ESPN.com · Mar 13, 2019
How the banged-up Coyotes have stayed in the playoff hunt
The Arizona Coyotes began the season with Josh Archibald, Jakob Chychrun, Christian Dvorak and Alex Galchenyuk sidelined with injuries. Then the first hiccup: Starting goalie Antti Raanta's lower-body ailment kept acting up. Defenseman Jason Demers would go on to miss 47 games, and winger Michael Grabner would miss 41. Even the new players Arizona acquired in trades couldn't stay healthy: Vinnie Hinostroza missed 10 games before Nick Schmaltz injured a knee on Jan. 2, the latter player done for the season.
The situation got so bad on one night in February that the AHL team in Tucson, plucked for call-ups, could dress only 17 players.