The Top 10 Greatest Phoenix Coyotes of All Time

The Phoenix Coyotes may not have a storied history like a lot of NHL franchises, but they have been around for over a decade—not including the Winnipeg Jet days.

A lot of players have come and gone from Phoenix through the years, but there are definitely some players who made their mark with Phoenix. Here are the top 10 Phoenix Coyotes of all time.

10. Steven Reinprecht

Reinprecht played in parts of four seasons with the Coyotes, and in that time, was one of the most consistent players on the team.

During his tenure in Phoenix, the team may have struggled, but Reinprecht was able to have some the most productive seasons of his career.

Along with his offense, he also brought a lot of veteran leadership with him. Reinprecht recorded 143 points in 231 games—not bad for playing on a team that struggled offensively.

9. Ladislav Nagy

In every season Nagy played with the Coyotes he was always one of the best offensive threats. At his best, Nagy was averaging over a point per game.

What held Nagy back from being an even greater player was his plethora of injury problems. In five-plus seasons with the Coyotes, Nagy managed to play 80 games only once.

Who knows what Nagy could have done with Phoenix had he not had a very bad case of the injury bug? In 321 games with Phoenix, Nagy averaged an impressive 77.6 points per season.

8. Dallas Drake

Drake was a carry-over from the Winnipeg Jets when the team moved to Phoenix for 1996-97 season.

His role on the Jets was as a checking line and penalty-kill specialist. He continued that same role with the Phoenix Coyotes for four seasons.

Drake was not just a checker—he could also put points on the board. If it weren't for injuries, Drake could have easily put 50 or more points a season.

His highest point total was in the 1999-00 season where he recorded 45 points. It was the only season as a Coyotes where he played more than 65 games.

It was also his last season in Phoenix.

7. Ed Jovanovski

Jovanovski is one of two current Phoenix Coyote players on this list.

He was signed as a free agent by the Coyotes in the 2006 off-season. When the Phoenix Coyotes signed him, they knew they were getting a player who had a history of injuries.

Jovanovski's injury problems haven't stopped in Phoenix, but when he is playing, he contributes at a high level. He recorded a career high 51 points in the 2007-08 season.

If he can stay out of injury problems, there is no reason to believe Jovanovski can't climb up this list. He has great leadership and will help current young Phoenix defensemen to possibly become some of the best defenders in Coyotes history.

Watch a comparison of Jovanovski and Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty here:

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?&id=50327

6. Nikolai Khabibulin

“The Bulin Wall” was the first-ever starting goaltender in Phoenix Coyotes history. He only played three seasons with the Coyotes, but during that time he showed he was a premier goalie in the NHL.

He posted 30 or more wins in each of his three seasons, leading the Coyotes to the playoffs every time.

Khabibulin could have played more as a Coyote, but he had an awful contract dispute that made him sit out the entire 1999-00 NHL season.

He was eventually traded to Tampa Bay, a team with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

5. Sean Burke

After Khabibulin was traded, Phoenix needed a new starting goaltender, and that man was Sean Burke. He would have some of his best seasons in Phoenix.

In the 2001-02 season, he posted a career high 33 wins.

Those wins were good enough to help the Coyotes make the playoffs. They have not made the playoffs since.

Burke was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the league's best goaltender that season. In all, Burke would record a 97-78-31 record with Phoenix.

4. Jeremy Roenick

Another original Coyote, Roenick was a huge fan-favorite when he was in Phoenix.

Although he did not produce the same numbers as he did in Chicago, Roenick was still one of the best offensive players on the Coyotes.

In his first five seasons with the Coyotes, he was either second or first in team scoring each year.

After he left the Coyotes in 2001, Roenick came back for a second tenure with the team in 2006. By then, Roenick was just a shell of his former self, as he only managed to record 22 points.

Nevertheless, Jeremy Roenick will always be remembered as one of the best and most charismatic Phoenix Coyote players of all time.

3. Teppo Numminen

Numminen was by far the best defenseman for the franchise's first few seasons in the desert.

He played a total of seven seasons in Phoenix, two of them as captain. He recorded four seasons of 40 or more points. He helped current players like Shane Doan mold into the leaders they are now.

Numminen signed with Dallas in the 2003 off-season, ending his tenure in Phoenix as one the greatest Phoenix Coyote defensemen of all time.

2. Keith Tkachuk

Tkachuk was the first-ever captain of the Phoenix Coyotes, and one of the best, too.

It wasn't just his leadership that made him a great Coyote, but also his ability to put pucks in the net. Tkachuk scored a career-high 52 goals in his first season with Phoenix.

Unfortunately, he would battle injuries for the next four seasons, never playing more than 70 games in a season.

Although he battled injuries throughout his tenure in Phoenix, he was still among the team leaders in points every season. In 332 career games with the Coyotes, Tkachuk finished with 334 points.

1. Shane Doan

To make it simple, Shane Doan is the Phoenix Coyotes. He is the team Captain and he leads by example. He has played 13 seasons and counting with the Coyotes.

Every season, he is near, or at, the top in most offensive categories for Phoenix. When Shane Doan finally leaves the Coyotes, he will hold most of the team's individual records.

No matter what happens to the Coyotes down the road, there will never be another Shane Doan.

Watch Doan discuss the current state of the Coyotes here:

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?&id=47203