Despite many injuries during the 2018-19 season, the Arizona Coyotes managed to put out a solid performance. Now everything happens for a reason and some Coyotes leaving allowed for roster spots to open up, making it possible for Arizona to add the talent needed to realize their potential. Let’s take a second to check in on the players that fell on the sword so Arizona could reach new heights.
Starting off small with former Tucson Roadrunners Dakota Mermis. Dakota had a good season in Tucson in 2018-19, playing in sixty-two games, scoring three goals and twenty-one assists for twenty-four points. A five point improvement from the previous season in only three more games played.
Mermis only played in one game for the Coyotes in 2018-19 which was down from nine in 2017-18. Keep in mind that Dakota wasn’t being chosen to play even though there was an historic level on injuries on the 2018-19 Coyotes. This must’ve been a sign that Arizona wasn’t interested in Mermis long term as he was not brought back for the 2019-20 season.
Thus on July 1, 2019 Mermis signed a one year contract with the New Jersey Devils. As of this writing, Mermis has exclusively played with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils. He’s played in forty-three games and scored three goals, eleven assists and fourteen points. At this point, the twenty-six year old defensemen is looking to be a career AHL level player.
Next up is former backup goalie Calvin Pickard. Despite the circumstances of his tenure in Arizona, Pickard didn’t play well enough for the Coyotes to re-sign him. As a result, Pickard was a free agent, but that wouldn’t last long. On July 1, 2019 Pickard signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
Calvin has yet to manage a full time roster spot in Detroit as he’s spent the majority of this season in the AHL. He’s put up decent numbers at least with a .903 save percentage and a 2.87 goals against average in twenty-six games played, though it is apparent why he’s not maintained an NHL roster spot. Be that as it may, Pickard has still seen some play in the NHL this year with him posting an 0-2-0 record in three games played while adding a 5.46 goals against and a .797 save percentage. Pickard isn’t making a good case for him to be an NHL level talent which is evident from his numbers and bouncing around the league these past few seasons.
The next player is Jordan Weal who was dealt at the deadline to Montreal last season. The same season he was acquired in a trade by the Arizona Coyotes. Weal was dealt to the Canadiens on February 25, 2019 for forward Michael Chaput.
Chaput would become the new captain of the Tucson Roadrunners this season, so that’s an indication of a solid return. For Montreal this season, Weal had scored five goals and three assists for eight points scored in thirty-eight games played. Safe to say that Weal is a low impact player and Arizona got the better end of the deal.
Another player to join the Canadiens is Nick Cousins. Cousins was always a mediocre bottom six forward, but even bottom sixers have career years. Last season, Cousins played in a career high eighty-one games, scored seven goals, a career high twenty assists and a career high twenty-seven points. The numbers show that Cousins had a good year.
The twenty-five year-old was playing in a contract year and has a ceiling of middle six forward. With that being the case as well as Arizona having plenty of young kids in their system who could take that roster spot, Arizona elected to not re-sign Cousins this offseason. As a result, Cousins signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 5, 2019.
At this point of the season Cousins has played in forty-nine games, scored eight goals and eleven assists for nineteen points. Safe to say that Cousins isn’t going to regress anytime soon. Arizona didn’t lose anything, but also didn’t necessarily add by subtraction on this one either.
Before talking about Mario Kempe, I feel the need to disclose the fact that I personally despise him as a hockey player. Allow me to reiterate, strictly as a player. Mario Kempe is the most overrated fourth liner in Coyotes history, and no, I’m not referring to Biz.
His personality makes him a McDavid level all-star in all our hearts. Mario Kempe was never a good player unless you count his AHL performance. See his 17-18 Tucson Roadrunners season where Kempe scored eighteen goals.
At the NHL level, his most productive year was last season where Kempe recorded a whopping nine points. Given the performance of Roadrunners Michael Bunting, Hudson Fasching and Lane Pederson last year, there was literally zero logical reason to play Kempe last season. In my eyes, Kempe wasted a quality prospects NHL roster spot.
Returning to the overrated comment I made earlier, a surprising amount of Arizona fans loved this guy which kills every last brain cell within me given the near universal hatred for Dylan Strome until he was traded. Sorry running a better power play unit than your young star, being among the league leaders in faceoff percentage, managing decent production on a fourth line consisting of Lawson Crouse when he suddenly forgot how to handle a puck, Nick Cousins before he decided to do anything but skate up and down the ice, an occasional lost Brendan Perlini and Mario bloody Kempe wasn’t enough to prove the kid is special. Never-mind any of that, cheer for the player so bad he couldn’t make a roster spot on the Los Angeles Kings this season despite his brother being one of the better players on that same Kings team.
Lastly, we have Richard Panik. Once again, I must disclose my dislike for a player. As a player exclusively, I don’t like Richard Panik. Main reason being that he’s a third liner that was acquired for Anthony Duclair.
Duclair is a good player that was going through a rough patch and Panik has done nothing, but regress since his lone twenty goal season. Last season was good for Panik, scoring fourteen goals and thirty-three points. Just like most players, he played well in a contract year.
That was enough to earn him a four-year contract with the Washington Capitals on July 1, 2019. As anyone with a brain could tell you, Panik is underperforming and isn’t on pace to hit thirty points this year. He’s played in forty-four games and only scored seven goals, six assists for thirteen measly points. Richard Panik is a bottom-six guy at absolute best and Arizona should’ve stuck with Duclair. At least he’s younger and can score twenty goals.
At the end of the day, the only loss is Nick Cousins which isn’t a massive loss by any definition. Every other player that is no longer on Arizona’s roster has made the Coyotes better by subtracting excess baggage. Got those wondering where’s the mention of Alex Galchenyuk. He and Phil Kessel are equally useless.