The Arizona Coyotes made a surprising move before the start of the season, deciding to assign Dylan Guenther to the AHL. Guenther was the Coyotes ninth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and actually played 33 games for Arizona during the 2022-23 season where he tallied six goals nine assists and 15 points. While many may see Guenther’s demotion as a bad thing it actually has seemed to be great for his individual development. The 21-year-old is leading the Tucson Roadrunners with 19 points to go along with his six goals and 13 assists in 22 games. With Guenther thriving in Tucson, is it time for the Coyotes to call him up back to the NHL? The Coyotes have been struggling as of late losing their past three games. This is partly due to the injuries of Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, two crucial forwards for the team. Guenther may not be a center, but getting an offensive spark from a player who is young, a strong skater and an excellent playmaker, could really help the Coyotes get back on track. After Arizona’s 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, coach André Tourigny said that they just couldn’t execute and make plays. 231211_Tourigny_Postgame The addition of Guenther would really balance out the lineup skill wise and he could certainly help fix the Coyotes lack of execution on the offensive end. However, if Guenther were to be called-up, he would most likely play bottom-six minutes which may not be beneficial for his overall development. Since Guenther has been playing well with the Roadrunners, it just might be a better idea to continue to let him thrive and play freely as opposed to pushing him out of his comfort zone at the NHL level. The Coyotes just recalled Zach Sanford from Tucson earlier today, so the likelihood of Guenther returning to the team right now is probably pretty slim. If the Coyotes continue to slip and are in need of more offensive production though, calling-up Guenther must at least be considered.
