Bill Armstrong recently talked about the ups and downs the Coyotes have gone through yet the progress that the team was still able to make this season.
Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong has been going through the rebuilding process since arriving to the Valley back in 2020.
The Coyotes have been through some rough times over the past few years all in hopes to have a prosperous future down the road.
Rebuilding isn’t always easy, but it’s something that Armstrong deemed as necessary taking into account the team that he inherited.
This season has been different for the Coyotes. Despite not showing much statistical difference in the standings, Arizona has displayed flashes of tremendous progress and even signs of a great team.
“Well we are the second youngest team in the National Hockey league, so we have moments where you are like ‘ah’ and then you have moments like ‘oh’ so I think there is a lot of youth in our group,” Armstrong said via NHL Network. “You get excited, for me coming into the rink this year has been really exciting because you could see the parts are coming together and we’ve added the Ingrams, the Mosers, the Cooleys and the Guenthers.
“You can see it start to come together now, so it’s an exciting time for us. It doesn't always work out every game for us ,but you can see our team make those small strides. We are an entertaining team to watch at the end of the day and there are some exciting things coming from the Yotes.”
The Coyotes currently hold a 28-35-5 record and are not expected to make the playoffs this season.
However, the team was right in the wild card race up until February before ultimately going on a 14-game losing streak.
It’s still been an exciting year for the Coyotes nonetheless and a few young players have started to emerge including 2022 third overall pick Logan Cooley.
“Great,” Armstrong said of Cooley's development. “I think when we brought him in, we said we wanted him to play at both ends of the ice and you might not get as many points as some of the other guys, but we want you to play meaningful games, meaningful minutes, but we want you to play both ends.
“He’s done a great job and I think that he has been committed to not only growing his game on the defensive side, but pushing the offensive pace. I think what has helped him in the second half is Guenther being a running mate for him and that’s been a great thing. Those two seem to have that chemistry.”
It may be hard to see right now, but the Coyotes’ young core is beginning to blossom and fans will soon enough have something exciting to cheer for and be proud of.