2023-24 season: They were the Arizona Coyotes, and finished 36-41-5, 7th in the Central Division, 13th in the Western Conference, and 27th in the league.
The Winnipeg Jets were a proud success in the WHA, winning their division 3 times, the Avco Cup 3 times, including in back to back years in 1978 and 1979. But the merger into the NHL was a death blow to the franchise, as they sunk from WHA champions and the league's best franchise to being the joke of the league. Every team paid a dear price in expansion fees, most of which came in the form of dismantling teams. The WHA did not survive very well, but the teams that remained were better than many of the NHL franchises. But the NHL did not see it as fit if teams from the old league came in and won Stanley Cups, so they stripped away the talent, and it killed many careers on arrival, most of which were theirs. They gave up 3 of their top 6 scorers from the 1978-79 season, and by 1980-81, they had a record of 9-57-14. They did make the playoffs for 11 of the next 15 seasons, but they were just not good enough to stand in the Smythe Division with the Oilers and Flames. They eventually fell victim to NHL politics, as Gary Bettman put forward his mission to expand in the south, and it came at the expense of the Canadian teams. Though the struggles as the Jets were obvious, they only revealed themselves more the longer they stayed in Arizona. They made the playoffs in their first 4 seasons, but only made it past the 1st round once in 28 seasons as the Coyotes, and have become the 3rd active franchise to be relocated twice, after the California Golden Seals became the Cleveland Barons, and merged to become the North Stars, and the New Jersey Devils, who were the Kansas City Scouts and the Colorado Rockies before.
The 2023-24 Coyotes began this season with promise, as Andre Tourigny was in his 2nd full season as coach, and he lead the best World Juniors team in 2022 for Team Canada. The Coyotes carried a strong start to maintaining a playoff spot for half the season, but a winless February pushed them out of contention and out of a winning record. Their offense was middle of the pack, and they had 6 20-goal scorers, which is a step in the right direction, but their defense ranked in the bottom 10. Sean Durzi was their best defenseman all season long, with 41 points and a -1, so that is a red flag that the team attempted to address in the offseason by acquiring Mikhail Sergachev from the Lightning. They also got John Marino from the New Jersey Devils, and Ian Cole from the Vancouver Canucks, which should help, but Cole will just score every Oilers goal when they play each other. They still need to address their needs with goaltending, as Connor Ingram is a good goalie, but he isn't a stable no. 1. He is a good starter, but there's a difference between a no. 1 and a starter. Karel Vejmelka isn't working out either, and that is a change they need to make. Their defense also just isn't capable of competing with the rest of the Central Division other than Chicago.
I still believe that the Utah Hockey Club is cursed, but they can only get through that if they can put behind their cursed history. The Coyotes were kept in Arizona for 20 years too long, and they should've been a salary cap casualty in 2005. 1 division title and a conference final appearance for a 45 year NHL history is pathetic. The NHL is calling them an expansion franchise, which dilutes the definition of expansion, but they really are just the same thing, but without a name. They need to really establish a strong identity coming out of the gate, whether they're a winning team or not. Their decision to go a season without a team name is a big mistake, and it sets a negative precedence in the NHL. They also have the perfect combination of colors to call themselves the Utah Yetis, so it seems useless to put off the renaming of that franchise.
I predict that the Coyotes will finish 7th in the Central Division, 14th in the Western Conference, and 27th in the league with a record of 30-40-12.
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