Center Ryan Getzlaf was ruled out with a lower-body injury despite practicing on Wednesday. Also missing for Anaheim will be forwards Patrick Eaves (lower-body injury) and Ryan Kesler (hip surgery), defensemen Hampus Lindholm (shoulder surgery) and Sami Vatanen (shoulder surgery) and backup goaltender Ryan Miller (upper-body injury).
Getzlaf led the Ducks with 73 points (15 goals, 58 assists) last season, Kesler was second with 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) and Eaves had 14 points (11 goals, three assists) in 20 games after he was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on Feb. 24. Each played a key role in helping the Ducks reach the Western Conference Final last season.
Anaheim has lost nine of its past 10 season openers since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. Opening the season at home also has been a rarity in Anaheim; the Ducks have hosted a season opener four times in the previous 24 seasons.
Rick Tocchet will coach his first NHL game for the Coyotes, who will dress 11 players not on the opening night roster last season.
Among the notable additions is defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, who spent the past 10 years with the Chicago Blackhawks and won three Stanley Cup titles. Hjalmarsson was named one of Arizona's alternate captains along with defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the club's longest-tenured player at seven seasons.
Other new Coyotes looking to make an impact include first-line center Derek Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta, each acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on June 23.
The retirement of longtime Arizona forward Shane Doan and the departure of last season's leading point scorer Radim Vrbata, who signed a free-agent contract with Florida Panthers on July 1, also opened up opportunities; Rookie center Dylan Strome and rookie forwards Clayton Keller and Christian Fischer each earned a roster spot.
