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Arizona Coyotes: This season’s biggest surprise, disappointment

Kessel Coyotes surprise disappointment

VANCOUVER, BC - MARCH 4: Phil Kessel #81 of the Arizona Coyotes looks on from the bench during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena March 4, 2020 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

With the 2019-20 NHL season on hold we are going to review where each NHL team stands at this moment until the season resumes. Here we take a look at the long-term outlook for the Arizona Coyotes.

Goaltending delivering for another season a crucial surprise for Coyotes

The most crucial surprise wasn’t necessarily out of left field: once again, the Coyotes received brilliant goaltending.

Darcy Kuemper basically transformed into a Vezina-worthy goalie from January 2019 on in 2018-19, but it seemed like a lot to ask for him to do it again.

Yet, for much of the first few months, Kuemper managed to be just as good, generating a tremendous .928 save percentage over 29 games this season. But you’ll notice that injury-reduced workload of 29 games and realize that it was about more than Kuemper.

[PHT Q&A with Kuemper]

After his own troubling run of injuries, Antti Raanta answered the call. Raanta played almost as well as Kuemper (including a .921 save percentage) over 33 appearances. Remarkably, Adin Hill quietly put together strong work (.918 in 13 GP) of his own, too.

Do the Coyotes help their goalies out a bit? Sure, but they don’t necessarily stand out among the best-of-the-best in every defensive category. In a league where netminding feels random, the Coyotes received (almost) two seasons of stellar work, injuries and all.

Garland’s ascent the biggest surprise for Coyotes, though

But the purest surprise is the rise of Conor Garland.

Garland spent part of last season with the Coyotes, managing 18 points in 47 games. The 25-year-old is skyrocketing up Arizona’s depth chart now, though. Garland currently ranks third in team scoring with 39 points, one more than Phil Kessel and Christian Dvorak. Not bad for a player who’s full season time-on-ice average sits just about 14 minutes per game.

There’s evidence that he’s getting a boost in ice time (about 16 minutes per night in January and February), so his days of sneaking up on people are likely numbered.

Garland provided evidence that he could be a hidden gem with solid possession stats and prolific QMJHL production. It’s nonetheless still surprising to see him soar like this.

Biggest Coyotes disappointment so far

Plenty of people pointed out that Phil Kessel’s lost a step/multiple steps, but he’s been a letdown even considering lowered expectations. No, it’s not surprising that Kessel is living off of the power play, especially when it comes to goals (nine of his 17 on the PP), but 38 points in 70 games is a bummer for a player who increasingly struggles to outscore his problems.

Seeing Kessel finish dead last on this GAR chart (by Charting Hockey via Evolving Hockey’s stats) is troubling:

garcoyotesevolviachart

Any defensive-minded team hopes to find ways to add offense to their recipe without spoiling what made their dishes work in the first place.

It’s clear that Kessel wasn’t the missing ingredient to spice things up for the Coyotes. The team seems to realize that it’s better to sprinkle him in lately, at least. After averaging 17:38 TOI heading into the All-Star break, the Coyotes only deployed Kessel for 15:52 per night in 19 games since.

Taylor Hall: Coyotes disappointment, or not?

As far as Taylor Hall goes, the winger’s generated 10 goals and 27 points in 35 games with Arizona. That output ranks him 10th overall in team scoring already. (Somewhat amusingly, Hall’s main stumbling point is the power play, where Kessel’s made his living.)

Maybe the Coyotes will regret paying a price to trade for Hall and/or not flipping Hall before the trade deadline, but considering how their offense isn’t necessarily a locomotive, I’d say he’s delivered more or less what someone can reasonably expect.

Kessel, though? As much as we love the nice guy who tries hard and loves his dog, he simply hasn’t been the catalyst the Desert Dogs were hoping for.

At least it was a delight to see Kessel in those “Peyote” throwbacks, though:

Tampa Bay Lightning v Arizona Coyotes

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 22: Phil Kessel #81 of the Arizona Coyotes skates for a loose puck in the corner while being defended by Carter Verhaeghe #23 of the Tampa Bay Lightning at Gila River Arena on February 22, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.