Pavel Malyugin 2. Kyle Capobianco, Arizona Coyotes
Position: LD
2021-22 Statline: 17-2-3-5
Contract: RFA in 2022, $775k AAV
Age: 24
Kyle Capobianco is one of those players that you can find in free agency and not give too much attention to. The depth that he provides as an extra defenseman really does make me wonder what he could do if he were allowed to play a higher role in the Coyotes lineup.
Capobianco has some really underrated skills, which makes me enjoy him as a player. He’s a hypothetical late bloomer with a high offensive upside. He’s been given a poor chance, but he can be a warranted threat to the opposition when he plays.
After only playing 17 games this season, Kyle ranks 13th on the Arizona Coyotes in GF/60 (goals for per 60) with 11. That may not seem like a lot, but for comparison, Jakob Chychrun only has two more in 13 more games played.
Capobianco is also 7th on the Coyotes in Corsi for percentage with 46.88%. Note that stat is amongst players who have played a minimum of 15 games in the 2021-22 NHL regular season.
Capobianco also has some slick moves and a bit of skill for his level. He can shoot the puck, he can move his hands creatively and pull off a nice deke, and he’s got the skill to break out pucks and create offensive zone opportunities. Substantially, he’s got some significant offensive strengths.
Another look at Kyle Capobianco's toe drag that started tonight's scoring… 🤢🤢🤢 pic.twitter.com/bFO3IO9fqS
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) December 8, 2019
As for his shot, we’ve personally seen what kind of a ripper of a wrist shot the 24-year-old has.
Kyle Capobianco seals the deal in @EASPORTSNHL OT. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/LJKR6jc8o2
— NHL (@NHL) November 22, 2021
The defenseman has a legitimately great shot with great aim, and that’s something that the LA Kings have been missing from their back end all season long. Not to mention, he could be a solid addition to the powerplay, as seen in the clip below.
Kyle Capobianco opens the scoring up for the Coyotes on the power play!#Yotes pic.twitter.com/L67kQF7vdz
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 17, 2021
There’s legitimately no risk of bringing a player like Capobianco onto the team. I’m sure you could get him for as cheap as a fourth, fifth, or even a sixth-round pick. I believe that he does have a lot of potential to be a reliable two-way defenseman in this league one day.
Whether it’s now or two years down the line, he’s one of those late bloomers who will make a mark with whatever team he ends up on. It won’t hurt to take a gamble on a player like Kyle, and he could be a hellacious add to the defense corp if Rob Blake doesn’t want to go all out on a star player.