Each NHL team’s biggest burning question in 2018

Arizona Coyotes: Are they past the rebuild? 

For much of the 2017-18 campaign, Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s name was at the focal point of discussion across the NHL. The Arizona Coyotes’ star defender was coming off a season in which he had grappled with wide-ranging concerns, chief among them being the death of his mother after an extensive battle with cancer. That, coupled with the fact that he represented something of a rare breed — a talented defender playing for a subpar team who would be due for an extension in the not-so-distant future — rendered him a perfect candidate for clubs looking to upgrade their back end.

Then, on July 1, Ekman-Larsson signed an eight-year contract valued at $66 million. The message was clear: the Coyotes’ shining light would stay in Arizona for the better part of a decade, with the hope that a culture of winning ways was on the horizon.

Whether the Coyotes are in a position to be defined as Stanley Cup contenders is a matter that some would scoff at, but nonetheless serves as a prospect that prompts a curious line of inquiry. To what degree, after all, is the club past its rebuilding stage?

A review of the Coyotes’ 2017-18 statistics paints a picture that is far from pretty. Rick Tocchet’s men finished the regular season with a 29-41-12 record — that’s eighth in the Pacific Division and 15th in the Western Conference — but the upward trajectory that the organization embarked upon toward the end of the campaign is surely a sign of hopeful beginnings:

• October: 1-11-1
• November: 5-7-3
• December: 3-9-1
• January: 3-2-4
• February: 6-5-1
• March: 10-6-1
• April: 1-1-1

Moreover, despite the questionable nature of the team’s broader statistics, goaltender Antti Raanta — who was injured for just over half of the season — put forth extremely favorable totals. Over the course of 47 games, the Coyotes’ starter tallied 21 wins, during which he accumulated a 2.24 GAA, a .930 SV% and 3 shutouts. Impressive, indeed, for a netminder whose name has been all but removed from the greater scheme of hockey-related discourse.

If the Coyotes want to embark upon a Stanley Cup run during Ekman-Larsson’s eight years in the Copper state, they must establish themselves as a playoff team. That begins by marrying the rise in form that the team exhibited toward the conclusion of the 2017-18 season with a measure of consistency across the 2018-19 campaign. Expect nothing less if dreams of contention are to be taken seriously.