Arizona Coyotes eliminated: Three things they should do in the offseason

The Arizona Coyotes have once again been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. It’s not really a surprise for a team that has stocked itself with prospects and aging, overpaid veterans. There’s hope on the horizon in the desert sun, and with a ton of picks over the next three seasons, the Coyotes could be building something special if all goes right in the offseason.

The Arizona Coyotes have been eliminated from the playoffs, here are three things they should do in the off-season:

#1 Draft, Draft, Draft

The Arizona Coyotes have a bevy of draft capital built up for years of selling off and taking on massive contracts. The Coyotes will have two selections in the first round of a draft this summer that is expected to be one of the best in recent history. If the Arizona Coyotes make the right selections, they could have two young stars to build around for the future.

The Coyotes' first pick will most likely be in the top 10, possibly six. The Arizona Coyotes will have to think long and hard about possibly selecting a talent like Matvei Michkov, who they won’t see in the league until at least after next season.

#2 Figure out what is going on in Tempe

One of the Coyotes' biggest responsibilities this offseason will be solving the crisis between their organization, the city of Tempe and the city of Phoenix. The latter of whom forced them to move out of their former building, the Gila River Arena, which led them to the Mullett Arena at Arizona State University this season.

Much of the Arizona Coyotes’ offseason could be spent in the courtroom as they figure out where their future home will be built, or if they will have to stay in Mullett Arena longer than expected. Arizona is still a budding hockey community, but moving the team is certainly not out of the question if it all goes wrong.

#3 Be the NHL’s banker

The Coyotes have the benefit of some of the most cap space in the NHL. At this year’s NHL trade deadline, they wisely bought up rich, expiring contracts from other teams looking to sell off. By doing this, the Coyotes were able to acquire valuable draft picks from those teams.

The Coyotes need to keep being the NHL’s banker, taking off major draft capital in return for letting teams go scot-free for the poor contracts that they signed. If the Coyotes make smart draft picks with the treasure trove they have been getting in return for dump-offs in recent years, they could be looking at building a young core when they move into their new digs.