The NHL Draft Lottery has been completed and is not safe from controversy (is it ever?)
With the Chicago Blackhawks falling up to get first aka winning the “Connor Bedard Sweepstakes” after the lack of punishment from the NHL for the sexual assault and covering up said heinous act, fans were none too pleased to see them win a player so potentially team altering. Our beloved Coyotes stayed pat and will pick 6th overall however, thanks to the Chychrun trade with the Ottawa Senators, we will also get the 12th pick due to the condition that it was a 6th and above pick. This means we have two first-half picks in a very great draft, being hailed as the best since 2015 which had Connor McDavid, a generational talent.
We may not get Bedard or Michigan’s Fantilli but there is still much hope to add a great piece to this rising franchise. The Chirpin Yotes Podcast recently had Mike Gould of The Daily Faceoff and Scott Wheeler, prospect writer for The Athletic on to discuss. The Coyotes options at this pick seem to be Zach Benson, Will Smith if he falls, Matvei Mitchcov (which will always be a risk for a Russian player) or David Reinbacher, all of which will be great pieces for this team’s future. I personally believe Coyotes will pick a center for pick 6 and a defenseman at 12 since our d-man pool is a bit shallow at the moment. Of course, Bill Armstrong is a whizz at drafting so I have full faith in him.
The best news on top of all this is how much capital the Coyotes have in the next 3 drafts. A total of 37 picks in ’23, ’24, and ’25 which is HUGE for a team in a full rebuild. The Coyotes also have the most scouting we’ve ever had as a franchise so this will culminate in more picks hitting and so far, we’ve had a few with Mattias Maccelli getting even a bit of buzz for a Calder Finalist, Guenther doing well in his WHL playoffs and Logan Cooley playing for the NCAA Hockey title. The Chirpin Yotes Podcast will be doing a draft special with a special guest and a charity challenge with the hosts making their mock drafts.
The Future is bright Coyotes fans, it’s time to get on the wagon if you haven’t already.
