With two first-round picks, the Arizona Coyotes will have a lot of tough decisions to make which can impact the franchise for years to come.
The wait for the NHL Draft is practically over. It begins today at 4 PM PT and the Arizona Coyotes will be the center of attention as they have both the sixth and 12th overall pick in the first round.
What should fans expect Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong to do in the first round of the draft?
Draft a defenseman:
The Coyotes have so many talented young forwards on their roster and in their prospect pool including Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and Matias Maccelli.
While Arizona has a couple of promising young defenseman, the team could definitely look to add more depth at the position during the draft.
David Reinbacher is the first defenseman that the Coyotes could possibly draft with the sixth pick. Reinbacher played in the Swiss National League for EHC Kloten where he had three goals, 19 assists and 22 points in 46 games.
At the 12th pick, defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka could be available for Arizona to select. Sandin Pellikka played in the J20 Nationell Swedish Junior League this past season where he had 16 goals, 20 assists and 36 points in 31 games.
Keep both first-round picks:
While it may be tempting to trade one of their first-round selections, expect Armstrong to hold on to both of them.
Armstrong spoke Tuesday and seems set on keeping his two first-round picks.
“For us, we're a team that wants to draft,” Armstrong said. “We'll see how it plays out if our guy is not there at 12 we will see what the options are, but for us, we plan to draft at this point. We're excited about what's there.”
This draft class is considered to be one of the deepest and most skilled groups in recent memory so the fact that Arizona has two seletions in the top-15 is an amazing opportunity for the organization to add more talented prospects to their already loaded young core.
Unless the Coyotes get an offer they can’t refuse for one of their first-round picks, they will most likely stay put at their position in the draft.
Draft a Center:
The center position has become more and more valuable in the NHL.
Arizona drafted two centers in Logan Cooley and Conor Geekie in last year’s draft but it never hurts to add more depth at that position.
There are some quality centermen that should be available for the Coyotes including Dalibor Dvorsky, Oliver Moore and Brayden Yager. Each one of these players have the potential to be future top-six forwards.
In a league where teams need at least three solid centers to be a Stanley Cup contender, it's critical the Coyotes load up their prospect pool with centermen that posses high intangibles which they have an opportunity to do in the first round.