Our brother blogger over at FiveforHowling got in touch with IEH yesterday and let them know how antsy we all were for some news. (Especially after our piggy lil unfriend Dave Stoats started braying in the Glob of Mud again) We’re certainly going to love having these guys as owners. Talk about responsive! Here’s the text they sent back for Odie to share with us all … An Open Letter to the Coyotes Fans

These are exciting times to be fans of the Phoenix Coyotes. Our team sits in the top four of the very competitive western conference, and with less than a month remaining in the regular season, the team is well positioned to bring playoff hockey to the valley for the first time in over half a decade.

We are happy to report that regardless of reports to the contrary, there have been no material changes in the process to date. As we stated from the outset, we fully expected the transaction to take upwards of six months, similar to other recent transactions for other NHL franchises. Ice Edge Holdings continues to work very closely with the City of Glendale and the NHL towards finalizing a lease that will be appropriate for all parties.
The execution of a revised lease is the key outstanding issue, and once completed will allow the transaction to move towards closing. We are neither behind nor ahead of our expected timelines.

Ice Edge Holdings remain committed as ever to the Phoenix Coyotes and to the long term success of the NHL in Arizona. We look forward to joining all of our fellow fans as the Coyotes march towards the playoffs, and participating in white outs when playoff hockey is played for the first time in Glendale.

The fans of the Coyotes have been through more than any sports fan should have to endure. We have said in the past that to be a sports fan is to make a commitment to a team, both emotionally and financially. To do so requires a two way street between the fans and those that own the franchise. Ice Edge Holdings looks forward to showing the great hockey fans of Arizona and the Southwest that commitment for many years to come. We thank you for being the strongest fans in the National Hockey League.

Go ‘Yotes!

Anthony LeBlanc
Chief Executive Officer
Ice Edge Holdings, LLC

We are going to hear a lot of trash in the next few weks. Don’t believe the hype. Seriously, our unique situation sells. For the haters, its like money in the bank every time they post a headline that alludes to more trouble for the Yotes. Sholts and his ilk love to make trouble, not because he’s some kind of monster, but because he needs to drive traffic, he caters to a pretty low crowd, a large crowd though, so he accomodates them with as much garbage as he can find/make up or imagine. There are a lot of his type out there so brace yourselves for the next round of hateration. It is sad but true that this sale is going to take awhile. Longer than most sales of this type. I have a feeling that by the end of season (which is when the final local sale is supposed to be done according to all the court crap) we will see at least one new buyer step forward (apparently there are a few folks kicking the tires about either joining IEH or putting together their own group).

Yes the situation is ugly and scary but really, have some patience. The team is doing so damn good, the NHL has let the Yotes bid on the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Allstars, the NHL has placed the PHOENIX Coyotes on the dance card for opening overseas and they let GMDM do some trade dead line additions… factor in the fact hat IF the NHL does decide to sell out of town, the new place has to have an arena already built that is NHL-standard ready AND a whole nother round of court room drama over the penalty will have to be fought. It doesn’t sound like they plan on moving the team any time soon to me. Just enjoy the ride, have fun watching the boys march off to battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup and let the NHL take care of the business side of this. There isn’t anything we fans can do except show up in droves and support the boys to the best of our ability. Showing we care by filling the JobArena is our best ammunition against the boys moving and against the haters.

It was really cool meeting Lee Stempniak and his beautiful fiance Lindsay on Wednesday night. (thanks to Joe and Andie for the opportunity!) I think they fit in wonderfully, very personable and warm people. Of course I was predisposed to love Stemper after his phenomenal performances since he arrived (voluntarily changing his nick name cuz he ain’t too crazy about Stumps) They like it here so maybe Lee will be amenable to staying once we can afford to pay him for next season.

Big ups to Adrian ’shoot out money’ Aucoin for the GWG on Wednesday. 3 for 3 ain’t too shabby big guy. As if that 8pm start wasn’t brutal enough, we went to OT and SO to bag and tag the Nucks. It was a great game but the boys really let Tippett down by not being totally ready to jump on the tired Vancouverites. (Those boys endured a 14 game road trip to accomodate the Olympics being played in their barn) We were the last stop and shoud have been able to take advantage of Raycroft in goal and a team that played back to back.

The Nucks were not going down quietly and seemed to have legs to spare. They controlled the game for most of the way and took it to us pretty badly. Gotta give those warriors credit for an incredible record durig the Olympic break. Tippett shortened the bench quite a bunch, trying to get it done in regulation but despite awesome efforts from Taylor Pyatt and Lee Stempniak, we let the Canucks go home with a point.

I won’t go into details except to wonder… Jovo? WTF? doode! don’t start that brain fart crap again, you been outta my doghouse a good little while but I have a cone and a broken tryke pic ready and waiting, don’t make me use them again. I am just starting to be a little bit of a fan of the double nickles but don’t push your luck. Doaner? Whats wrong buddy? You haven’t been yourself since Wizzer jacked you. (I hate when our Captain is ailing and plays through it) but it really looks like the boy has something wrong with him right now. I haven’t seen anyone knock him off a puck, suck at puck handling and pass up so many shots since he broke his hand and played through it. Get better soon Shane. Pru, don’t get discouraged, we didn’t see you at all in the 3rd but it won’t last. Poor Czech-line, got bit badly in this one (-3 for all 3 of the Czech forwards… ouch), you can’t be great all the time boys, hang in there. Breezy, that glove side high thing? Yeah … needs some work sweetie. WoWo… remember, there are 4 otherguys on the ice with you most of the time… share.

Pyatt, Fiddy, Winnie and Stemper hallelujah! You guys rock!

So we balance at 5th in the league and put a little space between us and our conference rivals. (If only the Kings would have a couple of OTLs to help us out, the gap would widen a little better) but no matter, we’re still 4th in the Western Conferece and that is all that counts. Every loss right now can really hurt in the West. The race for a post season berth just gets tighter every day but the boys are hanging tough.

Hang in there Yotes fans! Ignore the haters and keep believing.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Before I go there… let me give you some info that will make you laugh and then strike you with some disbelief…

The NHL is suing Jerry Moyes… yes you read that right. According to Reuters, the NHL is going after our former owner for about 61M.

“NEW YORK, March 5 (Reuters) – The National Hockey League on Friday sued former Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes, seeking to recover more than $61 million over the trucking magnate’s management of the struggling franchise.

The team filed for bankruptcy last May and was bought by the NHL for $140 million in November. That purchase followed a U.S. bankruptcy judge’s rejection of a takeover bid by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, the co-chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. 

Earl Scudder, a lawyer for Moyes, did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday evening. Other defendants in the case are Moyes’ wife and a family trust.

The NHL filed its lawsuit with the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where the league is based.

It accused Moyes of violating an agreement he had entered withthe league by refusing to fund the Coyotes’ obligations; secretly entering sale talks with Balsillie, who hoped to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario; andfiling a bankruptcy petition to accomplish that sale without league approval.”  READ THE REST HERE

Ok I’ve caught my breath from all the awesome things that happened on trade deadline day. Maaan, Don Maloney was busier than a 3 legged cat in a poop burying contest. Heartfelt thanks to Hat Trick Hound for updating us all with the fantastic news and links on the day… onto my thoughts or a report card of sorts on GMDMs trade day performance.

Our 2 biggest concerns were scoring and defensive depth. We have guys who CAN score but its always in spurts and they slump together alot. Our system is built on defensive strategy but we have a baby on 6th D and our 7th guy wasn’t exactly too steady on his pins. So there were 2 essentially big fish that GMDM was angling for. The man reeled them in too.

He gets an A+ for bringing back Derek Morris, just like he said he would, if he could. Mo waived his NTC for us and only for us. He has taken the time away from the desert to finish developing into a mature an all around player. He is in the prime of his playing life and may just be the icing on our defensive cake. Despite some inconsistencies at the end of his stint in Phoenix, DMo has always been a hard worker and a vocal, honest leader. I don’t know about you butthat is exactly the kind of player I want on my team. I won’t bore you with the particulars about how great a family man and fan guy he is, just realize, that GMDM got us a bonafide defensive tiger for practically mothing.

Don Maloney must have a blackmail book somewhere (how else does he convince a team that is chasing his team in the standings to trade their 2nd top scorer?) The Don get an A for bringin in Wotjek Wolski from Colorado. We gt a 47 point player… ooops, make that 48… err 50. It did cost us a little, but with Peter Mueller wanting out anyway, this trade only really cost us the ‘potential’ of Kevin Porter. (We all would have loved to see Ports develop here in the desert. Ports has moxie, leadership and the work ethic that will make him a staple in the NHL and I hope the Avalanche treat him well) Wolski had a reputation for being soft and inconsistent while with the Avs (at least to hear some of their fans tell the story) so on the surface it would seem like a wash of a trade since that was the knock on Peter too. But look at what WW has already accomplished! (72 goals in 303 NHL games) if this is what he does when unmotivated and unaccountable, I can’t wait to see what he can do while being molded by Tippett and taught by the Pack. There isn’t a + next to this A because there is a little risk involved from a locker room and possible chemistry disturbance standpoint but I am willing to bet that is a minimal concern given the strong veteran presence in our room.

Scooping up Lee Stempniak gets GMDM a strong B+. Lee on the surface appears to be a bit of a gamble. He started off well in St. Louis, was traded t Toronto where he had a lackluster time to say the least. But now he’ll be given true opportunities to excel, to start fresh and to become the successful NHLer he seems to want to be. Our PP needs all the help it can get and Lee is a special teams monster. Every great journey starts withone small step, getting Stumps to round out our motley cast of characters may just be that small step towards getting our PP off the ground. Although he is UFA at the end of the season, I think once Lee gets a taste of Pack life he will want to stay. Either way, he only cost us Matt Jones (who, like Dave Scatchard before him, is still suffering from a very horrific set of concussion symptoms, Matt isn’t playing right now) and a 4th & 7th pick which is a steal anyway you look at it.

I’m only going to give DM a C for picking up Mathieu Schneider. At 40 andat first glimpse, we all have to wonder if this was a good move. Well Don has only had one misstep so far, so I am inclined to trust the game plan behind this move is solid. PP QB extraordinaire and a guy who can provide us with a lot of experience/leadership, if he can still play at least 10 – 12 minutes per night, Matthieu could be the cherry on top of the crazy Coyotes sundae GMDM is building. Another inexpensive UFA, he appears to be worth taking a flyer on. (he has cleared waivers and is expected to join the roster within the next 10 days, I guess we’ll get to really assess this one soon)

Picking up Petteri Nokelainen rates a B for effort. despite 3 other NHL destinations, this kid doesn’t give up. Noki has a drive to succeed. He hits like a train and appears to like doing it, go figure. He probably won’t be setting the offense on fire but a big, fearless physical presence that can win battles along the boards like Winnie and hit like Mad Jovo can’t be to bad can it? We can’t lose by giving him a shot.

Picard and Miikman will not impact the main roster right now so their affect is pretty minimal except as more numbers for Phoenix’s trade day maneuvers. If one of them turns ut to have impact like Shane Doan or something, feel free to smack me around for not getting them their own paragraph.

The Don is definitely a man of his word. He is building Phoenix as the destination of choice for the smart NHLer, for the player who wants to win. When he says he’s going to do something, he does it. The NHL (our interim owner) gave Don a budget, he has worked within it to give the Coyotes what they need to continue to be successful. He promised us that he would not be mortgaging the team’s future to get better for one single season. He promised us all that he and his staff were in it for the long haul and that means winning and staying in the Cup hunts for years to come.

There are some really jealous and pissy people  out there yippin about how Phoenix can be big buyers right now but if you look at the numbers, GMDM committed to less  than 3M extra onto next season and he still made us better than we were. I gotta tell you a true story about the GM, I was sitting next to him grilling him about why he picked up Jason Labarbra instead of Craig Andersen during one of the preseason practices at All-tel Ice Den. He told me then, that he was building this team with an eye to saving as much money as he could for the trade deadline. (Andersen was asking for a bit more money anda bit more contract time than DM was willing to spend and of course also because he truly believed in AZBarbie’s ability to be a solid backup) He said he truly believed he would need that money because we were being built to go to the post season. Well he was right, he did need that money… but I was right that Craig Andersen was going to be a badass goalie. But I have to give him the props, we didn’t need Andersen to get to the post season. I guess that’s why I’m not a GM.

We are not the flashy, fancy team and we don’t need the flashy, high maintenance players. Don is building a staff and team that earns every win and every dollar the old fashioned way… with hard work, sweat equity and heart. At the end of the deadline I have to say Don Maloney is a winner and the Phoenix Coyotes are winners too.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Yesterday STHs got a chance to talk to Don Maloney, GM of the Phoenix Coyotes. How many hockey clubs do that I wonder? The Coyotes are fan friendly to the point of insanity. There is no one off limits to the fans (in a controlled way of course) but business as usual includes the ability to ask questions and receive honest (or as honest as possible depending on the topic) answers.

Some questions I didn’t get the whole verbiage for because the audience didn’t have mics or the knowledge of how to speak in an auditorium setting (either stand up and speak freakin clearly or pitch your dang voice to register to the human ear).  This time having a recorder wouldn’t have helped and we all know that I love to paraphrase but this time it just wasn’t feasible to record. But I will try to recreate the Q & A below for you.

The Don basically started the meeting off (after a serious ovation of cheers and standing happy fans) with his spiel about what he had done at trade deadline and why. Listen to GMDM talk about the trades and the moves of the last week HERE.

Q: It seems like we needed offense more than defense, what prompted the Derek Morris trade?

A: Injuries were a concern, Jovo was still nursing some bumps and bruises and we were concerned about our depth on the blue line going forward.

(my thoughts) Post season runs often become battles of attrition, sometimes the team that goes to the finals is the team with the most warriors standing. 6 beatup blueliners and a baby Dman didn’t look like the way to be one of those teams so they went and got us another warrior to hold the line. Easy decision.

Q: Why was Kevin Porter included in the Mueller trade?

A: Truthfully Kevin was a great asset but you have to give up something to get something. With the direction we are going we saw Kevin as a really good 3^rd liner or 4^th liner due to the progression of his skating.

(my thoughts) KP was a bit on the smallish side and not the fastest thing on 2 legs. He was a good player and on a team not predicated on speed and gritty work, he will be fine. The Coyotes are moving in a different direction under Tippett, we’re going to be big AND fast and edgy. Porter didn’t fit anymore and became expendable.

Q: The last new guy Schneider isn’t here yet, how long before we get him in the line up?

A: Mathieu has cleared waivers and should be ready within 7 – 10 days. He is a bit of an older player (Don actually had a bit of a joke about that but I don’t remember the whole thing just a general tone about Tippett knowing Matt since prehistoric days) but he brings experience that is tough to come by. He can QB a power play like not many players can and since he hasn’t played in a long while he will be fresh and rested for the long haul.

 (my thoughts) The old dog still must have some bite. He can not only help our poor dismal PP but he can teach young Yands and give pointers to some others on how a real QB works his magic. Just watching this guy work will be a good thing for the young defensemen (if he can keep up his pace) Tippett thought very highly of Schneids when he was an assistant coach for LAK and knows the guy’s work ethic and personality. Its is a very low risk gamble on their part.

Q: Why Nokoleinen?

A: Noko played with Korpikoski as a teen in the Swedish leagues. We hope they can find a nice chemistry together. He’s a big gritty kid who can win the small battles every shift.

(my thoughts) Again they address a need but with the best possible outcome in the dressing room. Noko and Korpi have history which makes Noko comfortable right away and gives the guys and instant rapport through the room and on the ice.

Q: What is the status of our ownership?

A: You probably know more than I do. With the Olympics and the trade deadline, the news isn’t flowing like it might during a quieter time. As far as I know everything is still being worked on. I have a very very strong feeling that we will have new ownership, that we will be staying right here in the desert. Can I guarantee that? Well no but I do think if we all keep doing our jobs, putting a winner on the ice and if you guys keep coming to see us, that everything will work out. So bring your friends! (much laughter followed)

(my thoughts) No matter what is really happening behind the scenes, Don wouldn’t lie, but he obviously can’t tell us everything. IEH keeps saying all is well, the NHL is quiet on the subject but the haters are having a field day with conspiracy theories because its taking so long to get this done. The favorite whine right now is that it didn’t take this long to get TBL sold. Well TBL wasn’t taken to BK court, wasn’t trashed down to its boards by its ownership and wasn’t sabotaged at every turn either. It takes what it takes and there is nothing that GMDM or we fans can do about that except do our jobs and have patience.

Q: Wolski seems like a whole lot for Colorado to give up for so little return, what’s the catch?

A: Wolski was a casualty of the money crunch Colorado will find itself in for next season. Their loss is our gain. They need to pay Craig Andersen for his amazing performances, they need to pay the Quincey kid and a slew of other kids whose performances have been amazing and will command generous salary upgrades. Wolski has the knock of being inconsistent and sort of became the odd man out. Peter had the same type of issues but for a lot less money and if he can become the player we all still think he can be, the Avalanche will have replaced Wolski for a bit less salary. So both sides win eventually.

(my thoughts) Both players needed a change. For whatever reasons, WW wasn’t working well within COLs structure/system despite his point production. He makes 2.8M (cap hit) and that was going to go up next season by quite a bit. Why wouldn’t COL want to shed that along with a possible problem child?

My Q: How much concern was there adding this many NHLers to the mix, especially with so few reg games left for them to gel?

A: No a lot of concern actually. We picked players that one of us (Tippett & staff or DM) knew of personally. Guys we knew were steady, experienced professionals with a will to succeed. Wolski was the only wild card but we have such veteran leadership in that room that we have no doubts that the chemistry will remain strong.

(my thoughts) It seems like a roundtable was held, everyone pitched their possible players with reasons. The players we picked up met a criteria and someone on the staff or team could vouch for them. The locker room was saved from any obvious cancers invading and the team is stronger for the changes. The last part seems like it says if WW tries to pull any shit, the vets will talk him off his ledge or smack him into compliance so no worries.

Q: There is lots of talk out there about how the Coyotes were able to be such big buyers during the trade deadline, did the NHL have problems with your buying spree?

A: The NHL is basically my boss right now. They gave me a budget at the beginning and said do your job. As long as I stayed within my budget there were no issues. I basically kept them informed about what I was doing but it was nice that they pretty much just let me do my job, which is to make the team as strong as possible, to put the best possible product on the ice and to be accountable for the finances and resources we have. There was some grumbling from other sources at the beginning because I did not spend a whole lot to get this team together. But I was saving some of that budget money because I sincerely believed that we could be in position to be buyers going into the post season. I wanted to be ready to do what we needed and fortunately it worked out that way. I am still about 1.1 M under my budget and we’re a better team, more equipped for the post season now.

(my thoughts) Whiners and haters shut up. The NHL is not looking over Don’s shoulder, the other owners are not crying about footing our bills and there is no reason to suspect that anything underhanded is happening in Phoenix. The Don had a budget and he was cagier and smarter than a lot of GMs about spending it. There is no conflict of interest because it is in the league’s best interest to get the Coyotes viable and ownable as quickly as possible. The NHL certainly isn’t going to make some gigantic profit on this team and has no reason to cheat in order for them to win. Give credit where credit is due whiney butts. And stop hatin, its showing on yer ugly faces and you just might freeze like that.

My Q: Why did you include Tippett so closely in the process? Not many GMs do that.

A: Hey, we’re partners here. Everything each of us does affects what we’re trying to build. Dave is a very smart man who has been around a long time, his input has been invaluable to this process. His knowledge of the subtle deals and the players involved were especially helpful.When something this important is being done, you take every advantage you can get.

(my thoughts) The Don is a very very smart and calculating man. He never hesitates to use every advantage he can get. We are very lucky to have this staff in Phoenix, where egos are put aside for the good of the whole and they get the job done the right way. This team can put the Coyotes on the world map and out of the red if given half a chance.

My Q: How do you feel about the players in the Olympics and the Olympic break’s affect on the season? What about for the younger players after seeing Lepisto’s performance and how he’s played afterwards, would the Olympics have been beneficial to a player like Yandle? Or would you rather they all just got a chance to rest and heal?

A: Its really hard for teams to ramp back up after that break. We all work so hard to get our compete levels into high gear, then we have 2 weeks off and have to come back and ramp up faster than before. That’s tough. But the affects of competing against the best in the world, the confidence that being chosen to do that gives a player, especially a young player is fantastic. I don’t mind those things at all. But Bryz and Z went over and did well and thankfully are home and back on the ice without injuries. Sami came back more confident and poised than when he left. It’s a great thing for young players.

(my thoughts) For good or bad the Olympic break happened. Wish Yands had gotten to go but it is what it is. The break isn’t that great for the teams in general but for the chosen few to get to step onto that international stage, it means so much in terms of confidence and experience as to be invaluable to their careers. I have usually held the opinion that the Olympics should be strictly for the best amateur athletes in the world. I don’t think I have enough reasons to change that opinion. It was great to watch the elite hockey players get to battle but it did nothing for the NHL in terms of financing (there is no shared revenue) and it is marginal whether or not the games won anyone over to watch hockey in its native form at their nearest arena.

My Q: When our we going to see some signings? Especially my boy Z and Lombo?

A: Unfortunately due to our ownership situation, all signings are on hold. As soon as we can we will start and Z is certainly a priority as well as a few others.

(my thoughts) I’m sure Don wanted to tell me to shut up and go away, this is a touchy subject. It all hinges on our ownership. Last year he could still sign and finish up the business that was already started because it was too late to kibosh things when Moyes pulled the rug out from under us. This year we are truly in limbo or NHL hell. There are things to get done if we are going to remain the Phoenix Coyotes but if we are going to be the Podunk Peahens somewhere else, then it becomes a whole nother ball of wax. Will the players stick around? Those UFAs who have a choice can choose not to wait for the drama to end and that would be very bad for us. Can other GMs swoop down on our RFAs and put in offer sheets (knowing we can’t match diddly squat without a new owner)? Our ownership has to get settled and get settled post haste or the bones of this suddenly successful carcass may not be worth picking over, much less be worth 140M.

Some random points and informational tidbits that were thrown out during the talk:

Tikhnov is expected to return to the Coyotes within a week or so. Because the roster size is not limited to the regular 23 men, there will be room to give the guy a looksee. He did great over in Russia, playing against men and they look forward to getting him on the ice to see how much he’s grown.

KT may get a look during these next weeks. Give the kid a taste of the trenches to help him going forward in his development.

Yes Kurt Sauer is done for the season. He has some inner ear, head issue that has not changed. We don’t know the prognosis so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with him.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Whoa! WOW! Wolski! (okay sorry, I couldn’t resist) Wotjek Wolski and Lee Stempniak made Phoenix GM Don Maloney look like an evil genius…again. (there’s a reason that Coyotes fans have the mantra … In GMDM we trust. But I’ll get to that later) Poetic justice or not, this game couldn’t have worked out any better for the Coyotes. It had drama galore and back stories out the whazoo.

New boy Lee Stempniak (affectionately as of this moment called Stumps) started his tenure off on the right foot by drawing first blood. Stumps basically woke up in Toronto, hauled it off to the airport, made it to Phoenix in time to suit up for the game. That’s right, no acclimation for this boy, just jump right on in and start the party with his first Coyotes goal. Of course he had an advantage from working wit Fiddy and Winnie, they may not score that much but they sure generate a lot of chances, which can give a kid with a nose for the net plenty of opportunities. Look for a point gathering renaissance for Lee Stempniak in the coming weeks.

It is supposed to sting Petey my lad, if it hadn’t I would have given up on you as many of the Phoenix fans already have done. Peter Mueller said after the game ” It was really strange (playing against Phoenix) It happened so quickly, the last few days. It’s been surreal. This is one of the games where, not just me, but everyone, wanted to win. It stings a little right now.” The constant booing of a former Coyotes player was startling to me at first but I understand the vitriol of the fans after learning that the chronic underachiever…err lazy bum…sorry, I meant the kid asked for a trade months and months ago according to GMDM. Much like Blake ‘the flake’ Wheeler before him, it was a slap in the face to some of the loyal fans. Many felt like that answered their questions about his performance, that maybe Peter stopped giving his all in an effort to get traded and THAT is a very big no no in the eyes of any fanbase, not just Phoenix. But really people, let it go after this, its ugly and truthfully its waaay too much personalization (he didn’t abandon YOU, he had different needs and it wasn’t really that kind of relationship anyway). Think of it this way, his new team got trounced and the last give away that we scored on was directly on him, that should be enough just desserts, lets move on and wish the kid well in the future, the way we would for any former Coyotes player (just never against us thank you very much).

Speaking of poetic justice, what about Wolski with the GWG? Oh yeah, talk about having the last laugh. The big native of Zabrze, Poland sure got the knee slapper over on his former team mates on Thursday. Scoring off a beautiful feed from his new Captain and endearing himself to his new fanbase, his new team mates, his new coaching staff and giving hockey writers everywhere a cool angle to write about all day. After pissing in the skates of his old team I bet WWW went to bed smiling from ear to ear… I know I did.

We hit an empty net? Really? I rubbed my eyes twice before cheering, cuz seriously, these boys and empty nets just can’t ever seem to get together. Thank you Radim for proving 2 things… yes we can so hit an EN and we can also score more than 2 goals in a game after the break.

The return of BeastGalov was great to see, now maybe I can avoid the cost of going to Russia and beating the hell out of the Olympic goat,I meant coach, sorry. Saving 23 of 24 shots was a pretty big deal because it meant Bryzzie is coming back from the doubting place and will be able to keep the boys hanging around til they can find a way to win.

All the new kids found a way to contribute. Nokaleinin? Nokalienen? oh to hell with it, LocoNoko may not have scored but he ran around knockin the fire out of everyone he could reach. (I would love to nickname the boy AT&T for his ability to reach out and touch someone but I have a feeling LocoNoko may be sticking if he keeps playing so edgy)

Last but certainly not least, the DeMolition man has returned… finally. Despite all the hoopla at the end of his last year, we all knew he’d be back if there was a way. He seemed to have a shaky moment or two but other than a puck hopping over his stick during a power play this new Derek Morris is just fine. The hit on Mueller was sheer poetry and he got a couple of nice shots off during his 16+ minutes of TOI without even breakin a sweat. Welcome back Mo indeed.

The Coyotes took down the Avalanche 3 – 1 and it was a great time. The 12k+ fans in the building were rockin the house. Lots of signs were visible welcoming the new kids and fan favorite DMO, a wave was produced after ginormous effort from a crazy man in section 104 and folks were makin serious noise for the boys throughout the arena. 81 points! 4th in the Western conference! 4th in the NHL! Attendance going up every game (including pesky weeknight games)! National media attention…POSITIVE media attention! Holy jumpin! (yes I wish our little motor mouth, Darren Pang could be here to enjoy this, he was the biggest homer ever through some tough times) but I’ll just borrow his favorite phrase to describe this amazing turn of events.

Up next in this home stand are the Anaheim Ducks. I know everyone and their mama is expecting the Ducks to make their push for a post season spot. We better be ready to squash those plans.

Keys to the game?

Solve Jonas Hiller. Period, point blank and simple. We’ve given this team the business all season but it always comes down to Hilly. This kid is a rock in their net and doesn’t rattle easy. If we can get 2 by him and then hold on tight I would be happy.

Mind our own net. We have to give Bryz some lock down defense. That damn Bobby Ryan can make the best defense look like Swiss cheese. We have to let Bryz see what is coming in and don’t let those damn Anaheim trees set up shop in front of him. Bryzzie still knows how they shoot and always gets up for these games. No rebounds! No second chances for these guys Breezer.

The newest edition of the scoring committee can’t lay back and let the new boys do all the work. (it will be fine if LocoNoko gets the GWG though, I’m all in for another case of poetic justice against his former team) It is time for everyone to partake in the scoring drives. We have to bring all guns to bear in order to get this job done.

Discipline of course will be key tonight. These boys will eat you alive if you give them enough PP time. Just stay out of the box for your own sakes. No stupid penalties tonight please.

Watch your backs! Getzlaf and Wizniewski will be headhunting. Head on a swivel and do unto them before they do unto you should be the words of the day.

There are still some tickets left. The bandwagon is starting to fill up but don’t worry, we’ll scoot over to make room for you to join us. There will of course be a tailgate in Lot J as usual from 2ish to 5pm when the doors open. So come on by and join the party. Don Maloney is hosting a chalk talk around 3:30 ish (I hope you RSVP’d for that) Don is always a great speaker and allows lots of questions.

Don’t forget about the Coyotes Carnival on Sunday! Right here at the JobArena. Rain or shine the boys will be out for this charitable event. We’ll have a blast and you can meet the new kids. It is only a $10 donation to get into the event. Hope to see you there.

As always… Go Coyotes!

I don’t have time this mornin to go into all of yesterday’s awesome events. All I can say right now is YES! WHOO HOO! HOORAY! We have the slickest GM in the league! Don made us proud yesterday by doing what needed to be done to correct our course before anything crazy happened. Some people may think its all about adding particular players, its not. Trade time is all about adding the ‘right’ player(s), having assessed your team with a totally honest eye and removing the players that are hindering your progress (for whatever reason) and adding guys that can add the gears the team is missing. Sometimes your team just needs the spark of knowing that their organization really gives two shits and wants them to succeed. The Coyotes made THAT statement loud and clear yesterday.

Sooo welcome new Coyotes, one and all. May your time here in the desert be fun, fufilling and successful. A special welcome goes out to our DMO, the demolition man is back in the desert where he belongs!

Young Mueller wasn’t happy here? It showed. I wish him the best in te future but not tonight. Tonight, I hope his sandbagging ways backfire on him and he doesn’t score. After that, he can go forth and prosper with my heartfelt blessing. (Sorry, he’s the enemy tonight) I won’t mind as much if Kevin Porter scores… as long as the Coyotes win. Kevin Porter is a hard working sweetheart that really deserves a chance to show what he’s made of. (only one Ports, only one. You too are the enemy tonight)

We play the resourceful Colorado Avalanche tonight. These boys have been finding ways to win all season. Joe Saccho has been a miracle man with his very young squad. I have been pulling for thm all season… just not when they play us. Tonight’s game could be billed as the matchup of the discarded. With the swapped Wolski and Mueller going head to head for the first time it should be very interesting.

Keys to this game?

Special teams… we will all be watching to see if the new boys can get our flatlining PP jumpstarted. Oh I know its too early to really make a difference but seriously, we will all be looking for that.

If Bryzzie starts, he needs to really leave the Olympics behind him and come back to earth. Being in his head is never a good thing for our boy and right now I think that is a very dark and scary place…Get outta there! Positioning, flow and rebound control hve to become his friends for real tonight. These kids can throw rubber with the best of them, be ready Breezer! AzBarbie has had some nice games, if he starts this one he just needs to remember to stay the hell in his net, relax and let his reflexs work for him…no drama tonight, small movements, controlled limbs and he’ll take care of business.

Use the force scoring committee. The energy provided by the trades has usually worked in our favor. We need to keep it simple. Control the low slot whenever we get in the Av’s zone and just shell the hell out of the amazingly hot Mr. Andersen.

Defense… you were non existent last game. That better not happen tonight. Get yer poop in a group blueline. Young Yandle has been amazing when the big guys have been out. Its time to stop taking a back seat to your elders Yands. Own your shifts, stop playing so safe. You are at your best when taking those edgy risks. The rest of you sloths need to adjust and get back into the flow, vacation is over! Time to get back to being the NHL’s top scoring blueline.

Gotta go… the trip to Scottsdale takes FOREVER!

As always… Go Coyotes!

HT Hound here filling in to give you a relatively quick update on the Coyotes Trade Deadline… GMDM stole the show AGAIN this trade deadline… other GM’s are going to be leery dealing with him in the future for fear of getting robbed blind, but by that time the Yotes will be a stocked to the gills playoff team.

In case you missed the day’s festivities, Coyotes were the most active team in the league and were among the teams deemed “most improved” from the deadline deals. Here’s the breakdown along with some links for each for those who are craving details:

Derek Morris comes home!! -> Derek Morris (D) to Phoenix — 4th round draft pick in 2011

Coyotes GM Don Maloney on the Derek Morris deal: “This was, to me, a home run for us.” … need I say more besides, welcome back Dmo! http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=312217

By the way, if you look back to when GMDM traded Morris to the Rangers… Coyotes ended up with Morris and Prucha for what amounts to a 4th round pick… highway robbery indeed!

Yandle on the Dmo trade: http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=159&id=61574

Nash on the Dmo trade: http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=159&id=61574

Analysis via NHL.com: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1054&id=61498

Salary/status: Morris (30 years old) is making 3.3 this year and will be UFA at the end of the season

See ya Mules -> Wojtek Wolski (LW) to Phoenix — Peter Mueller (C/W) and Kevin Porter (LW) to Colorado

Get those goodbye signs ready for Peter on Thursday night (and pray he doesn’t suddenly find his scoring touch!). Though I don’t love the Porter part of this deal and really hope Mules doesn’t take off somewhere else, it was time. Maloney revealed “he was very frustrated with his time here and asked for a trade a month ago. I was hoping he would come around and be the player we knew he would be but Peter and Coyotes just weren’t a match anymore.” http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=519847, http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=312239

“Wojtek Wolski is a terrific young offensive player,” said Coyotes’ general manager Don Maloney in a statement.  “He is a talented goal scorer that will help us offensively and on the power play. He has great size and is just entering the prime of his career.” … Hallelujah!

Analysis via NHL.com: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1054&id=61539

Numbers Game: Coyotes Add Scoring Help: http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?id=312258

Salary/status: Wolski (23 years old) is making 3.1 million this year and will be RFA at the end of the season

Mathieu Schneider (D) to Phoenix — Sean Zimmerman (D), conditional draft pick in 2010 to Vancouver

“Schneider hasn’t played that much this year, but that might be a good thing,” Maloney said. “I acquired him on Long Island a long time ago (in the early 1990s as GM of the Islanders). He gets pucks to the net on the power play, and that’s what we want.” http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=519884, http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=312249

Salary/status: Schneider (40 years old) is making 1.55 million this year and will be UFA at the end of the season

Lee Stempniak (RW) to Phoenix — Matt Jones (D), 4^th and 7^th round draft  pick in 2010 draft to Toronto

“Stempniak is the type of player who can provide secondary scoring and maybe a change will recharge his batteries.” http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=519966

Salary/status: Stempniak (26 years old) is making 3.5 million this year and will be UFA at the end of the season

Miika Wiikman (G), 7^th round draft pick in 2011 to Phoenix — Anders Eriksson (D) to NY Rangers http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=519979

Petteri Nokelainen to Phoenix — 6^th round draft pick in 2011 draft to Anaheim http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=520028, http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=312283

Salary/status: Nokelainen (23 years old) is making 0.9 millino this year and is under contract next season

Alexandre Picard (LW) to Phoenix — Chad Kolarik (LW) to Columbus

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=520009, http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=312280

Salary/status: Picard (24 years old) is making 0.866 million this year and will be RFA at the end of the season

Overall links and analysis from a few places…

TSN trade day breakdown: http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/scott_cullen/?id=312213

Western Conference analysis via NHL.com: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1054&id=61498

Trade Deadline analysis via NHL.com: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1054&id=61498

Coyotes Coach Dave Tippett was also on Xtra Sports 910, hopefully the podcast will be up soon, here is the link for their podcasts: http://xtra910.com/pages/podcasts.php

Maloney wheels and deals all day long – via NHL.com: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=520044

“Wolski is a good fit — he’s a big kid who likes to go down low and get pucks. He’ll do a nice job settling down that power-play. He’ll get those tips and rebounds.”

“We’re always trying to find the right fit and chemistry and we feel Wolski is a top-line player. He can fit right in with (Matt) Lombardi and (Shane) Doan. Losing (Scottie) Upshall (to a season-ending knee injury) was tough because he was one of our top scorers, but we could be a very good NHL team.”

Update 6:15pm: Tippett reacts to the deals: http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp … a good listen!

So much for worrying that moves won’t be made for fear of disrupting chemistry. A few of these faces will be designated to San Antonio, the rest… be ready to welcome them on Sunday’s Coyotes Carnival!

As always… Go Coyotes!

Ouch… just ouch… the boys are back but apparently they left their hockey on vacation for this stinker. Losing to the Blues 5 – 2 pissed Tippett off so badly that I think his presser was about 3 sentences long. Methinks the boys will be practicing long and hard tomorrow.

The first few shifts it looked like the boys were gonna be alright. But everyone was off tonight. Fiddie, Winnie, Muels and AZBarbie were pretty much the only ones who were ready from their first shifts and stayed on the ball the whole 60 minutes. The rest of the team only had moments… Joel Perrault teamed up with Mueller and they looked solid early. Joel even scored the first goal. Hanzal ran a few guys over and seemed to be intent on knocking people thru the boards. It would be downhill the rest of the night.

It was great to see Petr Prucha back on the ice, just as feisty and fast as he was before the infamous Neal hit.

Jovo got hit in the chops hard enough to knock his helmet off, he left the game and didn’t return. The refs of course missed this as well as several really ugly incidents. Fraser… please either stop channeling Magoo or retire to your porch and regale family about the time when you were a ‘good’ NHL referee.

Bryz! Get that screwed up Russian coach outta yer head! Regardless of how badly team Russia got spanked, it was sooo not your fault. You are back home with your NHL family and WE love you. I totally don’t get why Tip started Bryzzie tonight… the Blues should have been AZBarbie’s game, giving Bryz an extra couple of rest days. Much better to let Bryz get back his desert legs and go up against the Avalanche instead. Och, too late now I suppose but our Breezy needs to get back into Coyotes space quick.

5 unproductive power plays… left me wishing once again that we could decline those bad boys. Not that it would have made a difference against a Blues team on a mission. We were flat and busy doing a lot of things… just not the right things. The boys seemed to be looking around to see if everyone was still on the team. GMDM should just make his deals early and let the boys take a deep breath of relief and get their minds back on hockey. Trade deadline has to be very rough on their psychies.

Before everyone starts running out on their ledges, don’t panic. Lets see what the rest of this homestand looks like before we start with the meltdown crap. GMDM, this would be a perfect time for even a minor move. We all saw what kind of energy a team can get from a new face or two last year.

With Eriksson possibly on waivers, it feels like Don is about ready to make at least one move. So far most of the rumors are still swirling around Peter Mueller (he has been linked to trade talks about Cogliano:EDM and the Av’s Wolski) why the Avs would even entertain the thought of sending Wolski our way, I have no clue…unless the rumors about coaching issues are true? If Wolski doesn’t fit your system Yetis… we’ll gladly take him off your hands.

Hat Trick Hound will be monitoring the webosphere and will post up any moves our intrepid GM makes tomorrow. 3PM can’t come soon enough if you ask me… trade deadline sucks. But one thing is for certain, we need the energy that change will bring, we need an upgrade at defense, our PP needs an injection of urgency and a guy who understands the need for low slot work and we need to get this over with so that the boys aren’t in a constant state of anxiety about who is getting the plane ticket.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Congratulations to The US Men’s hockey team for their heroic performance in the 2010 Olympics! You did us proud guys! (P.S. the silver is prettier anyway) It sure was nice hearing the complimentry things being said by the commentators during the games and the local media may finally be on the band wagon too if the local NBC sport’s mentions are anything to go by. (I have even been listening to sports radio in the mornings because there has actually been hockey talk on!)

There hasn’t been as much movement of players at the trade deadline as we all probably imagined. Its a seller’s market and the prices must be pretty steep. GMDM has reminded us all about his value policy in today’s AZCentral column. So be patient, The Don is pretty damn good at hose tradin, if there is a deal that fits us, he’ll make it. If not, we’ll be workin hard like usual to make the post season but either way, we’ll get ‘er done. Have faith!

So the boys are back in town and ready to rumble. Sami Lepisto is the only one of our Olympians to bring back any hardware (Congrats to Sami for his bronze medal with Team Finland!) Lots of new items on the Coyotes web page, Strader’s preview of the game, Doan and Nash took an F-16 ride and Yotes Quotes from Z just to name a few things.

We take on the St. Louis Blues tomorrow. It is a ’should’ win game but we can never take ANY team for granted. Every team, mathematically eliminated or not, will be turning on the afterburners. Playing spoiler is sometimes the only satisfaction to be had for teams out of the running. We’ll have to be sharp to grab as many oints as we can before we go out on the road into seriously hostile territory.

The series stands at 2 -1 in favor of the Yotes. Can the student surpass the master? Bryzzie needs another victory to tie goalie coach Sean Burke’s 33 wins in one season. I know he can do it and I’m sure Burkie will be proud to have a hand in helping Bryz make franchise history.

The keys to this game?

Be very very stingy. We are a team built on defense. We’ve gotten burned in OT by these guys before. Watch the red hot TJ Oshie and that sneaky Johnson kid. The Blues have some key players out but that doesn’t mean we can coast. The back end better be solid tonight, there will be a lot of eyes watching to see if our blueline really is ALL that. With Z, Sami and Bryz coming off a tough 2 weeks in Vancouver (as well as a lot of travel) some other folks are going to have to be ready to step up big if the minutes have to be redistributed.

I am not going to preach about special teams. Our PP is what it is (29th in the league). We can’t depend on winning this one on the back of a PP performance. If we play disciplined hockey, we won’t have to do much short handed defending. We’ll have to stay out of the box and score 5 on 5 to get this one in the bag… as usual.

Offense!? Where forth art thou offense? IDK where its been the last few games before the break but lets hope it shows up for this one. Bruises are healed, nagging injuries should be a distant memory, it is time to put some points on the board. The scoring committee needs to wake up, stand up and be counted on. No excuses, the dirty areas need to be breached and 2nd and 3rd chances must be buried.

Chris Mason was hot right before the break but the layoff may have taken his edge off. We need to rattle him early and not let him get his confidence up. Lots of rubber, make him move… a lot! Backes and Johnson came home from the Olympics with a silver medal and a boatload of confidence… seriously… watch out for them.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Coyotes Coalition tickets! See you all in section 104 to celebrate the return of Phoenix Coyotes Hockey!

As usual… Go Coyotes!

This is really the hardest part about the whole trade deadline acquisition thing… deciding which players we can let go of in order to make the team better. It isn’t strictly about upgrading talent, its also about changing the team dynamic and the possible changes to the team’s chemistry and locker room dynamics. I admit too, that I am biased. I think ALL of our guys are the best ever. (hell, I still follow Sjo and Niko simply because they were once beloved Coyotes and I still have love for them) It sucks to have to give up on one of our own but we know that is part of the price we’ll have to pay in order to get to the next level. So… on to the wallet check.

We have ( to the best of my recall and research… feel free to correct me if I’m wrong):

PICKS:

(2)     first rounds

(1)   second round

(2)   fourth rounds

(1)   sxth round

(1)   seventh round

(1)   second round in 2011

PROSPECTS:

Expendable?

Josh Tordjman – been in the system awhile, not showing consistently that he can sustain high levels of play

Joel Gistedt – has not adjusted well to the North American game, he appears to be falling down the depth chart

Francis Lessard – thought he would get a shot this season for at least a cuppa. He’s a big insane enforcer who can actually play a little hockey… depending on your view, he may have control issues that have kept him off the main roster.

Bubble?

Viktor Tikhnov– good player, good PKer, defensively sound, growing leaps and bounds and has done excellent in his stint in Russia . He may have made himself vulnerable to being trade bait by excercising his contractual right to return to Russia rather than playing in the AHL

Jonas Ahnelov – should have been up on the main roster by now but he stays injured for long stretches of time

Kevin Porter – sees a lot of  in the air time going back and forth to San Antonio but not really getting to hit the ice with the main club that often this year. Nothing wrong with the kid but he’d make a hell of a chip at the bargaining table. Porter is almost NHL ready. 38points and plenty of pedigree behind him points this kid out as a top prospect with real value.

Chad Kolarik - with his 35 points, this kid is no slouch. A little o the smallish side at only 180lbs, Chad is quick and agile and not afraid to get his nose dirty. He can get up for big games (like his 6 points n last year’s Calder run). He’ll need some more defensive seasoning (-12 right now) before he can take a real shot at Tippett’s defense first main club but he’s definitely a grade A prospect.

Sean Sullivan  – developing into a decent defenseman with untapped potential who just might tip the tide as a return in a deal for a roster ready guy

David Schlemko– stay at home responsible guy who has already done a couple of callups and played very well, he might also, be good enough to be considered a deciding piece in a deal for picks and prospects

Untouchable except in extreme emergency?

Mikkel Boedker– Speed and offensive potential, the only Baby Yote to get multiple ‘meaningful’ looksees from Tippett this season. Minimum value: high-end 2nd line expectations in the very near future.

Kyle Turris – Our #3 pick isn’t going anywhere, any time soon (like including the main roster). He was almost wrecked because he was pushed too fast. Think of this year as undoing all that harm and next year as his first real opportunity to grow. No way that we give him up without a very high return. (the main question is, does KT fit into the vision of GMDM and Tippett for the future)

Rampage VS Moose  the 2 spectacular goals from KT will help you see why he’s on this untouchable list. (footage courtesy of moosehockey.com)

Brett Maclean – extreme sniper possibilities here. 1^st or 2^ndline material if allowed to mature and is brought along correctly. Possibly only a hairsbreath away from the main roster and of course we’ve been short of natural LWs on this team in the past so Brett gives us more options than playin some poor schmuck out of his element on the left.

Nick Ross – Fast, agile and smart with and without the puck. Maybe NHL sized and ready within 2 years. Enough said?

Chris Summers– Matured for 4 years in challenging college setting. He has been Michigan ’s captain so no doubt leadership qualities. Played offense and defense (both very well… think Chicago ’s Dustin Byfuglien) very valuable option to have in case of injury during a game when the roster is already set.

Alvaro Montoya– Has shown flashes of brilliance at the NHL level. He is not suited to the slower pace and talent in the AHL. He needs to get his shot at the upper level soon and could be ready to work share with Bryz (grooming him to be the #1 once Bryz gets too expensive to keep?)

We can’t mess with the roster regulars too much, it might unbalance the team chemistry or undo the team bond that has been the bedrock of our season. The Pack mentality has gotten us this far, we have to respect its power. Yet we know we have to bring in more than just a replacement for Upshall and to do that, someone else has to go.

ROSTER BAIT:

Anders Eriksson- Bubba is servicable but not memorable and at 34 I think what we’ve seen is what we get, there’s probably not much left in the tank.I’m not sure he has healed up from his injury (he was rushed back into duty and that was probably a mistake on our part) if he’s healthy then why doesn’t Tippett play him more often… all that press box time adds up to probable cause to be listed on the roster bait side.

Lauri Korpikovski- I like the Korpedo just fine. If he could find a way to be just a little bit more consistent offensively we wouldn’t be having this conversation. He shows flashes of brilliance. There is no doubting the young speedster’s potential but we badly need a consistent scoring threat now that Upshall is MIA. He’s in and out of the lineup too much… so he goes on the bait list.

Joel Perrault- There has always been a lot of potential in Joel.  He seems to be easily broken and has yet to remember the head on a swivel rule of hockey. He’s got a lot of concussion mileage on him for such a young guy. He’s been waivered and picked up by another team, then waivered and snatched back by us. We’re not the only ones who see a certain something in his game and so I have to dangle him out on the roster bait wire and hope someone bites.

Taylor Pyatt- Taylor is a good sized grinder, fairly gritty on occasion but doesn’t use that big body nearly enough. He plays well with the other crazy checkers but only provides very limited scoring. He’s expendable because there are a lot of guys just like him out there for cheaper so if some team wants him in addition to a pick or prospect to make a deal, I gotta make him roster bait and replace him later.

Sami Lepisto- The kid is fast, agile and a quick study. A little more work is needed on his positioning and he could develop into a second or third pairing staple in the NHL. He is learning to jump into plays more selectively and becoming much more well rounded. Sami was also chosen to go to the Olympics with Team Finland.

Peter Mueller – His actual value has to be pretty low right now. (partly thanks to that rumor mongerer Pierre Maguirre… thnx for nuthin you schmuck) Peter has been doing much better without the puck but has not been able to reconnect with his scoring touch from his rookie season. He has not a very good second or third year with the main club. Bad offseason training and then a concussion derailed him. He has not been the same kid since the ugly Getzlaf hit left him dazed and confused on the ice.  I hate to give up on him but maybe this isn’t the right environment for him to succeed in, at the moment. No one can deny the potential, kid has vision and hands, the question seems to be, does he have the drive and the true desire to become a consistently contributing, accountable, NHL hockey player? So having said all this you can see why he ended up on the trade bait list.

Of course the Coyotes organization will have a totally different view of who is expendable and who is not, this is just my take on what we have to offer. Our best trading partners will be teams looking to build, looking for cap relief  or just new blood. Those are the guys that will be dealing established talent for picks and prospects. Can’t deny we’re loaded with high potential talent (most of which I didn’t list here because I don’t get to see them 1st hand) you can see them on the players page. Let me know what you think. Is there anyone I missed or that wouldn’t be missed if they left?

I still have a section to do on the team toughness/enforcer issue and the backup goalie upgrade or run what we brung topics… but that will have to wait for another day.

The Yotes are back on the ice. Practice has begun for the sprint portion of the season. Bryz, Z and Sami are done with the Olympics and should rejoin their bretheren on Sunday at the Ice Den. It sure seems like a hell of a long time since we’ve seen the guys. I’m fiendin for some Coyotes hockey!

As a gift from the Coyotes Coalition I have 2 free tickets in section 104 for either the March 2nd or March 4th game to give away to the first commenter on this blog entry.

As always… Go Coyotes!

I was going to look into the Coyotes wallet first but there is still a lot of research required since we have kids all over the damn place. So you get my take on rentals and buys the GM might want to kick the tires on today instead. (thanks to CoyoteQ for helping me survey the field of availability)

As we walk through the ranks of the teams that are either mathematically eliminated or real close to it, we need to keep in mind a couple of things… our PP sucks majorly and we have a real need to upgrade our 6/7 defensive positions. (Lepisto is doing the best he can but he’s still a baby  with positioning issues and Bubba has been a scratch waay too long… is he still not 100% or is he not what Tippett wants on his bench?). So it would seem that what we are looking for is 2 players minimum that can eat minutes, have at least a modicum of offensive prowess (to replace Upshall’s lost scoring), are defensively responsible (to fit into Tippett’s defense first system) and of course any jump start for our hideous PP and/or playoff experience is a bonus. Pretty tall order eh?

Offensive Rentals:

Atlanta’s Maxim Afinogenov could fit the bill pretty well (while not a defensive giant) he is a major point grabber this season with over 44 points so far this season (so what if he’s 30 years old, we’ve seen that he can still fly) and he is on his best behavior to get back into the good graces of the NHL family. He seems to be fairing very well out of the spotlights. (5) PP goals

Carolina’s Ray Whitney is another great rental possibility. With Kovalchuk finally out of the picture, Whitney’s value skyrockets, even by trade deadline overpayment standards. The guy can score, has underdog experience, has Cup experience and is defensively sound. At age 37 this old dog is still playing good minutes and has 41 points on a hinky Canes team. (6) PP goals

Toronto’s Alexei Ponikarovsky is also a name we hear frequently as a premiere pickup. He’s been pretty good lately, on pace for 54 points and is currently a +5. A 29 year old, 6′ 4″  rental doesn’t sound too bad if TOR will just not wanna take a pint of blood back for him in return. (4) PP goals

Columbus’ Raffi Torres has been placed on waivers. The 28 year old LW has been a solid NHLer throughout his career. He has 26 points so far this season. This is a gritty guy with decent defense and good energy. One of those guys you don’t really like to play against but sure don’t mind having on your squad. (this is the kind of value player the Don likes) (7) PP goals

Florida’s dynamic duo is supposedly also part of their fire sale. Either of them would be prize pickups for us. They know how to operate in untraditional markets and how to get scoring against all odds.

Nathan Horton (rumored to be targeted by BUF) will be returning from his broken leg within the next couple of weeks. At only 24 years old, Horton is a gem. He’s got a startling 46 points and while not the grittiest guy on the block, he often forgets himself and goes for points in the ugly areas. (6) PP goals

The 26 year old Stephen Weiss just may be the scoring touch that we need with 45 points under his belt (all done with very little help all season). Weiss is probably the Florida player getting his tires kicked the most by teams looking to buy. Some of FLA’s fans call him a soft player but anyone who can grab that many points on the lackluster Panthers must be doing something right. (8) PP goals

Defensive Rentals:

Is Florida’s Dennis Seidenbergh worth repatriating? 22 points and a minor -1. He wasn’t horrible before and seems to have learned consistency down in the southeast. He’s worth a looksee since he has grown a bunch since his stint here in Phoenix. (1) PP goal

Tampa Bay has a kid named Kurtis Foster that I wouldn’t mind getting my mitts on. He is a defensive staple with 28 points. He is 6′ 5″ and only 28 years old… prime age for a blueliner. (it would be a plus to sign him after but not a total bummer if we can’t since we do have help on the blueline in the form of Goncharov possibly arriving next season from Russia) (3) PP goals

Florida’s Bryan McCabe – Has a few years on him at 34 but remember we’re talking rental not marriage. On pace for about 34 points and a plus 1 right now, the former all-star and vet blueliner has some semi-recent playoff experience and knows his way around a rink. He’s still pretty sturdy and doesn’t miss a lot of games. (3) PP goals

would anyone mind cornering the market on Czechs?

How about Pavel Kubina? – This is one big Czech at 245lbs. On pace for 45 points and holding a +6 we can definitely put this one on the acquisitions list. 32 years old and still has a few miles left on him (despite a possibly bummy right knee), has some playoff experience and would probably be fairly cheap to grab (last trade he and Stapleton went for Excelby and Stuart) (2) PP goals

I doubt the Minnesota Wild will be looking to sell anything from their defensive stable (especially within the conference) but Mareck Zidlicky could be worth inquiring after (since the Wild have just upgraded their blueline with Cam Barker, maybe Zidlicky could be their odd man? ) The guy has very recent playoff experience, is on pace for 47 points and is a paltry – 1. (2) PP goals

Offensive Purchases:

I hate to keep raiding Atlanta’s cupboards but they got a lot of nice pieces down there, like the 27 year old Rich Peverly and his 42 points. He’s a great steal if a deal could be done. No matter where he’s played, this guy has been quietly killin it on secondary points. (7) PP goals

The other jewel in the offensive market would have to be Tomas Plakanec. The guy has over 55 points this season and shows no sign of slowing down. Can he be pried away from the original 6 team? Pricey to say the least and dicey at best. It would be a huge change from Montreal to here and he might not like the change much. (which could affect the locker room adversely) (3) PP goals

And then there is a GMDM blue light special in Jonathan Cheechoo. Cheechoo has been waivered… and cleared! He’s hanging around the the bus in the AHL already. That is a travesty. I know he’s 29 but the kid has got to have some juice left. 4 years ago he was the Richard trophy winner, 3 years ago he was an allstar. He’s had some knee and neck issues but what the hell else is going on that caused him to sink so fast? I hate his -13 and the fact that he was only on pace for 17 points but I betcha he’d get his shit together for another shot at the NHL unless he’s got some physical issue no one knows about. Imagine Tippett pulling a 2006-ish performance out of him?

Former Coyotes Steven Reinprecht is available (at firesale prices). Dumped before Tippett got here, the Rhino was 3rd in points on an inept Coyotes team. He isn’t the fastest guy on 2 skates but he’s crafty, works hard, has Cup experience and can face off fairly well. No long term committment here (a year isn’t a killer), could he be worth the investment of say… a low potential prospect or a low end pick? (2) PP goals

Defensive Purchase:

Atlanta’s young defenseman Tobias Enstrom flashes before my greedy eyes when talking about purchasing a defenseman. The 25 year old blueliner just keeps getting better every year. He has 42 points this season and plays with heart every shift. The little Swede (only 5′10″ 180lbs) is  a +7 on the quirky Thrashers team, think Z with more of a shooters mentality. (2) PP goals

Anaheim won’t be looking to do us any more favors and I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much time for Phoenix fan’s to forgive him for his nasty hit on our Captain but how about I throw James Wizniewski’s name into the ring? He’s RFA and the Hawks have been sniffing around the idea of bringing him back into their fold (which might make him a little expensive to take a run at) but maybe the Duck’s scouts have seen something on our shared AHL roster that might soften Anaheim up for a little inter-division dealing. (2) PP goals

Speaking of Anaheim, they just waived Nick Boynton. The 31 year old has been here before and might be a decent 6th/7th. Adds to team toughness (who can forget Nick pulling Miettenen off his bench wall for a beat down that he royally deserved?). He only has 7 points and is a +1 but he plays capable defense even if he won’t be setting the world on fire at this stage of his career. Decent deal at 1.5M and can always be packaged in the offseason. Could be had for very little cost. (1) PP goal

How about a shot at RFA Anton Stralman from Columbus? He’s not doing too bad with 29 points (that -11 seems to be the result of a bad team more than a lack of defense on his part). 23 years old and 200lbs, he’s young enough to teach and big enough to hang tough in the pack. (4) PP goals

How about enforcement/team toughness and goaltending upgrades? How bout we do that in a mini-part II because there may be more to say on that front than I can squeeze into 2 paragraphs.

Okay tired now… it is very hard to think like a GM with a limited budget. Gotta pass by the obvious additions that will cost an arm and a leg (or at least one of your first rounders). So what do you think? Anyone on this list look good to you? Or would you rather make a case for Ballard or Streit? Perhaps Stempniak, Brunette or Vermette are more your cup of tea? Is there anyone I missed that could help the Coyotes through the next few weeks or make them stronger for a  deeper push into the post season? Is there a team out there on the fence between buyer and seller that might be willing to do a little business with the Don? Let me know, I always enjoy hearing your takes on subjects like this.

As always… Go Coyotes!