Schmaltz done for season with lower-body injury: this is the Coyotes' final nail in the coffin

Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz will miss the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury, the team confirmed on Tuesday. 

When the Coyotes put him on injured reserve on Jan. 4, the team said Schmaltz was considered week-to-week. However, things have gotten worse, and it feels like this is the final nail in the coffin for the Coyotes, who were just six points back of the Minnesota Wild for the final wild-card spot, before the start of Tuesday night's action. 

Schmaltz had been a solid player since joining the Coyotes in the trade that sent Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome to the Chicago Blackhawks. Since joining his new team in Arizona, Schmaltz had been on fire, tallying five goals and 14 points in 17 games. He also had two goals and 11 points in 23 games with the Blackhawks prior to the trade.

This is all why this could be the final nail in the coffin for the Coyotes. They already have had to put up with so many injuries this season. Forward Christian Dvorak (chest), defenseman Jason Demers (knee) and goalie Antti Raanta (lower-body) have all missed significant time with injuries and are all still out indefinitely. Forward Michael Grabner is also out indefinitely with an eye injury suffered Dec. 1.

They had a chance to keep going and potentially surprised everyone by clinching a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but now, it seems almost impossible... 

Let's see how Arizona reacts to this huge blow for the remainder of the season...