straight losses and 14 in its first 15 games, looking like it was headed toward one of the worst years in NHL history.
The Coyotes finally started putting a few wins together in November and had a stretch of six wins in seven games to kick off March. They also closed the season with three straight wins, including 5-4 over Nashville after falling into a 4-0 hole their final game at Gila River Arena.
The good stretches gave them something to lean on after finishing with the NHL’s second-worst record at 25-50-7 (57 points).
“We had a lot of adversity, a lot of character, a lot of growth,” Tourigny said. “What our team overcame during the season will carry on for a long time for us.”
OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
Arizona struggled at both ends of the ice…