When it took the Coyotes 21 games to notch a regulation win last season, there were some serious questions about Rick Tocchet’s claim to the club’s head-coaching position.
There were high expectations regarding Tocchet’s supposed brilliance in grooming young talent, but most support quickly evaporated with the Coyotes' struggles out of the gate in 2017-18.
At that point, it would have been easy for Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka to make a rash decision about the coaching situation, Tocchet acknowledged, but the Coyotes have done little else but flourish since their early-season struggles last season.