Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and goaltender Antti Raanta participated in Sunday's practice as they continue to recover from lower-body injuries suffered earlier in training camp.
Ekman-Larsson skated the entire practice and was paired with Niklas Hjalmarsson, a good sign that he'll be ready for the regular-season opener on Thursday night at Anaheim.
"If he can gave us a couple more of those kind of practices, he's a guy that's obviously probable for the game," Tocchet said.
Raanta, who played just one of six preseason games, skated before his teammates on Sunday and remained on the ice with them for a large bulk of the practice.
"We've got to get him through a whole practice," Tocchet said. "It was a big step for him today. A couple more practices and we'll see where he's at, and we'll see what happens and who we start."
If Raanta isn't ready by Thursday, look for Louis Domingue to start the opener.
• The Coyotes shipped defenseman Dakota Mermis to the American Hockey League on Sunday. His departure leaves 26 players on the roster, which must be pared to 23 by Tuesday.
"We're going to have to make some decisions," Tocchet said. "The good thing here (with) the extra guys, whoever goes down (to Tucson) are so close … We'll try to get down to our team here in the next couple days, and then get two good practices in and go to Anaheim."
• Tocchet was pleased by the work ethic he witnessed during the team's 4-0 win at San Jose in the preseason finale on Saturday night.
"There was a lot of positives," Tocchet said. "I think our breakouts and our 'D' zone coverage is getting better. We're starting to get the concept. We're starting to know, when we're in a battle, where to go with the puck. We're still slapping it around once in a while, but I think that's going to come with reps and kind of just knowing where people are."