The Arizona Coyotes were thought to be among the frontrunners to land top prospect and Scottsdale, Arizona native Auston Matthews coming into the 2015-16 season.
Instead, the Coyotes kept pace in the Pacific Division for the better part of the season before quietly falling out of the race down the stretch. Unfortunately, they’re not really in the best position to secure a good shot at the first overall pick.
Matthews was in attendance at Gila River Arena Saturday night for the Coyotes’ tilt against the Washington Capitals. “[The] Coyotes are the reason I started playing hockey,” Matthews said Saturday. “We’re pretty fortunate to have them in the Valley.”
Matthews is widely regarded as the best player available heading into the NHL Draft in June. He totalled 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games for the Zurich Lions in Switzerland’s National League.
While the Coyotes are blessed with a great young core and several more blue chip prospects coming down the pipeline, the addition of Matthews, a local kid, would be a boon to the club’s marketability.
Coyotes GM Don Maloney recently shot down rumours that he would dangle defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson as trade bait in an effort to bring Matthews to the desert.
