2022-23 Arizona Coyotes Season Start May Be Worst Ever

Despite all the controversy about playing at the 4,700-seat Mullett Arena, the Arizona Coyotes’ 2022-23 season start may be one to forget because of their schedule. Being forced to play their first 20 regular season games on the road, not to mention ALL of their preseason games away… will be quite a challenge.

2022-23 Arizona Coyotes Season Start Projection

Any NHL team that is forced to play so many road games to start a season is put to a disadvantage. Playing in front of a home crowd is always preferable for numerous reasons. Players get to be with their families and sleep in their own bed while playing home games. Traveling can be exhausting and challenging. For the upcoming season, the Coyotes are starting out with a six-game road trip. They then get four straight games at their new temporary home at Mullett Arena. After that, it is pure hell with a 14-game (not a typo) road trip. In that span, they will face eight teams who made the playoffs last season.

Projecting how the first 24 games will go is not rocket science. The team had the worst start in its history last season with a 5-17-2 record, collecting just 12 points. It included a start with a 0-10-1 record. They only tallied 43 goals over their first 24 games and allowed an astounding 90.

With the rebuild in full force, and many veterans not on the roster from last season, their 2022-23 season doesn’t look promising. If they can collect 10-15 points over their first 24 games, it will be an accomplishment. Last season even while playing at home, the Coyotes collected a 2-7-1 record in their first 24 games.

Arizona Coyotes 2022-23 Regular Season Schedule

• Thu. Oct. 13 @ Pittsburgh
• Sat. Oct. 15 @  Boston
• Mon. Oct. 17 @ Toronto
• Thu. Oct. 20 @ Montreal
• Sat. Oct. 22 @ Ottawa
• Tue. Oct. 25 @ Columbus
• Fri. Oct. 28    WINNIPEG
• Sun. Oct. 30 NY RANGERS
• Tue. Nov. 1    FLORIDA
• Thu. Nov. 3 DALLAS
• Sat. Nov. 5 @ Washington
• Tue. Nov. 8 @ Buffalo
• Thu. Nov. 10 @ NY Islanders
• Sat. Nov. 12 @ New Jersey
• Sun. Nov. 13 @ NY Rangers
• Thu. Nov. 17 @ Vegas
• Mon. Nov. 21 @ Nashville
• Wed. Nov. 23 @ Carolina
• Fri. Nov. 25 @ Detroit
• Sun. Nov. 27 @ Minnesota
• Thu. Dec. 1 @ Los Angeles
• Sat. Dec. 3 @ Vancouver
• Mon. Dec. 5 @ Calgary
• Wed. Dec. 7 @ Edmonton

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It Could be a Long Season

The entire goal of going through a painful rebuild is to be able to get a high draft choice. It’s not a secret that the Coyotes (among many NHL teams) would love to secure Connor Bedard as their draft selection for 2023. He is said to be a “generational” talent who can help turn around a team’s fortunes. If the Coyotes can be so fortunate as to draft Bedard, the future of the Coyotes would definitely look bright.

There are also a couple of excellent choices after Bedard. Matvei Michkov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) is projected to be the second overall pick. Then, Adam Fantilli, C, University of Michigan (NCAA) will go next. All three players can make a huge addition to the Coyotes lineup.

The Coyotes will be right there in the mix to grab the first overall selection, but so are the Chicago Blackhawks. If the Hawks lose Patrick Kane and/or Jonathan Toews, it could elevate their chances.

Arena Controversy

There have been numerous outrageous comments made about the Coyotes playing at the 4,700-seat Mullett Arena. It is what it is. While not ideal, it is hoped that the City of Tempe will approve the arena/entertainment district proposal so the team will have a more “acceptable” place to play. While Mullett Arena is brand new, the unfounded criticism concerning its seating capacity continues. The ownership has stated that it will be a sellout for every home game, and that they will still do quite well financially due to ticket prices being increased.

Final Analysis

The 2022-23 Arizona Coyotes season start won’t be pretty. They will need to get through this season and hopefully develop some of their young prospects as best as they can. Losing is never a joyous thing. The players know that, the coaches know that and the fans certainly know it as well.

As head coach André Tourigny has stated, he only worries about things he can control. The arena situation falls under that category. He and all the coaches will do their best to motivate players in every conceivable way… yet in the end, it is the players who decide game outcomes.

Playing 20 of 24 games on the road to start a season will be a challenge most Coyotes’ players will remember.

Still, they will only gather 62 points this coming season, and that may not be enough to win the Bedard sweepstakes, but it will be close.