Summer is a time for sunshine, warm weather and a renewed sense of optimism from teams and players around the NHL ahead of the 2016-17 season. This is the time of the year when players on teams that failed to make the playoffs in 2015-16 make comments about how the roster is improved and the playoffs appear to be in reach. The Arizona Coyotes ended last season with 78 points, but Max Domi believes the new acquisitions will help push the Coyotes into the postseason.
Domi recently spoke with TSN – as seen on NHL.com – and outlined what he thinks the Coyotes need to do and how he believes they have the pieces to do it.
“There’s no reason we can’t. We came out of the gates pretty hot [last] year and we beat some high-end teams, but when the nitty-gritty comes down to it, you got to be able to win after the All-Star break — that’s when it really matters.
Finding a way to find that consistency and manage that throughout an 82-game season will be pretty clutch for us and there’s no reason we can’t do it.
Our ‘D’ core is pretty solid. Goligoski is unbelievable, I had to play against him quite a bit when he was in Dallas [with the Stars], and Luke Schenn, I watched him when he was with the [Maple] Leafs and played against him a little bit this year [when he was with the Los Angeles Kings], too. Both of those guys are going to be outstanding, and the other new guys we got are going to be awesome too.”
Domi is right to be excited about the team’s new additions, but are they enough to propel the club forward? Defense was a big issue for the Coyotes last season (they allowed the third-most goals with 245) and the new faces should certainly help. The Coyotes may not be true Cup contenders quite yet, but they appear to be built to make a run for the playoffs and Domi is a big reason why the team is headed in the right direction.
