It was a Friday night, four days before the 2020 NHL draft, and members of the Arizona Coyotes front office, exploration department and hockey operations staff arrived at the $ 3.45 million Tuscan-style mansion of Xavier Gutiérrez in Cholla Gardens, tony community within the suburb of Paradise Valley, Phoenix.
Gutierrez was still settling in his new house, which was poorly furnished. Large folding tables were put together so that staff members could dine as a group at the meal. Coyotes employees, along with lots of family members, spent the night contemplating views of Mount Camelback and touring Gutiérrez’s 11,639-square-foot house, with its six bedrooms, wine room and details of stone walls.
For most NHL teams, optimism comes at its peak in the days leading up to the draft. Any disappointment from last season, any organizational deficiency, is overshadowed by the ephemeral shaking of hope that entails …