Logan Cooley will certainly be the center of attention for the Arizona Coyotes this upcoming season and coach Andre Tourigny will have to find the right pairing for the 19-year-old.
The Arizona Coyotes will have some decisions to make regarding its line combinations before the regular season begins in October.
Logan Cooley, the third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, officially signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Coyotes on Thursday. The 19-year-old center already has top-six center potential without even playing a single game in the NHL.
The question is where should coach Andre Tourigny place Cooley in the lineup?
The easy answer is to put him on the first line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. Keller had a career year this past season for Arizona tallying 37 goals, 49 assists and 86 points while Schmaltz also produced at a high level scoring 22 goals to go along with 36 assists and 58 points.
Cooley’s speed and high offensive IQ would fit perfectly with Keller and Schmaltz, creating a dangerous top line. This would also give Cooley the best possible opportunity to thrive right out the gate. Both Cooley and Keller are arguably the Coyotes most promising young players so pairing the two early on in their careers is important as they could start generating a good rapport with one another.
However for the majority of last year, Barrett Hayton served as the team’s first line center and seemed to have excellent chemistry with Keller and Schmaltz. While putting Cooley on the first line makes sense, it's hard to break up a unit that was clicking.
Another idea is to put Cooley on a potential second line with Jason Zucker and Matias Maccelli. The Coyotes acquired Jason Zucker this offseason and at 31-years-old, he still has a lot of game left in the tank as he had 27 goals, 21 assists and 48 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Maccelli showed a lot of potential in his rookie campaign tallying a total of 11 goals, 38 assists and 49 points while also being named to the 2022-23 All-Rookie Team.
Being paired with a veteran forward like Zucker could really benefit Cooley in the long run. It also may be smart to slot Cooley on the second or even third line to help him ease into NHL play until he is truly ready to take on the role as Arizona’s number one center.
There is not necessarily a correct solution on where to put Cooley in the lineup but it's on Tourigny to make a decision that both benefits the team this upcoming season and Cooley’s development.