Three current Arizona Coyotes could help revive offense

Three years ago, the number three seemed to imply only good fortune for the Coyotes.

They made their third straight playoff appearance as the No. 3 team in the Western Conference and capped off their magical season with an appearance in the third round.

But now, the No. 3 pick in the June NHL draft reeks of the Coyotes' bad luck in the early stages of a rebuild that was ignited when a different No. 3 (Keith Yandle) was shipped from Arizona to New York.

Instead of waiting for more to go wrong (doesn't that usually happen in threes?), let's look at what could turn in the Coyotes' favor.

The team likely won't be repairing its offense, the same one that finished 29th with an average of 2.01 goals-per-game, with their first selection in the draft after falling out of contention for Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.

So while most of the changes will have to come via trades or the free-agency market, a few current faces — three to be exact — have the potential to make the Coyotes more of a goal-scoring threat regardless of other moves.

• Winger Mikkel Boedker skated without restrictions in the final week of the regular season and was only five pounds shy of putting back on the 20 he lost after having surgery to remove his spleen.

"When you go through something so major as it turned out to be, you kind of question, 'Can I do this? Can I take a hard stride?'" Boedker said. "All those things I've been able to do, and I've been able to feel like I did before."

And that's a vital development.

Before he took a hit Jan. 18 in Winnipeg that damaged his spleen, Boedker was the team's leading goal scorer with 14. Five of those came in a four-game span earlier in the month that saw Boedker elevate his play to a dynamic level.

"Hopefully next year I can start at that point and then continue from there," he said.

To do so, the Coyotes and Boedker need to hammer out a new contract as the restricted free agent's two-year, $5.1 million deal expired after this season.

"I've been in discussions with his agent, and we'll continue to arm wrestle to try to get something done," General Manager Don Maloney said.

• Center/winger Sam Gagner had 10 of his 15 goals since January, a nod to the comfort he developed in the second half of the season after a trade to the Coyotes last summer, and the 25-year-old is hoping he'll pick up where he left off.

"There's no excuses," he said. "I know my role on the team. I'm comfortable with everything that goes on here. Next year's a big one."

Coach Dave Tippett acknowledged Gagner needs to play with "good players," so Gagner might benefit the most by the injection of youth. But if the Coyotes' average age continues to drop, that places even more importance on the established crew to gloss over any hiccups in the transition.

"I hold myself to a high standard," Gagner said, "and I want to make sure I can come in next year and be a leader on the team and lead the team offensively."

• Winger Tobias Rieder didn't start his rookie season until November, but he still finished second on the team in 5-on-5 chances created, Tippett said.

With 13 goals, no one can knock Rieder's first-year performance but it definitely highlights the opportunity he has to avoid a sophomore slump by becoming more of a scorer.

And he has a couple of options for going about that: shooting more, enhancing his shot so he has a better chance of burying the ones he does take or improving his deflection skills in front of the net.

"The execution and ability to finish is the next part of his game," Tippett said.

Reach The Heat Index at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.