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5 Questions That the Arizona Coyotes Must Answer by October

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Matt Kartozian - USA Today Sports

5 Questions That the Arizona Coyotes Must Answer by October

Biznasty
Matt Kartozian - USA Today Sports

The Arizona Coyotes may be coming into the 2013-14 season with a new name, but there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered before they take the ice. Here are five questions that must be addressed before October.

5. Will Brendan Perlini Make the Roster?

2014 NHL Draft - Portraits
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5. Will Brendan Perlini Make the Roster?

2014 NHL Draft - Portraits
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While it's a long shot, there is still the slightest possibility that the Coyotes decide to see what the 18-year-old can do right away with the big boys. Brendan Perlini has exceptional speed and scored 34 goals with the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League last year. Perlini still needs to develop, which means he's likely a year or two away from his NHL debut, but he had an impressive development camp and you just never know.

4. Will the Coyotes Re-Sign Paul Bissonnette?

paul bissonnette
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4. Will the Coyotes Re-Sign Paul Bissonnette?

paul bissonnette
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To me, this is a no-brainer. The Coyotes are going to struggle to fill the seats regardless, but having Paul Bissonnette, who is the best self-marketer in the NHL, on your roster will definitely help put more butts in the seats and increase merchandise sales. "Biznasty" was only used sparingly in Arizona, and is currently an unrestricted free agent, but the Coyotes would be wise to bring him back.

3. Will Oliver Ekman-Larsson Be Given the Ice Time he Deserves?

Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Bruce Fedyck - USA TODAY Sports

3. Will Oliver Ekman-Larsson Be Given the Ice Time He Deserves?

Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Bruce Fedyck - USA TODAY Sports

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes' franchise defenseman, so he needs to be treated as such if he is going to become the next Shane Doan and spend the majority of his career in the desert. Last offseason, Ekman-Larsson signed a six-year, $ 33 million contract to stay in Phoenix, but if his ice time starts to slip, he could be asking for a ticket out of town.

2. Can They Find a Way to Kill Penalties?

Peter Regin
Rick Scuteri - USA TODAY Sports

2. Can They Find a Way to Kill Penalties?

Peter Regin
Rick Scuteri - USA TODAY Sports

The Coyotes were only successful killing penalties 79 percent of the time last year, which was the fifth-worst kill rate in the NHL. Over the course of an 82-game season, special teams can be the difference between making and missing the postseason. While the Coyotes' power play was pretty efficient throughout the year, they need to find a way to get themselves in the top half of the league when it comes to being a man down.

1. Will Their Name Change Matter in Terms of Ticket Sales?

Dallas Stars v Phoenix Coyotes
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1. Will Their Name Change Matter in Terms of Ticket Sales?

Dallas Stars v Phoenix Coyotes
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I can understand why the Coyotes changed their location from Phoenix to Arizona so they matched the Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks, but is it really going to matter? The Coyotes should have also made some sort of jersey change, or any other move that would have rebranded them, but they didn't, which makes me believe that the Coyotes will once again struggle to fill the seats every game or attract season-ticket buyers.

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