In today’s world of the NHL, it seems more common to have a captain. The 2023 offseason had the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets name new captains. That leaves just five teams without a captain going into 2023-24 including the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes have been without a captain since the blockbuster trade of Oliver Ekman-Larsson back in 2021.
Related: Coyotes’ Clayton Keller Can Take His Game to Another Level
This now leaves the Coyotes in a dilemma, with the league-wide urge to name a captain, who should be the fifth captain in franchise history? The current Coyotes roster houses many options; some names on that list include Lawson Crouse, Nick Bjugstad, and Jason Zucker. While those players bring the tenacity and leadership a team needs in a captain, they’re not the favorites. One of the longest-tenured Coyotes who checks all the boxes is none other than Clayton Keller.
Where it All Began
Keller has not shined away from the lights in his career. Entering the 2016 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old was one of the top talents behind Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, and Patrik Laine. Once he was drafted to Arizona seventh overall, he was the face of the franchise and gave the team hope they had found a truly dynamic playmaker. While they were confident with what they had in Keller, it’s how the player responds to being drafted, and what happens in the seasons afterward.
Some jump directly to the NHL, but most prospects take a few years in juniors or college to develop their game. That’s what Keller did after being drafted as he committed to the University of Boston, a premier destination for any hockey player. Being a first-round pick, expectations were high, but being the player he is, he blew all those out the door. During his only collegiate season, he recorded 45 points in 31 games, well above a point per game.
Keller then jumped to the NHL, putting the league on notice as he finished as a finalist in the Calder Trophy voting. There was hope the Coyotes had found a true superstar who could be depended on in all situations, ultimately leading them to the playoffs. Despite his 65-point rookie campaign, he wasn’t able to hit that total again and, for the most part, struggled mightily.
During the 2021-22 season, he regained his former self under head coach Andre Tourigny; however, he faced an unforeseen challenge that shaped his career as we know it today.
Keller Has Fought Through Several Obstacles
On March 31, 2022, against the San Jose Sharks, everything was going well until Keller crashed into the boards, losing his footing and breaking his femur. For context, the femur is the hardest bone to break in the human body, and when Keller broke it, there was much concern if he’d return to his former self. Suffering the injury in April 2022, there was also speculation if he’d be ready to start the season, as it takes four to six months to recover fully.
“I had never missed any time,” said Keller, who had a perfect NHL attendance record before the injury. “I’d never not been able to play the game and then all of the sudden, I couldn’t do the things that I wanted to do. I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t stand up on my own. I couldn’t get dressed. I was so lucky to have my mom [Kelley] there for the majority of the time because the first couple of days were just a lot of pain.”
A lot of optimism surrounded the Coyotes entering 2022-23, and Keller led that charge as there were plenty of questions to be answered. Things weren’t looking good for the St. Louis native when he did not appear in any preseason games, but as it turns out, he was more than ready for the regular season. Since the word ‘go’, he exploded offensively and had his best year and one of the best seasons in Coyotes history. He played all 82 games and finished the season with 86 points, tying Keith Tkachuk for most points in a single season.
“I think for a lot of players, hockey is most of our lives and when it’s taken away from you, you kind of put things in perspective and realize just how special and lucky we are to play this game and play it at a high level. My dad [Bryan] always told me, ‘Play every shift like it’s your last’ and that stuck with me. I think realizing that it can be taken from you at any second is kind of what helped me push through it and maybe focus on my game even more.”
Why Keller Fits As Captain
There are many reasons why Keller fits as the next Coyotes captain, and the first and probably the most obvious is his elite play. While many teams don’t make their best player their captain, it makes sense in this situation. He hasn’t always been the team’s best player; after his rookie campaign, his career seemed to derail, and it appeared he could be just an above-average player. He managed to bounce back big time, nearly shattering his rookie campaign total, but then got injured.
Injuries can go two ways: the player can come back even stronger or return and play poorly. Keller made sure he came back his best self, setting an example for the team. He was also a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given to the player who demonstrates perseverance and leadership. The 25-year-old is also under contract until the 2027-28 season and has shown no signs of slowing down. He also made it clear, after trade rumors this offseason, that Arizona is his home.
“I love Arizona,” he said. “It’s such a great place to live and to play and we have great people in our organization and on our coaching staff. There’s things that make me want to stay. I’ve always been a loyal guy and I don’t believe the grass is always greener somewhere else. I do believe in the future of our team and I hope the arena gets sorted out. It doesn’t make sense to me how the arena vote didn’t go through. I really didn’t get it, and not many other people did. I’m just hoping that they can set a plan here sooner than later and have a more competitive team leading up to a new rink.”
While the Coyotes won’t name a captain for the 2023-24 season, Keller should be the frontrunner if the team plans to announce one in 2024-25.
Coyotes Have a Bright Future With Keller
The Coyotes haven’t been known to have a star-studded roster, though, with Keller, it seems they have a true superstar. After suffering through countless rebuilds, Keller will have a great chance to lead this vastly improved team to the playoffs. It’s not likely they’ll make the playoffs, but after watching the tenacity the team showed towards the latter half of last season, anything is possible. The Coyotes are fortunate to have Keller on the team and are in good hands with him at the helm.
