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Some may question the integrity of professional athletes, but hockey players are cut from a different cloth. They are loyal. They are dedicated. They are determined. Normally figurative, hockey players literally leave their hard-fought blood, sweat and tears on the ice every night. They are bred to win, and they’ll knock teeth out to do it.
This is exactly what the Arizona Coyotes had to somehow avoid this season: winning. The struggling Coyotes recently went on full-blown rebuild, dismantling their roster of all key parts except fan favorite Shane Doan and stud defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Most people don’t want to pay to see their team lose, but the ole “Suck for Luck” philosophy could be pivotal for the Yotes.
Saturday, April 18, their fate is the NHL lottery’s hands. Those hands could doom the Coyotes if they fall below the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are sitting comfortably as the consensus top selections, with McDavid most likely being taken off the board first. After them the draft class falls flat.
Currently, the Coyotes have a 13 percent chance of snagging one of the elite prospects, right behind the Buffalo Sabres‘ 20 percent.
McDavid is viewed as a generational prodigy. The 18-year-old Canadian center is considered the best all-around player since Sidney Crosby was drafted nearly 10 years ago. He embodies nimbleness on the ice and serene puck-handling abilities. The kid is prolific, the staple of an organization, especially one so eager (and rightfully so) for an overhaul.
The Coyotes rank in the bottom-three for both offense and defense. Along with trading the team’s top producers in Keith Yandle and Antoine Vermette, the Coyotes lack talent and a solid core. Furthermore, injuries seem to keep Martin Hanzal and Mikkel Boedker off the ice more than they are on.
In 47 OHL games, McDavid has posted a ludicrous 120 points (Crosby had 168 in 62 total games). That’s also nearly 40 percent more than perennial All-Star Steven Stamkos had through the same amount of games when the Tampa Bay Lightning selected him No. 1 overall in 2008.
Similarly, Eichel scored 26 goals to go along with 45 assists this past season at Boston University. His speed is unmatched, and he is a constant threat to score. Eichel’s elite skills and high hockey-IQ make him a deadly power center.
These phenoms aren’t just top-picks, they are game changers. Matched with Doan, Ekman-Larsson and healthy Boedker, McDavid or Eichel could be the one that takes the Coyotes from the doghouse to the leader of the pack.
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