‘NO-MAN’S LAND’
Coyotes need more scoring from slumping Keller
Clayton Keller collected the puck at the right point. Turning his body toward open ice, he saw Oliver Ekman-Larsson across the blue line with 48 seconds left in a Coyotes power play. ❚ Keller deferred to Ekman-Larsson, who took advantage of wide spacing around him and let go of a wrist shot that beat Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith in a game the Coyotes would eventually lose by a 7-3 score on Jan. 18 in Edmonton. ❚ Awarded a primary assist on the goal, it was Keller’s first point in seven games. Entering play Thursday, it remains Keller’s only point in his past 11 games, marking the worst such stretch of his 222-game career. ❚ For Keller, the 2019-20 season has been a confusing one as he searches for consistency in his game. And the Coyotes, hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012, are equally perplexed. ❚ “He’s in no-man’s land,” Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said of Keller. “He’s trying to find his game. ‘Kells’ is an intriguing guy, you know, he’s a good kid and he’s doing the right things. But when he’s not skating, when he’s not aggressive in his thinking, that’s when he gets in trouble. He’s trying plays he shouldn’t try sometimes, and I think when he plays a simpler game early in the game that’s usually when he’s at his best.”
“You keep working whether you’re scoring or not. I think that’s the beauty of it all. You can work so hard, but sometimes it doesn’t work out. You have to keep pushing until it pays off. I’ve always had that in my DNA and I’m going to keep doing that no matter what happens.” Clayton Keller Coyotes left winger on his scoring slumps this season
At just 21 years old, Keller is still a relatively young player. But expectations have grown for a third-year forward who recently signed an eight-year deal worth $7.15 million annually. Although the contract doesn’t kick in until next season (he is making $832,500 this year), inconsistencies continue to mar a player who could be the Coyotes’ highest-paid forward next season.
When Keller totaled just 47 points (14 goals, 33 assists) last season, it could somewhat be explained away as a sophomore slump. Perhaps teams adjusted to Keller after his 23-goal, 65point rookie campaign that landed him third in voting for the Calder Trophy.
That’s what set up this season as such an important one for Keller, who inked that lengthy extension in September. Such contracts come with strings attached and are the subject of public debate, especially in the first year.
But Keller has done little to quiet that debate this season. Although he ranks second on the team with 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists), almost half of that output came during a 16-game stretch between November and December where he was a point-per-game player. Outside of that pocket, Keller has had three separate point droughts of four games or more, including his current four-game scoreless streak dating back to the All-Star break.
“There’s been ups and downs,” Keller said of his season to date. “I think I could have a lot more goals and assists at this point in the year, but you just keep working. I’m having fun at the rink. We’re going to do everything we can to make the playoffs here.”
Examining Keller’s season as a whole paints the picture of a player slightly out-performing last year’s mediocre effort. Keller is on pace for 49 points this season, a modest, twopoint increase over his ’18-19 campaign.
Keller leads the Coyotes in shots on goal (155) but is shooting at just 7.7% this season, an improvement over last year but still not close to his 10.8% conversion rate as a rookie.
Is Keller’s lack of production causing some frustration? Keller insists his “mindset doesn’t change” regardless of whether he’s scoring, but Tocchet said Keller might need to shift his focus away from the points and toward being a valuable piece of a playoff contender.
Tocchet added there is still room for Keller to get stronger — both physically and mentally — but the biggest shortcoming might be Keller’s anxiousness to get results rather than “going through the process” to get them.
“Not to say he’s not a committed kid,” Tocchet said, “but he’s got to realize the little things matter.”
The Coyotes’ coaching staff did not want to scratch Keller last season. Despite his struggles, Keller was still the team’s leading scorer in a year where a playoff spot was within reach. However, Keller disappeared when they needed him most — posting just one goal and one assist in the team’s final 11 games. The Coyotes finished four points out of playoff position.
At some point, could the Coyotes send a message by forcing Keller to watch a game in the press box, or is Keller’s situation one that needs to play out on the ice?
“The only way to get experience is to go through the process,” Coyotes assistant coach John MacLean said. “(Clayton) is not going to play 82 high-level games. No one does in this league.”
Entering play Thursday, the Coyotes were tied for third place in the Pacific Division and occupied the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. In order for the Coyotes to reach their goal of a playoff berth this season, they will need Keller to be productive.
“You keep working whether you’re scoring or not,” Keller said.
Keller hears the noise. He knew he’d be judged differently after signing that deal. But how Keller navigates the criticism and inconsistency in his play will determine how much of that noise he continues to hear.
“If anything,” Keller said, “it’s motivation for me. You want it to piss you off. You want to take that little extra motivation and shove it ... That’s the attitude I’ve always had and it’s going to stay the same.”