Max Domi is setting a high bar.
The Arizona Coyotes winger will enter his third NHL season this October, and he's aiming for bigger and better things after two years of playoff misses.
"You watch a team like Chicago, and the confidence that a team like that has. They know they're going to win every night. Pittsburgh, same thing," Domi told TSN 1050 on Tuesday. "You go in, you're a little nervous to play against a team like that because of the confidence they walk around with, the swagger they have on the ice, the plays, the preparation they've had.
"That's an elite franchise. We can be that. There's no question about it. We have the personnel to do that. We've just got to find a way to get there."
Domi, 22, saw a step back in his second season, putting up just 38 points after tallying 52 the year prior. But the scoring winger now has some reinforcements on board to help push Arizona's offense, particularly veteran center Derek Stepan, added in a blockbuster deal with the New York Rangers. Highly-touted rookie forward Clayton Keller is also expected to slot into the Coyotes' ranks up front.
As far as other offseason changes in Arizona, the most important may have come behind the bench. Domi sees the addition of head coach Rick Tocchet as a positive, and he's encouraged that his new bench boss will urge the Coyotes' young talent to show its offensive creativity.
"To bring a guy like 'Tocch' in is exciting for a player like myself and the kind of guys we have on our team," Domi told TSN 1040. "He plays a fast game. He's won three Cups himself - two as a coach and one as a player. You can't really ask for more from a coach than that."
Domi and Keller aside, Tocchet will have plenty of young hands to call upon this season, including center Christian Dvorak and wingers Brendan Perlini and Anthony Duclair, among others. It is this core that will be looked to lead Arizona forward, pushing the franchise to join the NHL's elite.
The first step? Qualifying for the postseason, as an absence this spring would mark six-straight playoff misses in the desert.
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