# 2023–24 Arizona Coyotes season

The 2023–24 Arizona Coyotes season was the 45th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, the 28th of the Coyotes after relocation from Winnipeg following the 1995–96 season, and the 52nd and potentially final overall season for the original Jets/Coyotes organization, including their World Hockey Association (WHA) years. It was also their second and final season playing their home games at Mullett Arena, which held the distinction of being the smallest venue in the National Hockey League based on seating capacity in the modern 21st century era, accommodating just 4,600 spectators at maximum capacity.
On March 26, 2024, the Coyotes were eliminated from playoff contention following a 5–4 overtime win by the Nashville Predators against the Vegas Golden Knights. In the closing days of the season, it was reported in numerous sources that the Coyotes organization would be transferred to an expansion franchise the league was planning to award to Utah-based businessman Ryan Smith, with the intention of relocating the Coyotes' hockey assets (but not the actual Coyotes franchise itself) to Salt Lake City.
The transaction was finalized on April 18, 2024, the day after Arizona's season-ending 5–2 win over the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers, with the Coyotes franchise having officially been recognized as having suspended hockey operations since that day. Under the terms of the agreement with then-current owner Alex Meruelo, if a new arena that is considered suitable for the NHL is built within five years, the franchise is expected to be reactivated, thus retaining the names, rights, and trademarks to the Coyotes logo, name, and brand in the process of it all. However, two months later in June, the auction was cancelled, and Meruelo left ownership, thus making the franchise inactive.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Central Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | z – Dallas Stars | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 40 | 298 | 234 | +64 | 113 |
| 2 | x – Winnipeg Jets | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 46 | 259 | 199 | +60 | 110 |
| 3 | x – Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 50 | 25 | 7 | 42 | 304 | 254 | +50 | 107 |
| 4 | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 38 | 269 | 248 | +21 | 99 |
| 5 | e – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 31 | 239 | 250 | −11 | 92 |
| 6 | e – Minnesota Wild | 82 | 39 | 34 | 9 | 32 | 251 | 263 | −12 | 87 |
| 7 | e – Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 36 | 41 | 5 | 28 | 256 | 274 | −18 | 77 |
| 8 | e – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 23 | 53 | 6 | 17 | 179 | 290 | −111 | 52 |

### Conference standings

Western Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | CE | x – Nashville Predators | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 38 | 269 | 248 | +21 | 99 |
| 2 | PA | x – Vegas Golden Knights | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 34 | 267 | 245 | +22 | 98 |
| 3 | CE | e – St. Louis Blues | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 31 | 239 | 250 | −11 | 92 |
| 4 | CE | e – Minnesota Wild | 82 | 39 | 34 | 9 | 32 | 251 | 263 | −12 | 87 |
| 5 | PA | e – Calgary Flames | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 32 | 253 | 271 | −18 | 81 |
| 6 | PA | e – Seattle Kraken | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 28 | 217 | 236 | −19 | 81 |
| 7 | CE | e – Arizona Coyotes | 82 | 36 | 41 | 5 | 28 | 256 | 274 | −18 | 77 |
| 8 | PA | e – Anaheim Ducks | 82 | 27 | 50 | 5 | 21 | 204 | 295 | −91 | 59 |
| 9 | CE | e – Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 23 | 53 | 6 | 17 | 179 | 290 | −111 | 52 |
| 10 | PA | e – San Jose Sharks | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 14 | 181 | 331 | −150 | 47 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The team's preseason schedule was released on June 20, 2023.
2023 preseason game log: 4–5–0 (Home: 3–1–0; Road: 1–4–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeDecisionLocationAttendanceRecord
1$^A$September 23Los Angeles3–5ArizonaIngramRod Laver Arena13,0971–0–0
2$^F$September 23Arizona2–3St. LouisVillaltaEnterprise Center16,3141–1–0
3$^B$ $^F$September 23St. Louis1–5ArizonaProsvetovIntrust Bank Arena6,3242–1–0
4$^A$September 24Arizona2–3Los AngelesVejmelkaRod Laver Arena13,1182–2–0
5$^C$September 24Arizona0–7DallasProsvetovH-E-B Center at Cedar Park—2–3–0
6September 29Arizona1–3VegasIngramT-Mobile Arena17,5012–4–0
7$^D$October 1Anaheim5–4ArizonaVejmelkaAcrisure Arena7,5452–5–0
8October 5Arizona4–2AnaheimIngramHonda Center10,8783–5–0
9$^E$October 7Anaheim1–7ArizonaVejmelkaTCC Arena5,1804–5–0 :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss
  OT/SO Loss
$^A$ – game in Melbourne, Australia
$^B$ - game in Wichita, Kansas
$^C$ - game in Cedar Park, Texas
$^D$ - game in Palm Springs, California
$^E$ - game in Tucson, Arizona
$^F$ - split squad :

### Regular season

The Arizona Coyotes regular season schedule was released on June 27, 2023.
2023–24 game log :
October: 4–4–0 (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 2–3–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 13Arizona4–3New JerseySOVejmelkaPrudential Center16,5141–0–02
2October 16Arizona1–2NY RangersIngramMadison Square Garden18,0061–1–02
3October 17Arizona0–1NY IslandersVejmelkaUBS Arena14,4561–2–02
4October 19Arizona6–2St. LouisIngramEnterprise Center18,0962–2–04
5October 21Anaheim1–2ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,6003–2–06
6October 24Arizona3–6Los AngelesVejmelkaCrypto.com Arena17,6683–3–06
7October 27Los Angeles5–4ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,6003–4–06
8October 30Chicago1–8ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,6004–4–08 :
November: 7–5–2 (Home: 4–3–0; Road: 3–2–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
9November 1Arizona3–4AnaheimOTVejmelkaHonda Center14,8944–4–19
10November 2Montreal2–3ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,6005–4–111
11November 4Winnipeg5–3ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,6005–5–111
12November 7Seattle3–4ArizonaSOIngramMullett Arena4,6006–5–113
13November 9Arizona1–2St. LouisVejmelkaEnterprise Center18,0966–6–113
14November 11Arizona7–5NashvilleIngramBridgestone Arena17,3037–6–115
15November 14Arizona3–4DallasOTVejmelkaAmerican Airlines Center18,5327–6–216
16November 16Arizona3–2ColumbusIngramNationwide Arena15,9098–6–218
17November 18Arizona2–5WinnipegVejmelkaCanada Life Centre12,1038–7–218
18November 20Los Angeles4–1ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,6008–8–218
19November 22St. Louis6–5ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,6008–9–218
20November 25Arizona2–0VegasIngramT-Mobile Arena18,5919–9–220
21November 28Tampa Bay1–3ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60010–9–222
22November 30Colorado3–4ArizonaOTIngramMullett Arena4,60011–9–224 :
December: 8–5–0 (Home: 6–1–0; Road: 2–4–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
23December 2St. Louis1–4ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60012–9–226
24December 4Washington0–6ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60013–9–228
25December 7Philadelphia4–1ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60013–10–228
26December 9Arizona3–5BostonIngramTD Garden17,85013–11–228
27December 11Arizona2–5BuffaloVejmelkaKeyBank Center14,08313–12–228
28December 12Arizona2–4PittsburghIngramPPG Paints Arena17,06813–13–228
29December 15San Jose0–1ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60014–13–230
30December 16Buffalo0–2ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60015–13–232
31December 19Ottawa3–4ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60016–13–234
32December 21Arizona5–2San JoseVejmelkaSAP Center17,43517–13–236
33December 23Arizona1–4ColoradoIngramBall Arena18,11717–14–236
34December 27Colorado4–5ArizonaOTVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60018–14–238
35December 29Arizona2–0AnaheimIngramHonda Center16,05219–14–240 :
January: 4–8–1 (Home: 3–4–0; Road: 1–4–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
36January 2Florida4–1ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60019–15–240
37January 4NY Islanders5–1ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60019–16–240
38January 7Winnipeg6–2ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60019–17–240
39January 9Boston3–4ArizonaOTIngramMullett Arena4,60020–17–242
40January 11Calgary6–2ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60020–18–242
41January 13Arizona6–0MinnesotaIngramXcel Energy Center18,81221–18–244
42January 16Arizona2–3CalgaryOTIngramScotiabank Saddledome17,40721–18–345
43January 18Arizona1–2VancouverIngramRogers Arena19,00521–19–345
44January 20Nashville2–3ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60022–19–347
45January 22Pittsburgh2–5ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60023–19–349
46January 24Arizona2–6FloridaVejmelkaAmerant Bank Arena17,02023–20–349
47January 25Arizona3–6Tampa BayIngramAmalie Arena19,09223–21–349
48January 27Arizona1–3CarolinaIngramPNC Arena18,71823–22–349 :
February: 0–9–2 (Home: 0–5–0; Road: 0–4–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
49February 8Vegas3–2ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60023–23–349
50February 10Arizona4–5NashvilleOTIngramBridgestone Arena17,50723–23–450
51February 12Arizona3–5PhiladelphiaVejmelkaWells Fargo Center18,09423–24–450
52February 14Minnesota3–1ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60023–25–450
53February 16Carolina5–1ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60023–26–450
54February 18Arizona3–4ColoradoVejmelkaBall Arena18,13323–27–450
55February 19Edmonton6–3ArizonaVillaltaMullett Arena4,60023–28–450
56February 21Toronto6–3ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60023–29–450
57February 25Arizona3–4WinnipegOTIngramCanada Life Centre14,32423–29–551
58February 27Arizona2–4MontrealIngramBell Centre21,10523–30–551
59February 29Arizona2–4TorontoIngramScotiabank Arena18,66223–31–551 :
March: 8–7–0 (Home: 5–4–0; Road: 3–3–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
60March 1Arizona5–3OttawaVejmelkaCanadian Tire Centre17,73424–31–553
61March 3Arizona5–2WashingtonVejmelkaCapital One Arena18,57325–31–555
62March 5Chicago5–2ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60025–32–555
63March 7Minnesota5–2ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60025–33–555
64March 8Detroit0–4ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60026–33–557
65March 10Arizona4–7ChicagoIngramUnited Center18,66626–34–557
66March 12Arizona1–4MinnesotaVejmelkaXcel Energy Center18,23126–35–557
67March 14Arizona4–1DetroitIngramLittle Caesars Arena18,58027–35–559
68March 16New Jersey1–4ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60028–35–561
69March 20Arizona2–5DallasIngramAmerican Airlines Center18,53228–36–561
70March 22Seattle1–2ArizonaOTVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60029–36–563
71March 24Dallas4–2ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60029–37–563
72March 26Columbus2–6ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60030–37–565
73March 28Nashville4–8ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60031–37–567
74March 30NY Rangers8–5ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60031–38–567 :
April: 5–3–0 (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 3–2–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionLocationAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
75April 3Vancouver2–1ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60031–39–567
76April 5Vegas4–7ArizonaVejmelkaMullett Arena4,60032–39–569
77April 7Arizona5–2San JoseIngramSAP Center11,93833–39–571
78April 9Arizona0–5SeattleVejmelkaClimate Pledge Arena17,15133–40–571
79April 10Arizona4–3VancouverOTIngramRogers Arena18,85634–40–573
80April 12Arizona3–2EdmontonOTVejmelkaRogers Place18,34735–40–575
81April 14Arizona5–6CalgaryIngramScotiabank Saddledome17,24735–41–575
82April 17Edmonton2–5ArizonaIngramMullett Arena4,60036–41–577 :
Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player stats

Updated to game played April 17, 2024

### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Clayton Keller | 78 | 33 | 43 | 76 | −20 | 32 |
| Nick Schmaltz | 79 | 22 | 39 | 61 | −16 | 10 |
| Matias Maccelli | 82 | 17 | 40 | 57 | −4 | 8 |
| Nick Bjugstad | 76 | 22 | 23 | 45 | +11 | 59 |
| Alexander Kerfoot | 82 | 13 | 32 | 45 | −15 | 26 |
| Logan Cooley | 82 | 20 | 24 | 44 | −13 | 18 |
| Lawson Crouse | 81 | 23 | 19 | 42 | −7 | 36 |
| Sean Durzi | 76 | 9 | 32 | 41 | −1 | 63 |
| Dylan Guenther | 45 | 18 | 17 | 35 | −1 | 14 |
| Michael Carcone | 74 | 21 | 8 | 29 | −2 | 35 |
| Jack McBain | 67 | 8 | 18 | 26 | +8 | 50 |
| J.J. Moser | 80 | 5 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 35 |
| Jason Zucker$^‡$ | 51 | 9 | 16 | 25 | −5 | 58 |
| Michael Kesselring | 65 | 5 | 16 | 21 | +11 | 66 |
| Juuso Valimaki | 68 | 2 | 15 | 17 | +12 | 12 |
| Liam O'Brien | 75 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 153 |
| Matt Dumba$^‡$ | 58 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −13 | 55 |
| Barrett Hayton | 33 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −13 | 26 |
| Josh Brown | 51 | 3 | 7 | 10 | +2 | 75 |
| Josh Doan | 11 | 5 | 4 | 9 | +6 | 0 |
| Travis Boyd | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | +3 | 2 |
| Travis Dermott | 50 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −14 | 26 |
| Troy Stecher$^‡$ | 47 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +5 | 24 |
| Vladislav Kolyachonok | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +5 | 2 |
| Zach Sanford$^‡$ | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
| John Leonard | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Aku Raty | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan Jenik | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 5 |
| Milos Kelemen | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 0 |
| Patrik Koch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Maksymilian Szuber | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Victor Soderstrom | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| Cameron Crotty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| Justin Kirkland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Ruzicka$^†$ | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 6 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Connor Ingram | 50 | 48 | 2,802:56 | 23 | 21 | 3 | 136 | 2.91 | 1,461 | .907 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Karel Vejmelka | 38 | 33 | 2,040:08 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 114 | 3.35 | 1,089 | .897 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Villalta | 2 | 1 | 71:58 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4.17 | 29 | .828 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Coyotes. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

## Transactions

The Coyotes have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.

### Key

† Contract is entry-level.  ‡ Contract initially takes effect in the 2024–25 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To Nashville PredatorsJason Zucker | To Arizona Coyotes 6th-round pick in 2024 |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To Calgary FlamesTroy Stecher7th-round pick in 2024 | To Arizona Coyotes 4th-round pick in 2027 |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To Tampa Bay LightningMatt Dumba7th-round pick in 2025 | To Arizona Coyotes 5th-round pick in 2027 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Nick Bjugstad | Edmonton Oilers | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Alex Galchenyuk | Nashville Predators | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Alexander Kerfoot | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Troy Stecher | Calgary Flames | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Matt Villalta | Los Angeles Kings | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Jason Zucker | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 2, 2023 (2023-07-02) | Travis Barron | Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 3, 2023 (2023-07-03) | John Leonard | Nashville Predators | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 11, 2023 (2023-07-11) | Montana Onyebuchi | San Jose Barracuda (AHL) | 2-year† | Free agency |
| July 12, 2023 (2023-07-12) | Travis Dermott | Vancouver Canucks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 14, 2023 (2023-07-14) | Zach Sanford | Nashville Predators | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 15, 2023 (2023-07-15) | Justin Kirkland | Anaheim Ducks | 1-year | Free agency |
| August 7, 2023 (2023-08-07) | Matt Dumba | Minnesota Wild | 1-year | Free agency |
| January 25, 2024 (2024-01-25) | Adam Ruzicka | Calgary Flames | | Waivers |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Bokondji Imama | Ottawa Senators | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Emil Lilleberg | Tampa Bay Lightning | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Connor Mackey | New York Rangers | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 2, 2023 (2023-07-02) | Christian Fischer | Detroit Red Wings | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13) | Alex Galchenyuk | | | Contract termination |
| July 28, 2023 (2023-07-28) | Patrik Nemeth | SC Bern (NL) | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 6, 2023 (2023-08-06) | Jean-Sebastien Dea | | | Contract termination |
| August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09) | Jean-Sebastien Dea | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 26, 2023 (2023-09-26) | David Tendeck | Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| October 9, 2023 (2023-10-09) | Ivan Prosvetov | Colorado Avalanche | | Waivers |
| January 6, 2024 (2024-01-06) | Zach Sanford | Chicago Blackhawks | | Waivers |
| February 25, 2024 (2024-02-25) | Adam Ruzicka | | | Contract termination |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term |
| June 30, 2023 (2023-06-30) | Cameron Crotty | 1-year |
| July 8, 2023 (2023-07-08) | Nathan Smith | 1-year |
| July 16, 2023 (2023-07-16) | Ivan Prosvetov | 1-year |
| July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17) | Matias Maccelli | 3-year |
| July 27, 2023 (2023-07-27) | Logan Cooley | 3-year† |
| July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30) | Jack McBain | 2-year |
| September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20) | Jan Jenik | 1-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the Arizona Coyotes selections at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which will be held on June 28 and 29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 6 | Dmitriy Simashev | D | Russia | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) |
| 1 | 12 | Daniil But | LW | Russia | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) |
| 2 | 38 | Michael Hrabal | G | Czechia | Omaha Lancers (USHL) |
| 3 | 70 | Jonathan Castagna | C | Canada | St. Andrew's Saints (CAHS) |
| 3 | 72 | Noel Nordh | LW | Sweden | Brynäs IF (J20 Nationell) |
| 3 | 81 | Tanner Ludtke | C | United States | Lincoln Stars (USHL) |
| 3 | 88 | Vadim Moroz | RW | Belarus | Dinamo Minsk (KHL) |
| 4 | 102 | Terrell Goldsmith | D | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 5 | 134 | Melker Thelin | G | Sweden | Tegs SK (HockeyEttan) |
| 5 | 160 | Justin Kipkie | D | Canada | Victoria Royals (WHL) |
| 6 | 162 | Samu Bau | C | Finland | Ilves (Liiga) |
| 6 | 166 | Carsen Musser | G | United States | U.S. NTDP (USHL) |