The Coyotes iced one of the most porous defenses in the NHL last season, utilizing a unit that averaged more shots-against and goals-allowed than almost every other team.
Whether or not the Coyotes are able to cut back on the number of pucks directed at their net remains to be seen, but the blue line they send over the boards won’t be the same one that skated a year ago.
And after the team’s latest addition, the back end could actually become a bright spot.
Arizona continued to distance itself from the version that limped through 2016-17, acquiring right-shot defenseman Jason Demers from the Panthers Sunday in exchange for winger Jamie McGinn to fill out a competitive top-four that also includes Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Alex Goligoski.