# 2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season

The 2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season was their eighth season in the National Hockey League, the franchise's 25th season in the NHL and 32nd overall. For the second year in a row, the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs. It would be the first season the franchise would have playing their home games at the Glendale Arena. However, because the Glendale Arena didn't open until December 26, the first 13 home games were played at America West Arena. The Coyotes went 5–14–5–4 for 19 points in their new home arena.

## Off-season

Phoenix went into the talent-rich 2003 NHL entry draft without a first or second-round draft choice, both having been traded in part for Daymond Langkow in 2001 and Brad Ference at the 2003 trading deadline, respectively. They made their first selection in the third round, 77th overall, selecting centerman Tyler Redenbach. None of the eight players they drafted played a single NHL game.
Defenseman and team captain Teppo Numminen was traded to the Dallas Stars on July 22. Forward Shane Doan was named his replacement on the eve of training camp.

## Regular season

Though the Coyotes finished last in their division (13th in the Conference), for a remarkable span in late December and early January, the team attracted the attention of the sports world, as goaltender Brian Boucher set an NHL record for consecutive shutouts. From December 31 to January 9, Boucher and the Coyotes recorded five consecutive shut-out victories, outscoring their opponents 18–0 during the span. The streak was broken on January 11 in a game against the visiting Atlanta Thrashers, when Randy Robitaille scored on Boucher at 6:16 of the first period. Boucher's streak lasted 332:01, surpassing Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan's 1949 record by over 20 minutes.
The Coyotes struggled after the streak, winning only six of their remaining 40 games. A winless streak of 15 games from February 21 to March 21 is the third longest in franchise history and the longest since the franchise moved to Arizona in 1996. Head coach Bob Francis was fired on February 24 and replaced by assistant coach Rick Bowness, who served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season and throughout the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

### Final standings

Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 219 | 183 | 104 |
| 2 | 5 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 3 | 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 4 | 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 5 | 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
| 2 | Y- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 255 | 183 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 236 | 198 | 100 |
| 5 | X- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 6 | X- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 7 | X- St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
| 8 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
| 15 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results

2003–04 regular season :
October: 3–4–3–0 (home: 1–3–1–0; road: 2–1–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1WOctober 10, 20032–1 OTSt. Louis Blues (2003–04)1–0–0–0Recap
2WOctober 12, 20032–0@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)2–0–0–0Recap
3WOctober 15, 20032–1@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)3–0–0–0Recap
4LOctober 16, 20031–5@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)3–1–0–0Recap
5LOctober 18, 20034–5Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)3–2–0–0Recap
6LOctober 23, 20034–5Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)3–3–0–0Recap
7TOctober 25, 20034–4 OT@ San Jose Sharks (2003–04)3–3–1–0Recap
8TOctober 26, 20033–3 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)3–3–2–0Recap
9TOctober 28, 20032–2 OTChicago Blackhawks (2003–04)3–3–3–0Recap
10LOctober 31, 20031–4Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)3–4–3–0Recap :
November: 4–5–3–1 (home: 4–1–0–0; road: 0–4–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
11LNovember 1, 20033–7@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)3–5–3–0Recap
12LNovember 6, 20031–2@ Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)3–6–3–0Recap
13WNovember 8, 20034–3 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)4–6–3–0Recap
14OTLNovember 9, 20031–2 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)4–6–3–1Recap
15WNovember 13, 20033–2 OTColorado Avalanche (2003–04)5–6–3–1Recap
16TNovember 14, 20033–3 OT@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)5–6–4–1Recap
17TNovember 16, 20032–2 OT@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)5–6–5–1Recap
18WNovember 19, 20035–4St. Louis Blues (2003–04)6–6–5–1Recap
19LNovember 21, 20030–5San Jose Sharks (2003–04)6–7–5–1Recap
20LNovember 23, 20030–1@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)6–8–5–1Recap
21LNovember 24, 20032–5@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)6–9–5–1Recap
22WNovember 27, 20036–4Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)7–9–5–1Recap
23TNovember 30, 20033–3 OT@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)7–9–6–1Recap :
December: 5–3–5–1 (home: 2–2–1–1; road: 3–1–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
24WDecember 2, 20033–1@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)8–9–6–1Recap
25WDecember 4, 20033–2@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)9–9–6–1Recap
26LDecember 5, 20032–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)9–10–6–1Recap
27TDecember 7, 20032–2 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)9–10–7–1Recap
28WDecember 10, 20032–1Dallas Stars (2003–04)10–10–7–1Recap
29TDecember 12, 20033–3 OTEdmonton Oilers (2003–04)10–10–8–1Recap
30LDecember 15, 20032–5Minnesota Wild (2003–04)10–11–8–1Recap
31TDecember 18, 20034–4 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)10–11–9–1Recap
32TDecember 20, 20031–1 OT@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)10–11–10–1Recap
33TDecember 22, 20033–3 OT@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)10–11–11–1Recap
34WDecember 23, 20032–1@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)11–11–11–1Recap
35LDecember 27, 20031–3Nashville Predators (2003–04)11–12–11–1Recap
36OTLDecember 29, 20032–3 OTNew York Rangers (2003–04)11–12–11–2Recap
37WDecember 31, 20034–0Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)12–12–11–2Recap :
January: 6–6–2–0 (home: 1–5–1–0; road: 5–1–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
38WJanuary 2, 20046–0@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)13–12–11–2Recap
39WJanuary 4, 20043–0@ Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)14–12–11–2Recap
40WJanuary 7, 20043–0@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)15–12–11–2Recap
41WJanuary 9, 20042–0@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)16–12–11–2Recap
42TJanuary 11, 20041–1 OTAtlanta Thrashers (2003–04)16–12–12–2Recap
43LJanuary 13, 20041–4Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)16–13–12–2Recap
44LJanuary 15, 20043–4@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)16–14–12–2Recap
45TJanuary 16, 20043–3 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)16–14–13–2Recap
46LJanuary 21, 20042–4San Jose Sharks (2003–04)16–15–13–2Recap
47WJanuary 22, 20042–1@ San Jose Sharks (2003–04)17–15–13–2Recap
48WJanuary 24, 20045–2Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)18–15–13–2Recap
49LJanuary 27, 20041–2Calgary Flames (2003–04)18–16–13–2Recap
50LJanuary 29, 20041–4Ottawa Senators (2003–04)18–17–13–2Recap
51LJanuary 31, 20044–5Dallas Stars (2003–04)18–18–13–2Recap :
February: 2–8–2–2 (home: 2–3–2–2; road: 0–5–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
52TFebruary 2, 20043–3 OTColumbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)18–18–14–2Recap
53OTLFebruary 4, 20044–5 OTFlorida Panthers (2003–04)18–18–14–3Recap
54LFebruary 5, 20040–5@ San Jose Sharks (2003–04)18–19–14–3Recap
55LFebruary 11, 20043–5@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)18–20–14–3Recap
56LFebruary 13, 20042–5New York Islanders (2003–04)18–21–14–3Recap
57WFebruary 14, 20043–2Dallas Stars (2003–04)19–21–14–3Recap
58LFebruary 16, 20042–4@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)19–22–14–3Recap
59LFebruary 18, 20042–5@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)19–23–14–3Recap
60WFebruary 20, 20043–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)20–23–14–3Recap
61LFebruary 21, 20042–8Nashville Predators (2003–04)20–24–14–3Recap
62TFebruary 23, 20041–1 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)20–24–15–3Recap
63OTLFebruary 25, 20043–4 OTPittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)20–24–15–4Recap
64LFebruary 27, 20042–7Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)20–25–15–4Recap
65LFebruary 29, 20042–4@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)20–26–15–4Recap :
March: 1–10–3–2 (home: 0–5–2–1; road: 1–5–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
66OTLMarch 2, 20044–5 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)20–26–15–5Recap
67LMarch 5, 20043–4Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)20–27–15–5Recap
68TMarch 7, 20041–1 OTMinnesota Wild (2003–04)20–27–16–5Recap
69LMarch 9, 20042–3@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)20–28–16–5Recap
70LMarch 10, 20041–3Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)20–29–16–5Recap
71LMarch 12, 20042–3Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)20–30–16–5Recap
72LMarch 14, 20041–4@ Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)20–31–16–5Recap
73OTLMarch 16, 20042–3 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)20–31–16–6Recap
74TMarch 18, 20041–1 OTDetroit Red Wings (2003–04)20–31–17–6Recap
75TMarch 21, 20042–2 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)20–31–18–6Recap
76WMarch 22, 20043–2 OT@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)21–31–18–6Recap
77LMarch 24, 20040–4Calgary Flames (2003–04)21–32–18–6Recap
78LMarch 26, 20040–3San Jose Sharks (2003–04)21–33–18–6Recap
79LMarch 28, 20042–4@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)21–34–18–6Recap
80LMarch 29, 20041–6@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)21–35–18–6Recap
81LMarch 31, 20040–1@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)21–36–18–6Recap :
April: 1–0–0–0 (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 0–0–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
82WApril 3, 20042–1 OTChicago Blackhawks (2003–04)22–36–18–6Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 19 | Shane Doan | RW | 79 | 27 | 41 | 68 | −11 | 47 |
| 17 | Ladislav Nagy | LW | 55 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 11 | 46 |
| 11 | Daymond Langkow | C | 81 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 4 | 40 |
| 23 | Paul Mara | D | 81 | 6 | 36 | 42 | −11 | 48 |
| 77 | Chris Gratton‡ | C | 68 | 11 | 18 | 29 | −19 | 93 |
| 24 | Jan Hrdina‡ | C | 55 | 11 | 15 | 26 | −10 | 30 |
| 49 | Brian Savage‡ | LW | 61 | 12 | 13 | 25 | −5 | 36 |
| 29 | Branko Radivojevic‡ | RW | 53 | 9 | 14 | 23 | −5 | 36 |
| 15 | Radoslav Suchy | D | 82 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 1 | 8 |
| 32 | Cale Hulse | D | 82 | 3 | 17 | 20 | −4 | 123 |
| 14 | Jeff Taffe | C | 59 | 8 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 20 |
| 8 | Daniel Cleary | RW | 68 | 6 | 11 | 17 | −8 | 42 |
| 89 | Mike Comrie† | C | 28 | 8 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 16 |
| 16 | Mike Sillinger‡ | C | 60 | 8 | 6 | 14 | −14 | 54 |
| 20 | Fredrik Sjostrom | RW | 57 | 7 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 22 |
| 5 | David Tanabe | D | 45 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 22 |
| 36 | Krys Kolanos | C | 41 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −9 | 24 |
| 12 | Mike Johnson | RW | 11 | 1 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 10 |
| 18 | Tyson Nash | LW | 69 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −6 | 110 |
| 4 | Ossi Vaananen‡ | D | 67 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −10 | 87 |
| 45 | Brad Ference | D | 63 | 0 | 5 | 5 | −19 | 103 |
| 28 | Landon Wilson‡ | RW | 35 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −3 | 16 |
| 2 | Derek Morris† | D | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −5 | 2 |
| 44 | Andrei Nazarov | LW | 33 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −7 | 125 |
| 7 | Ivan Novoseltsev† | RW | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −7 | 6 |
| 39 | Erik Westrum | C | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −3 | 20 |
| 1 | Sean Burke‡ | G | 32 | 0 | 2 | 2 | | 8 |
| 2 | Todd Reirden† | D | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 4 |
| 3 | Bryan Helmer | D | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −5 | 10 |
| 13 | Michael Rupp† | C | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 6 |
| 57 | Goran Bezina | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 35 | Zac Bierk | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 33 | Brian Boucher | G | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 21 | Jason Jaspers | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 1 | Brent Johnson† | G | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 30 | Jean-Marc Pelletier | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 6 | Matthew Spiller | D | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −11 | 54 |
| 43 | Mike Stutzel | LW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 0 |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 33 | Brian Boucher | 40 | 10 | 19 | 10 | 1150 | 108 | 2.74 | .906 | 5 | 2364 |
| 1 | Sean Burke‡ | 32 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 913 | 84 | 2.81 | .908 | 1 | 1795 |
| 1 | Brent Johnson† | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 243 | 21 | 2.59 | .914 | 0 | 486 |
| 30 | Jean-Marc Pelletier | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 84 | 12 | 4.11 | .857 | 0 | 175 |
| 35 | Zac Bierk | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 108 | 12 | 3.79 | .889 | 0 | 190 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Shane Doan |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Brian Boucher (January 5) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Brian Boucher (January 12) |
| Team | Hardest Working Player Award | Cale Hulse |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Shane Doan |
| Team | Man of the Year Award | Shane Doan |
| Team | Man of the Year Award | Tyson Nash |
| Team | Team MVP Award | Shane Doan |
| Team | Three-Star Award | Shane Doan |

### Records

Brian Boucher set two modern day (since the 1943–44 season when the center ice red line was introduced) NHL records. From December 22, 2003, to January 11, 2004, Boucher went 332 minutes and 1 second without allowing a goal. From December 31, 2003, to January 9, 2004, Boucher recorded five shutouts in a row, which also set the modern day record for consecutive shutouts by a team.

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Matthew Spiller | October 10, 2003 |
| First game | Fredrik Sjostrom | November 30, 2003 |
| First game | Erik Westrum | March 7, 2004 |
| First game | Goran Bezina | March 10, 2004 |
| First game | Mike Stutzel | March 16, 2004 |

## Transactions

The Coyotes were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Carolina Hurricanes Danny MarkovConditional 4th-round pick in 2004 | To Phoenix Coyotes Igor KnyazevDavid Tanabe |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To St. Louis Blues Conditional draft pick | To Phoenix Coyotes Tyson Nash |
| June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22) | To Dallas Stars 8th-round pick in 2004 | To Phoenix Coyotes 9th-round pick in 2003 |
| July 22, 2003 (2003-07-22) | To Dallas Stars Teppo Numminen | To Phoenix Coyotes Mike SillingerConditional draft pick |
| July 25, 2003 (2003-07-25) | To Vancouver Canucks Martin Grenier | To Phoenix Coyotes Bryan Helmer |
| December 9, 2003 (2003-12-09) | To Minnesota Wild Michael Schutte | To Phoenix Coyotes Chris Dyment |
| December 30, 2003 (2003-12-30) | To Florida Panthers Future considerations | To Phoenix Coyotes Ivan Novoseltsev |
| January 19, 2004 (2004-01-19) | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Future considerations | To Phoenix Coyotes Todd Reirden |
| February 9, 2004 (2004-02-09) | To Philadelphia Flyers Sean BurkeBranko RadivojevicRights to Ben Eager | To Phoenix Coyotes Mike Comrie |
| February 22, 2004 (2004-02-22) | To Pittsburgh Penguins Landon Wilson | To Phoenix Coyotes Future considerations |
| March 4, 2004 (2004-03-04) | To St. Louis Blues Mike Sillinger | To Phoenix Coyotes Brent Johnson |
| March 5, 2004 (2004-03-05) | To New Jersey Devils Jan Hrdina | To Phoenix Coyotes Mike Rupp2nd-round pick in 2004 |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Colorado Avalanche Chris GrattonOssi Vaananen2nd-round pick in 2005 | To Phoenix Coyotes Derek MorrisRights to Keith Ballard |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To St. Louis Blues Brian Savage | To Phoenix Coyotes Future considerations |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To St. Louis Blues Future considerations | To Phoenix Coyotes Tom Koivisto |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 10, 2003 (2003-07-10) | Cale Hulse | Nashville Predators | multi-year | Free agency |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Daniel Cleary | Edmonton Oilers | multi-year | Free agency |
| July 17, 2003 (2003-07-17) | Chris Ferraro | Washington Capitals | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 17, 2003 (2003-07-17) | Peter Ferraro | Washington Capitals | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 21, 2003 (2003-07-21) | Nikos Tselios | Carolina Hurricanes | multi-year | Free agency |
| September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23) | Mike Wilson | New York Rangers | 1-year | Free agency |
| June 2, 2004 (2004-06-02) | Dustin Wood | Springfield Falcons (AHL) | 2-year | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | Drake Berehowsky | Pittsburgh Penguins | Buyout |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | Paul Ranheim | | Contract expiration (III) |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | Ryan Lauzon | | Contract expiration (UFA) |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Kelly Buchberger | Pittsburgh Penguins | Free agency (III) |
| August 5, 2003 (2003-08-05) | Deron Quint | Chicago Blackhawks | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 26, 2003 (2003-08-26) | Jay Leach | Reading Royals (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 6, 2003 (2003-09-06) | Francois Leroux | | Retirement |
| N/A | Peter Fabus | HK Dukla Trencin (SVK) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Todd Simpson | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | Waiver draft |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Colin Zulianello | Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 5, 2003 (2003-10-05) | Brent Gauvreau | Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 9, 2003 (2003-10-09) | Scott Pellerin | Portland Pirates (AHL) | Free agency (III) |
| October 10, 2003 (2003-10-10) | Brad Ralph | Dayton Bombers (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 22, 2003 (2003-10-22) | Sergei Kuznetsov | Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| November 30, 2003 (2003-11-30) | Jason Bonsignore | South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| February 11, 2004 (2004-02-11) | Frank Banham | HC Dynamo Moscow (RSL) | Release |
| April 15, 2004 (2004-04-15) | Tom Koivisto | Frolunda HC (SHL) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | Teppo Numminen | 1-year | Option exercised |
| July 2, 2003 (2003-07-02) | David LeNeveu | multi-year | Entry-level |
| July 7, 2003 (2003-07-07) | Landon Wilson | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 14, 2003 (2003-07-14) | Jakub Koreis | multi-year | Entry-level |
| July 18, 2003 (2003-07-18) | Tyson Nash | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 28, 2003 (2003-07-28) | Zac Bierk | 1-year | Re-signing |
| N/A | Bryan Helmer | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2003 (2003-08-08) | Daymond Langkow | 1-year | Arbitration award |
| August 9, 2003 (2003-08-09) | Mike Johnson | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 22, 2003 (2003-08-22) | David Tanabe | multi-year | Re-signing |
| August 25, 2003 (2003-08-25) | Chris Gratton | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 8, 2003 (2003-09-08) | Jan Hrdina | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 26, 2003 (2003-09-26) | Erik Westrum | | Re-signing |
| February 13, 2004 (2004-02-13) | Shane Doan | 3-year | Extension |
| March 19, 2004 (2004-03-19) | Joe Callahan | multi-year | Entry-level |
| June 2, 2004 (2004-06-02) | Lance Monych | 3-year | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Phoenix's draft picks at the 2003 NHL entry draft held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 3 | 77 | Tyler Redenbach | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 3 | 80 | Dmitri Pestunov | Russia | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia) |
| 4 | 115 | Liam Lindstrom | Sweden | Mora IK (Sweden) |
| 6 | 178 | Ryan Gibbons | Canada | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 7 | 208 | Randall Gelech | Canada | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| 8 | 242 | Eduard Lewandowski | Germany | Kolner Haie (Germany) |
| 9 | 272 | Sean Sullivan | United States | St. Sebastian's (USHS) |
| 9 | 290 | Loic Burkhalter | Switzerland | HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland) |