When the Coyotes needed Clayton Keller the most last season, he disappeared. With the team scratching and clawing for enough points to clinch an improbable playoff berth, Keller managed just one assist in the Coyotes’ final nine games of the 2018-19 season.
The Coyotes, who at the time had neither Phil Kessel nor Taylor Hall, were counting on Keller to be their best player down the stretch. Instead, the Coyotes finished four points out of a playoff spot and saw their playoff drought reach seven consecutive seasons.
This season, on the heels of signing a seven-year extension worth $7.