It’s been another challenging season for the Arizona Coyotes, but it hasn’t been all doom and gloom in the desert.
The Yotes enter play on Wednesday with a 12-16-5 record. Their 29 points rank seventh in the Central Division and 13th in the Western Conference.
Things have been going well recently in Arizona, however, as the team is 5-3-1 in its last nine games. While the Coyotes have been poor when compared to most of the NHL, this season has been at least encouraging for a franchise that has been down and out for years.
Lawson Crouse is giving the Coyotes a boost.
A big reason that Arizona isn’t at the very bottom of the standings is forward Lawson Crouse, who is having a career year this season.
The 25-year-old former first-round pick is in his seventh season with the Coyotes, and he’s found some success in the first part of this campaign. In 32 games, Crouse has recorded 14 goals and six assists for 20 points. He leads the Yotes in goals and is fourth in points.
Crouse set a career-high in goals (20) and points (34) a season ago and is on pace to surpass both of those totals this season. If he continues scoring as he has been through the first two and a half months of the season, he will notch the first 30-goal season of his career.
In addition, he is one of only six Coyotes skaters with a positive plus-minus rating this season (he’s been a plus player only one other time in his career), and he is third among forwards in ice time.
With a contract running through the 2026-2027 season, the Coyotes are hoping that Crouse will continue to improve. Clayton Keller, who is scoring at a point-per-game pace for Arizona, is also under contract long-term.
There are undoubtedly some exciting young players in the desert, and with a little luck, this will be the start of something positive for this franchise.
Crouse is coming off a three-point performance against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday and will look to keep the momentum rolling when the Coyotes take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.