The 2007 NHL Draft lottery gave the Chicago Blackhawks the spark they needed, as they won the rights to draft Patrick Kane. What if the Arizona Coyotes had won the lottery instead?
This summer at Puck Prose, we’re going back in time and changing history. That’s right, we’re driving our DeLorean at 88 miles per hour and we’re busting out our flux capacitors so NHL history can be changed for each team. Earlier, we looked at how the Anaheim Ducks had a dynasty ruined by a ping-pong-ball. Next up are the Arizona Coyotes.
The Coyotes are a polarizing franchise. There are those who think they shouldn’t be in Arizona. Others believe the NHL shouldn’t give up on them so quickly. What’s undeniable is the Coyotes haven’t been able to build a consistent winner, which has led to them having poor attendance.
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There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one is the Coyotes have had awful luck in the draft lottery. The highest the Coyotes have ever drafted is third overall, which they’ve done twice. (2007 and 2015).
Both times, Arizona was so close to having a franchise star, yet fell just short. 2015 is a bit too recent, so let’s go with 2007. What if the Coyotes won the draft lottery and drafted Patrick Kane?
The 2006-07 Season
The Arizona Coyotes (then known as the Phoenix Coyotes) entered the 2006-07 season in a rut. They missed the postseason in three straight years. However, the Coyotes had some optimism, as they were in the playoff race during the 2005-06 season until April. After signing Ed Jovanovski and Nick Boynton, fans were optimistic.
Instead, the Coyotes started their season 3-9-0 in October. They managed to dig themselves out after a January win over the Dallas Stars gave them a 20-20-2 record. However, the Coyotes had three losing streaks of at least five games (and another four-game losing streak) from the start of February to the end of the season. They finished with 67 points, the second-fewest in the league.
The Draft Lottery
Entering the 2007 NHL Draft lottery, the Coyotes had the second-best odds of landing the first overall pick. Back then, Patrick Kane was the undisputed top prospect after posting historically great numbers with the London Knights with 145 points in just 58 games.
The Chicago Blackhawks, who finished in sixth-to-last place, wound up winning the lottery. Along with 2016 first-round pick Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks got two elite forwards and they’ve won three Stanley Cups with them.
Now, I’m not changing the way the ping-pong balls bounced because that’s way too easy. We need to make up a four-point differential in points so the Coyotes can finish in sixth-to-last place. The Coyotes went 3-1-0 against the Blackhawks in 2006-07. Let’s turn that loss into a regulation win.
Both teams now have 69 points. However, the Coyotes still have one more regulation/overtime win than the Blackhawks. So let’s turn this March loss to the Colorado Avalanche into a regulation win. The Coyotes are now tied with the Oilers for fifth, but the Oilers have one more regulation win. So the Coyotes are in sixth place, where they win the draft lottery to get Kane.
Alternate History
Kane made an immediate impact for the Blackhawks, making his NHL debut to start the 2007 season and he won the Calder Trophy after posting 72 points in 81 games. So it’s safe to say he would have made an impact on the Coyotes as well.
In 2007-08, the Yotes finished with 83 points, eight points behind the Nashville Predators for the last playoff spot. Kane gives the Coyotes enough of a boost that they’re able to sneak past them with 92 points. However, they lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the first round.
The Coyotes, led by Kane and Shane Doan, are able to sneak into the 2008-09 playoffs as well with 92 points. They face the San Jose Sharks in the first round and pull off a massive upset, beating them in seven games. The Coyotes have to face the Red Wings, this time in the second round, hoping to change the ending from the 2008 postseason. They don’t.
Wayne Gretzky still steps down as the head coach because he was a bad one. And yes, the Coyotes still hire Dave Tippett. Kane, along with Tippett significantly improving their defense, transforms the Coyotes into Stanley Cup contenders. They finish with the best record in the Western Conference, setting up a first-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, who they beat in five games.
The Coyotes proceed to beat the Vancouver Canucks in an epic seven-game series in the second round, taking them to their first Western Conference Final in franchise history. However, the San Jose Sharks beat them in seven games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final where they eventually beat the Philadelphia Flyers.
In the 2010-11 season, the Coyotes once again make the playoffs with 108 points, the best in the Pacific Division. They beat the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the first round. The Coyotes exorcise their Red Wings demons, topping them in seven games in the second round. They then face the Canucks, who just won the President’s Trophy. The Sedin twins are simply too much for the Coyotes to handle, as they lose to them in six games.
The 2011-12 season sees the Coyotes yet again make the postseason, this time with the best record in the Western Conference. They top the Kings in the first round, the Blues in the second round, and the Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final. The Coyotes beat the Devils in six games to win the Stanley Cup.
Kane generates enough revenue to keep the Yotes from being the punchline of the NHL. Fans fill the arena every home game. Canadian reporters now must find a new team to pick on for their sub-par attendance.
Other than the Canucks, perhaps no team has had worse luck at the draft lottery than the Coyotes. They’ve fallen just short of getting several franchise stars, including Connor McDavid and Kane. This just goes to show you how much things can change with the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball. Or a missed empty-net goal.
With Kane, the Coyotes would be the team they could have been. They’ve always needed a star. The Coyotes have never really had one unless you want to count Shane Doan. A star would help change everything.