Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Sports Illustrated published a feature on Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson Monday, but a quote that wasn’t included in the story seems to be catching more attention.

In a tweet posted by the story’s author, Alex Prewitt, Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney responded to a question about Ekman-Larsson finishing 17th in voting for the Norris Trophy by saying:

“It’s really reflective of our team. Last year, we plunged. I did not do much to help our team the last two months. If we were going to be bad, my attitude was, let’s be real bad. There was a pretty big prize for being really bad. All that being said, it was a miserable last six weeks for every player, including Oliver and anyone who had to go out there, because our chances of winning were so slim. We basically had a minor-league roster. But he continued to do his thing and he’s always been a top minutes played at his position. I think there’s still more growth and upside.”

Some have interpreted Maloney’s response as evidence the Coyotes tanked last season, purposely losing games to improve their draft odds to potentially land generational talent and eventual No. 1 pick Connor McDavid.

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But the fact is, a short-staffed team that wasn’t equipped to win most nights was the reality as the team embarked on a rebuild.

The Coyotes knew their playoff hopes had curdled by the Christmas break and at the March 1 trade deadline, they triggered a reset.

Maloney moved out veterans on expiring contracts to recoup assets. Arizona traded center Antoine Vermette to Chicago in exchange for defenseman Klas Dahlbeck and a 2015 first-round pick while also sending defenseman Zbynek Michalek to St. Louis to land prospect Maxim Letunov.

The team also parted ways with defenseman Keith Yandle, receiving a return that included winger Anthony Duclair, a 2015 second-round pick and another first-rounder in either 2016 or 2017.

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As a team out of contention, it made zero sense for the Coyotes to add immediate help at the trade deadline. Instead, they used the marketplace to stock up on pieces that would help them in upcoming seasons. Arizona drafted center Dylan Strome third overall, adding to a pipeline that appears to have dynamic potential.

But these youngsters need the opportunity to play, and that’s what the rebuild has created.

In the interim, the Coyotes had to close out the remainder of last season with minor-league call-ups but it had become clear by their actions at the deadline that they had already started to turn their attention to the future.

And the decision has paid off.

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Dahlbeck and Duclair have become regulars, and the influx of youth that has also included wingers Max Domi and Jordan Martinook and more recently goalie Louis Domingue has been a positive change. In mid-February, the team’s playoff chances are still alive.

Year 1 of the rebuild has been a success.

Maloney’s candor might have startled some, but it described the actual first phase of the team’s decision to rebuild.

Almost a year later, it still looks like the right call for the franchise.