# 2020–21 Arizona Coyotes season

The 2020–21 Arizona Coyotes season was the 42nd season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, the 25th season since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg following the 1995–96 NHL season, and the 49th overall, including the World Hockey Association years. This would have been the final year of the Coyotes being in the Pacific Division in the 2020–21 season before the new NHL expansion team the Seattle Kraken enters into the Pacific Division in the 2021–22 NHL season. However, on December 20, 2020, the league temporarily realigned into four divisions with no conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing closure of the Canada–United States border. As a result of this realignment, the Coyotes played this season in the West Division and only played games against the other teams in their new division during the regular season.
On May 5, 2021, the Coyotes were eliminated from playoff contention after a 4–2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

West Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | p – Colorado Avalanche | 56 | 39 | 13 | 4 | 35 | 197 | 133 | +64 | 82 |
| 2 | x – Vegas Golden Knights | 56 | 40 | 14 | 2 | 30 | 191 | 124 | +67 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Wild | 56 | 35 | 16 | 5 | 27 | 181 | 160 | +21 | 75 |
| 4 | x – St. Louis Blues | 56 | 27 | 20 | 9 | 19 | 169 | 170 | −1 | 63 |
| 5 | e – Arizona Coyotes | 56 | 24 | 26 | 6 | 19 | 153 | 176 | −23 | 54 |
| 6 | e – Los Angeles Kings | 56 | 21 | 28 | 7 | 19 | 143 | 170 | −27 | 49 |
| 7 | e – San Jose Sharks | 56 | 21 | 28 | 7 | 15 | 151 | 199 | −48 | 49 |
| 8 | e – Anaheim Ducks | 56 | 17 | 30 | 9 | 11 | 126 | 179 | −53 | 43 |

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

The regular season schedule was announced on December 23, 2020.
2020–21 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)
  Postponement :

## Draft picks

Below are the Arizona Coyotes' selections at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020 at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft was held October 6–7, 2020 virtually via Video conference call from the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 2 | 49 | Forfeited pick | | | |
| 4 | 111 | Mitchell Miller (renounced) | D | United States | Tri-City Storm (USHL) |
| 5 | 142 | Carson Bantle | LW | United States | Michigan Tech (WCHA) |
| 6 | 173 | Filip Barklund | C | Sweden | Orebro Jr. (J20 SuperElit) |
| 7 | 192 | Elliot Ekefjard | RW | Sweden | Malmö Redhawks Jr. (J20 SuperElit) |
| 7 | 204 | Ben McCartney | LW | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |

### Draft notes

* ↑ The Coyotes' second-round pick in 2020 was forfeited as the result of a penalty sanction due to violations of the NHL Combine Testing Policy during the 2019–20 NHL season. The penalty included the forfeiture of a first-round pick in 2021.
* ↑ After controversy with Mitchell Miller, the Coyotes decided to renounce the pick on October 29, 2020.