Coyotes end season with win over the Stars
They gathered for one last showing Sunday before convening one more time today when they empty out their locker stalls, and it wouldn't be unrealistic to expect the Coyotes to look different when they reassemble in the fall.
Change, it seems, is the current preferred flavor.
Sunday's season finale, a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars in front of 15,146 at Jobing.com Arena that snapped a seasonlong seven-game losing streak, was the last game for the Phoenix Coyotes as the name change to Arizona Coyotes will take hold in the off-season. But not everyone here now might be able to carry out the rebranding efforts of the ownership group.
"When you don't make the playoffs, everybody's up for evaluation," coach Dave Tippett said. "That's just the way this game is."
Even when the Coyotes lacked owners, a non-playoff finish was below expectations. Now that IceArizona is at the helm, consecutive early exits are interpreted as failure.
"We have no excuses next year," President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said. "If we don't hit our targets, it's all on us and if hockey doesn't do what they need to do, they can look at us because we're here to support them now."
And that's an opportunity that didn't exist in the past — the flexibility to tailor the team as General Manager Don Maloney and Tippett see fit.
"Ultimately, that's going to be the question we pose to these guys," LeBlanc said. "'What do you guys need from us to make you better?'"
The Coyotes were able to pull past the Stars, breaking a 1-1 tie with 2:31 left on a one-timer from winger Dave Moss. Earlier, the Stars opened the scoring 2:35 in with a power-play goal from center Colton Sceviour and then the Coyotes tied it 31 seconds into the second with a captain Shane Doan redirect.
Goalie Thomas Greiss made 16 saves.
Still, a lack of scoring has plagued the team this season. Blown leads have also been a culprit. How to revamp those areas is what the Coyotes need to decide.
"Just my gut reaction, I'd like to see to some of these younger guys get a chance," LeBlanc said.
The inclusion of prized prospect Max Domi, who LeBlanc identified as a player the organization is excited about, on the roster would go against the team's long-held philosophy not to rush youngsters to the NHL, but it would accomplish what the Coyotes seem to be after.
"There needs to be some change," LeBlanc said. "There is no question. We need to make some changes in the overall mix of the team."
With the Coyotes on the brink of a long summer, there's plenty of time to hash this out.
Whether they bring back any of their seven unrestricted free agents could make the decisions a little easier.
So could a flexible budget, which LeBlanc says is there.
"We're not as focused on what the actual numbers are," he said. "We're focused on the chemistry of the team."
Given that mind-set, the options for overhauling the Coyotes appear to be limitless.
Improvement may not come in the form of a splashy free-agent signing, which LeBlanc isn't convinced the team needs to do, but it still seems to be on the way.
"Our biggest goal is we don't want to keep putting Band-Aids on," LeBlanc said. "We want to create a team that has dynasty potential, to be quite honest, but more importantly, we want to win a Stanley Cup. That's why we're a part of this. We want to be a championship team."
Report
Key player: Coyotes captain Shane Doan tallied his 23rd goal of the season.
Key moment: W Dave Moss settled a 1-1 with 2:31 left in the third with a one-timer from the left faceoff circle.
Key number: 17 shots by the Stars.
View from the press box: A seven-game losing streak will be remembered as one of the reasons why the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs, but it was meaningful for this group to not let the season end with that slide still active. With a win on finale night, the Coyotes finished in ninth only two points shy of a playoff berth. But, obviously, after missing out on the postseason for a second straight season, decisions need to be made to steer this team in a different direction.
