This offseason the Arizona Coyotes took major steps in becoming more of a contending team as the organization goes into ''phase two' of its rebuild.
The culture around the Arizona Coyotes organization is changing.
Over the past few years, the Coyotes have been known for their losing ways but that mindset is finally starting to shift.
Players in the NHL are beginning to buy into what the Coyotes are selling, including forward Nick Bjugstad who signed with Arizona this offseason. He spent 59 games with the Coyotes before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline but it was the team’s culture that ultimately drew him back to the Valley.
“I think well first off, where the direction this team is headed, I think we're going in the right direction and management and coaching staff are doing everything in their power to keep driving us forward, so that was number one,” Bjugstad said on why he signed with the Coyotes. “Number two, I felt like I filled a role. I felt like I had a purpose on this team and I had fun playing hockey, so that's important when you're trying to decide, you like coming to work every day, trying to get better. I feel under this coaching staff, I can keep expanding my game at age 31 individually and as a team I think we're just gonna keep all trying to grow together and see where it goes from there.”
The Coyotes are committed to building a strong culture. General manager Bill Armstrong and coach André Tourigny at the forefront of this new shift. Both were signed to multi-year extensions this summer ensuring they continue to build upon the foundation they have started.
Arizona has a very promising young core but in “phase two” of the team’s rebuild, Armstrong is trying to build more of a competitive team to complement the young up-and-coming players. That's exactly what he went out and did this offseason acquiring players like Jason Zucker, Sean Durzi, Matt Dumba and Alexander Kerfoot.
After what seemed like a successful summer, the only way for the Coyotes to truly change its reputation is to start winning more hockey games.
Nobody is saying Arizona needs to go out and become a Stanley Cup contender just yet but improvement is necessary if this team wants to take a leap as an organization.