Arizona Coyotes improve their current look without sabotaging the future









For how steep the plummet was last season, the climb back to respectability figured to take time and maybe even include some plateaus.

That outlook for the Coyotes hasn't wavered; no one is confusing a recent 29th-placed squad as a Stanley Cup contender.

But after the Coyotes retooled their roster Wednesday by pulling five NHLers from free agency, including arguably the best center available in Antoine Vermette, their goal of becoming a playoff team during their rebuild gained credibility.

What's more, the infrastructure to let their young players grow — in the NHL or elsewhere — seems to be in place.

"We didn't want to be forcing people into our lineup early, and we see it just does not work in the NHL," General Manager Don Maloney said. "Long-term, you don't have success that way."

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The Coyotes spent the first half of Day 1 of the signing period beefing up their bottom-six forward group. They added their likely No. 3 center in Brad Richardson and found protection for their youth in winger Steve Downie, who could also be a depth scoring option.

Considering they traded for center Boyd Gordon a day earlier, the Coyotes almost seemed to now have too many bodies to cram onto the third and fourth lines.

But there is a clear advantage to the maneuvering: the opportunity for the team's youth to win a job is there without the pressure to carry the offensive load.

Centers Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak are long shots to make the roster out of training camp, but winger Max Domi isn't. There's room for to Domi to slide into the NHL but also be sheltered from certain matchups and responsibilities with a quick, reliable and experienced crew supporting him.

"You have to have a good veteran presence around your young players," Maloney said.

RELATED: Coyotes cap off flurry of free-agent signings by reacquiring Vermette

What's helpful, too, is the Coyotes haven't overloaded themselves with long-term deals; Vermette's contract is for two years, Downie signed for one and Gordon has only one season left on his deal.

Richardson actually signed the lengthiest contract (three years).

So when more of the youth (like Strome, Dvorak and winger Brendan Perlini) are probably ready to join the ranks, the Coyotes should have the flexibility to include them.

"This gives us more chance to bring players in," Maloney said.

To be fair, some of the Coyotes' recent additions (they also signed defenseman Zbynek Michalek) have the group looking more reminiscent of a team that struggled in the past. But it's the newbies and youngsters, in Maloney's eyes, who can incite the change.

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"To me it gives us a better starting point," Maloney said.

Aside from the tweaks up front, the Coyotes have upgraded their blue line with a more stable anchor in Nicklas Grossmann. They're still exploring the possibility of acquiring another defenseman (a trade seems the most likely route). Another winger isn't also out of the question.

But what shouldn't be discounted is the experience the returnees have.

Not wanting to relive what transpired last season – combined with a better foundation– might be just the push the Coyotes need to hover around the playoff cutline until their grander ambitions become more realistic.

"This is the goal," Vermette said. "You want to improve. You want to get excited. Obviously, I'm sure the experts won't see us as a Cup contender this year. I'm sure we'll be fine thriving with that. We're adding some young guys in the mix there, and we want to bring a good work ethic and a good attitude and establish a winning mentality."

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

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