Why Logan Cooley was Taken off Coyotes First Line

Prior to the Coyotes Saturday afternoon matchup, André Tourigny made the switch taking Logan Cooley off of the top line alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.

Coach André Tourigny made an interesting decision prior to the Coyotes 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, dropping Logan Cooley to the fourth line while elevating Jason Zucker alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.

Shortly after Barrett Hayton went down with an upper-body injury, Cooley took his spot on a line with Keller and Schmaltz.

While Cooley looked a bit better at times with the Coyotes top offensive players, overall he didn’t make any sort of drastic improvements in his game.

The 19-year-old only scored one goal with Arizona’s dynamic line while he struggled to record points.

Why did Tourigny decide to make this switch?

He didn’t talk about his reasoning but it’s been clear that since Hayton exited the lineup, this line just hasn’t been the same five-on-five.

It may not be Cooley’s fault directly but putting a reliable veteran in Zucker alongside Keller and Schmaltz could help this line get back on track until Hayton returns.

Top-six centers hold the responsibility of having a strong two-way game and Cooley is just not there yet. He has the offensive tools but will need to work more on developing the defensive part of his game in order to become a true two-way center that Tourigny can rely on.

Cooley has shown flashes of his offensive potential but still needs to work on his puck management which will come with time because he has all the skills to be a great goalscorer and playmaker.

Against the Bruins, Cooley played 17:55 minutes compared to Keller and Schmaltz who both tallied over 22 minutes. However, Cooley still did remain on the first wave of the power play which is a positive sign.

Fans shouldn’t necessarily view this as a sign of Cooley struggling. He is a rookie that will go through a lot of ups and downs, but staying patient regarding Cooley’s development is key.