Coyotes hoping to extend head coach Andre Tourigny
Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong is pleased with Andre Tourigny's work over the past two seasons in the desert and would like to sign the head coach to a new deal as Arizona eyes the next stage of its rebuild.
"He has got the players to buy into what he's doing," Armstrong said in a recent interview with NHL.com's Jon Lane. "He's got the players to buy into the culture, and he's got the players to buy in to compete every single night here in the desert."
Tourigny has one season left on his current pact and has amassed a 53-90-21 record since taking over in 2021-22. This is his first gig as an NHL head coach, but he helped pilot Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championship from behind the bench.
Armstrong has been impressed by the relationships Tourigny has built with his players.
"One of the things that I love about him and the reason that we have the ability to re-sign him and move into Phase 2 (of the rebuild) with him is because he doesn't leave a scar with the players," Armstrong said. "He has the players' best interests at heart, and he's firm."
He added, "They know that he likes them behind the scenes, and I think they feel that love, and it enables him to get the most out of the player without leaving a scar."
The Coyotes have finished among the 10 worst teams in the standings in each of the past two seasons, but they did enjoy some marginal improvements during Tourigny's second year at the helm:
| Season | Record | Points | Finish | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 25-50-7 | 57 (.348) | 31st | 2.51 | 3.77 |
| 2022-23 | 28-40-14 | 70 (.427) | 27th | 2.74 | 3.60 |
Tourigny, meanwhile, isn't focused on his contract status and is instead dialed in on bringing the Coyotes closer to the playoffs.
"We want to play meaningful games," Tourigny said. "We want to improve our performance from last year. The only way we will do that is focusing on what can control and our performance daily and not looking ahead.
"When you lift your eyes to too high, you trip on the next obstacle. For us, it will be (about keeping) our eyes on the road."
The Coyotes last made the playoffs in 2020, when they beat the Nashville Predators in the qualifying round before falling to the Colorado Avalanche.
Prior to that appearance, Arizona hadn't booked its place in the postseason since 2011-12.