Arizona Coyotes: 2 Breakout Candidates For Next Season

With each season that passes, it seems as though every team has players who improve significantly. They often turn out to be prospects naturally, but players who have some experience in the league also can. In this segment, we will be looking at two potential breakout candidates from each team. We will also be setting a max age limit of 26 years old, so older players are not eligible for discussion.

In this piece, we start our final division with the Central and take a look at the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes are beginning their first season in the Central with the arrival of the Seattle Kraken. Arizona fans may not possess a lot of optimism this season, as the Coyotes have embraced their rebuild and traded many notable players away. However, even with this, they do have some breakout candidates who could make them entertaining to watch still.

Barrett Hayton C/LW: Barrett Haydon is a very interesting player to keep an eye on this season. The 2018 fifth overall pick has yet to take off at the NHL level. In 14 games this past season, he scored two goals and had an assist. He also had four points in 20 games the season before with the Coyotes. With the team starting a full-on rebuild, Hayton should get a ton of chances to succeed this season. Therefore, it would be criminal not to consider him a breakout candidate. We will have to wait and see if the 21-year-old forward takes that next step.

Conor Timmins D: The Coyotes acquired Conor Timmins as a part of the Darcy Kuemper trade with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this summer. Timmins had his first prolonged taste of NHL action this season, as he played 31 games and had seven assists. Due to the Avalanche's strong depth, Timmins was not utilized as frequently as he should be with Arizona. He even played in six AHL games this season, where he had a goal and four points. He also had a 27-point campaign with the Colorado Eagles the season before. It seems that he has the ability to produce offense, so with a more prominent role in Arizona, he is certainly a breakout candidate.

Who from the Coyotes do you see taking a big step next season?

Check out our last piece on the Toronto Maple Leafs here. In our next installment, we will be looking at the Chicago Blackhawks.