Stat Hockey’s Arizona Coyotes 2022-23 Line Projections

This is a look at the Arizona Coyotes 2022-23 line projections. It will cover all four forward lines, defence pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Nick Schmaltz – Travis Boyd – Clayton Keller

Lawson Crouse – Barrett Hayton – Jack McBain

Nick Ritchie – Nathan Smith – Christian Fischer

Andrew Ladd – Nick Bjugstad – Zack Kassian

S- Liam O’Brien, Alex Chiasson

D

Shayne Gostisbehere – Dysin Mayo

Jakob Chychrun – Connor Timmins

Patrick Nemeth – Troy Stetcher

S- Josh Brown

G

Karel Vejmelka

Ivan Prosvetov

Forwards

Schmaltz and Keller are top line players for the Coyotes, but the role of centre on their line will be up for grabs between a few players. Boyd has the experience and Arizona wouldn’t want to put Hayton in a position to fail early in his NHL development. Boyd also had a very surprising season in 2021-22.

Crouse really stepped up last season and has come into his own as a top-six player. With a weaker team that has a mix of young talent and veterans taking up cap space, there is no doubt he will play a big role for the team. The Coyotes have a number of prospects who are ready or just about to play in the NHL. Of the group, Smith and McBain are the best and most ready. Both should earn a place in the middle six somewhere and one of them will more than likely have to shift over to the wing.

Ritchie turned his season around in 2021-22 when he joined the Coyotes. It was a lot less pressure and he should once again be a middle of the pack player. The rest of the team will likely be filled out with veterans who were traded to the Coyotes at one point along with assets. Kassian, Ladd, and Bjugstad will more than likely make up the bottom line as they don’t bring a ton of scoring to the table. There may be Alex Chiasson who comes out in training camp and impresses along with O’Brien pushing for a spot. A prospect not listed here could also catch the eye of management and stick around.

Defence

The defence is pretty weak, but Gostisbehere proved last season he can still be a force offensively anywhere he plays. It will be between him and Chychrun for who takes the spot on the top line, but it doesn’t matter a whole lot in the long run as the top two pairings will likely log the same amount of time.

Timmins should get back into the lineup after missing nearly the entire 2021-22 season. He may have to compete for playing time with the three new veteran additions to the blue line in Stetcher, Demers, and Brown.

Goaltending

Vejmelka solidified himself as the Coyotes’ number one goaltender last season. Since they will have a couple of young and inexperienced or third string goalies competing for the backup spot in training camp, Vejmelka should once again see the majority of starts. The backup role will be tough, but Prosvetov should come out as the next in line. He got into three games last season.

Related: Stat Hockey’s Anaheim Ducks 2022-23 Line Projections