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!

Well whatdayaknow, another first for us here at the Check… to rent or not to rent? I have never had to ask that question. We have been sellers or non-participants so often that I find myself at a loss. Attempting to discern GMDM’s choices is a tough one. Do we need help to get over the post Olympic break hump and into the post season for the first time in well, forever? And then when we do get there and everyone has all these extra gears and role players becoming saviors, are we strong enough for this battle as is?

We are all nail bitingly aware of the issues that the Yotes have faced in the past, dealing with walls or with post-break killing slumps. This year is already different. the mix of young talent and vets is different, we have more wins 3/4 of the way than we had all season before, the system is different, and the coaching style is different… all in a very good way.

No longer do the Coyotes battle day in and day out from the first puck drop, to maintain a hold on 7th or 8th or pushing up from 9th or 10th position. These new Coyotes clawed their way up to 4th in the conference and have chewed and maimed to stay there, fending off the likes of a newly grown up LAK and a miracle on ice young COL team as well.

The Maloney-era Coyotes look lean, mean and ready to make some noise in the post season. Under the respected leadership of Dave Tippett and his soon to be legendary coaching staff, the Coyotes have already surpassed all expectations, hell, they’ve surpassed many of our wildest dreams. (yes soon to be legendary, what else can you call a staff that can achieve this much with such a beleaguered team?)

The Phoenix Coyotes were mired in red ink and nearly bled out, we were hampered by ownership that didn’t want us and had no clue how to run us (they hadn’t spent a half way intelligent dime since they signed Jovo). We were flailing about in BK court like a gaffed fish and suffering through a negative media blitz of EPIC  proportions, just to name a few of the problems Tippett and staff faced this season.

Sooo, look ahead to March 3rd 2010, the new era Coyotes, or should that be the Maloney/Tippett era Coyotes will have 19 games to survive in order to get to the post season for the first time in… seems like forever. Can they do it without the services of Scottie Upshall? The team just needs to win about 15 points to secure a berth. Can the rest of the scoring committee find another setting on the heat scale and hold the team on course or are they going to need some help?

With the highest scoring defense in the NHL, it would seem like the Yotes would be in great shape. Behind the front end talents like Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Mathew Lombardi and … uh oh… there is no and. Only 3 true consistent offensive scorers? Oy! Even Coach Tippett appears to be tired of waiting for Peter Mueller to return to form and get hot, so don’t blame me for not listing him here. Seems like having only 3 dependable scoring forwards answers the question about standing pat heading into the final sprint portion of the season.

Since we don’t have ‘real’ ownership in place to give the Don a budget, this whole thing might just be a moot point. But for shits n giggles lets pretend that the NHL wants to make as much money as possible off their investment and recoup some of that lost revenue they spent in BK court and funding the team through this season. That would mean that Bettman and Daly were telling the truth when they said GMDM would have funds to do what needs to be done for the team.

So we need to make a move, agreed? Do we rent? If so then the question becomes who to rent and how much to pay. If we want to purchase instead, for maximum value (and you know how GMDM loooves his value players)  then who to buy and again… how much to pay? Payment doesn’t mean actual dollars… we have enough cap space to buy Kovalchuck and Ovie… the real payment comes in the form of players in return, picks to give up and of course prospects that others covet… (our future roster members).

Guess we better take a look in our figurative wallets and see how much we got in the way of trade bait, picks and prospects. Keep in mind we’ll have to give up something decent to get back something good in return. At trade deadline, good can often cost a LOT more than you want to pay. So let’s have at it shall we? let’s take a look at who is available from the herd and what we have available to pay to make them part of the pack.

Part II tomorrow: What the Coyotes wallet has available in roster bait, picks and prospects.

As always… Go Coyotes!

I’ve never done this before…always late to the party and this power ranking thing is no different. No way could I pull this off every week like our friends at Hendrickshockey and places where people actually get paid to do it. But anyway… I thought this might be a good time to try it before we concentrate on how our boys are doin in the Olympics. Good luck and much winning to the USA team, Bryzzie and his Russian scoring machine, Z and the Czech mafia and of course Finland and Sami and Niko. Without further ado… we present you with …a power ranking… of sorts.

1. Washington Capitals (41-13-8)
It couldn’t last forever but … the Blues Ovie?? Caps look a little more human as certain minds turn towards the Olympics. But maaan what a streak. These boys remain a powerhouse no matter who is in net.

2. San Jose Sharks (40-13-9)
Nothing new to see here, move along folks. Oh wait.. should they be watching over their shoulder’s for those Hawks? You better believe it.  The Sharks had better be on their toes after the break, (or not…) why not let the Hawk’s have top spot and the playoff curse that seems to go with it?

3. Chicago Blackhawks (41-15-5)
Is there anything these kids can’ t do? No need to chum the water, the Hawks are up to catching the Sharks without help. The boys from ChiTown have remained in the top of the rankings all season and that won’t change after the break.

4. Phoenix Coyotes (37-21-5)
Tired and beatup but no where near done surprising everyone. Despite losing the last 2 games, Dave Tippett has the reins firmly in his grip. If Don Maloney gets him 2 players, look out NHL! Post break slide appears to be nowhere in the picture for this season.

5. Los Angeles Kings (37-20-4)
L.A.’s team has been building up to this moment for awhile. Watch for an EPIC battle between these guys and Phoenix down the stretch. They’ll almost certainly face each other, the battle right now seems to be for home ice not for a berth.

6. Ottawa Senators (36-23-4)
Top of the division? WTH? Thank you Brian Elliott and heartfelt welcome to Matt Cullen. Can they sustain it? There’s a whole lotta firepower hitting the ice with these guys. The new addition brings a hellstorm of energy and get it done with him.

7. Vancouver Canucks (37-22-2)
On again, off again but really fairly solid. The twins and Bobby Lou have kept these boys in solid contention. If this tripod stays healthy no problem…if not…hard row to hoe to the finish…as usual

8. New Jersey Devils (37-21-3)
Brodeur should be back on track after the Olympics, they now have some help for Parise with Kovalchuk… defense is still a problem but hey!  isn’t Lemaire the King of defense?

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-22-4)
No Cup hangover for this crew, they are hanging around in the thick of things. Staal making big noise helps tremendously. No doubt they’ll be tough in the stretch.

10. Colorado Avalanche (35-20-6)
Can they maintain their surprising run with the very physical Pacific Division trying to beat them down in the stretch? Team full of youngsters show no signs of tiring behind the awesome performance of Mister Anderson.

11. Nashville Predators (33-23-5)
Heat applied to the east coast teams on their last swing. Showing serious signs of life into the break. Is Ellis serious? We’ll have to see.

12. Philadelphia Flyers (32-25-3)
What a performance this week. The Flyboys put a hurtin on NJ and Montreal. How the hell did Danny Carcillo remake himself into a top line guy *go Carci GO!* Guess Carter doesn’t need a change of scenery from Philly after all. And  Leighton went 4-0 with a 1.98 GAA and a .925 sv%?

13. Buffalo Sabres (33-18-9)
Still nearly a one horse team…workhorse Ryan Miller has kept this team in the thick of things. Some other people are going to have to get back their offensive production if the Sabres don’t wanna play tag for a post season berth.

14. Anaheim Ducks (30-25-7)
If it weren’t for Jonas Hiller I would have been able to write these guys off while Getzlaff was injured. I sure as hell won’t count them out depsite their awful start. Getting hot at the right times is the mark of a contender.

15. Calgary Flames (30-23-9)
Kiprusoff will have to carry these guys through the stretch unless Iggy and company can find some offense now that 2 reported cancers have been expunged (3-3-1 sincce the big trade indicates some signs of life) will it be enough to hang on?

16. Detroit Red Wings (28-21-12)
They may skid into the playoffs on a singed wing and a prayer but if the injury bug will leave them alone for 5 minutes, they will make it. They missed Holmstrom and apparenly he’s down again. But the Mule is back…look for a big push from to bring them back from the almost Ded.

17. Minnesota Wild (30-27-4)
I don’t know how they’re doing it but these guys just don’t go away. Look for a big push right after the break. St. Nick is back… hopefully his back is back too.

18. Dallas Stars (28-21-12)
A scared Turco apparently plays a hell of a mean pinball. A fire has been lit under Marty (with the acquisition of Lehtonen), he’s head butting and punching his way into keeping his job. Just like last season I don’t see them making it into the post season but they have some competition for 7/8th spot that is in just as deep doo doo…so maybe.

19. New York Rangers (28-27-7)
Despite getting some sorely needed points heading into the break, these guys are still a mess.

20. St. Louis Blues (28-25-9)
They’ve finally figured out that home ice is an advantage. Much like the Coyotes last season IDK if the break is a good thing or a bad thing for them now that they are on a roll.

21. Montreal Canadiens (29-28-6)
Not sure what to say here, they bounce from very good to very weird performances. New GM Pierre Gauthier has his job cut out for him, can he get some pieces in place before the dealine?

22. Boston Bruins (27-22-11)
Losing streak? What losing streak?  Oh THAT losing streak… fugghedaboutit, they’re ready to pahtay and if they can keep it pumped they will really challengefor those last 4-5 slots.

23. Tampa Bay Lightning (27-23-11)
A few wins, a few horrible performances, a few wins, a few stinkers. The math is going to catch these guys too…very soon.

24. Carolina Hurricanes (24-30-7)
Too late. Behind new captain Staal Carolina is 10-3. Can they pull off some more wins? Sure, but I doubt the Cardiac Canes can do much besides spoil a buncha team’s nights down the stretch.

25. Atlanta Thrashers (26-24-10)
Apparently the Thrashers can play hockey without Kovalchuk. Who knew? No more cloud of uncertainty, welcome to the south Oduya and Bergsfors, thanks for contributing right off the hop. Enjoy the surge even though the math is not in your favor.

26. Columbus Blue Jackets (25-28-10)
Playing spoiler will be easy for these guys. They’ve improved now that Hitch is gone but they are so far out there that improvement is relative. Watch your back when you play these guys down the stretch.

27. Florida Panthers (24-27-10)
The upcoming fire sale will be an improvement for these guys. Everyone is for sale. I have no idea why they suck so badly, it really wasn’t a horrible roster.

28. New York Islanders (25-29-8)
Tavares has been great for them even with his inconsistencies. Another team doomed by goalie issues from the start.

29. Toronto Maple Leafs (19-31-11)
Adding Giguere has been good for these guys but the damage is too great to recover from. Blowing this team up will be good for the Leaf Nation, at least they have a great pick to look forward to.

30. Edmonton Oilers (19-36-6)
Is there anything good to say here? Implosion doesn’t quite cover these poor guys. The lottery isn’t going to be enough to compensate their fans.

What do you think? Are we on target here or are there some teams that are going to skew the stats over the next 19 games?

As always… Go Coyotes!

Get well Petr Prucha! We adore you.

We lost for a second time to Dallas. We went 8 – 3 in the last 11.  It was just a loss, we’ll bounce back. It is what the Coyotes do, bounce back, stronger and harder every time. Keep in mind that while other leading teams (BUFF, SJS, CHI et al) have been slipping and sliding around these last few games, teams like (PHO, CAR, ATL) have been turning on the afterburners and getting hot at just the right time. This may well be one of the tightest races to the cup berths in a long while.

On the Neal hit, it will be interesting to see what hapens. TSN’s McKenzie doesn’t think there will be any punishment. I guess it depends on the views of the hit you watched. When it first happened I was kinda on the fence but after getting home and watching the replays I wasn’t quite so ambivilent. It is high, there appeared to be contact to the head area, I thought that it warranted a review and an explanation from the NHL. Coach Tippett has been so mum on the refs all year but he really lost his cookies over this one and pretty much called the refs and the league out for accountability on this one. From Tip’s press conference (listen to the whole presser on phoenixcoyotes.com - 

“The league, all I’ve heard for months is how we’re bearing down on head shots,” Tippett said. “Well, that’s a clear head shot. . . . It’s a hit to the head, and you have a guy that’s basically knocked out cold. Again, it just baffles me. When you have referees looking right at it, and they tell you that’s not a bad hit, and you’ve got a guy laying on the ice unconscious. That just baffles me.” -

The 210lb Neal caught the 170lb Prucha vulnerable, no Neal’s shoulder isn’t high but the elbow does come up, there wasn’t any serious speed behind the hit but it is deliberate. Neal has been suspended once this year for his hit on CLS’ Derrick Dorsett. Will he be carrying the repeat offender tag after this one? I certainly hope so.

Coach Crawford should keep his mouth shut, his first sentences make him sound like a completely callous creep - 

“It was to me, it really was nothing,” he said. “Nobody likes to see anybody get hurt. It’s terrible when a guy hits his head on the glass, but he took him out. You watch the play, and he doesn’t even finish his check. It was all his head hitting the glass. It’s tough. (Loui) Eriksson got a tougher hit (from Doan) at the end of the game, and he’s got the face to show it right now. We hope Petr’s OK. You hate to see anybody get hurt.”

I would be all over giving Turco props for getting back on track except he seems to have lost his mind (the deliberate head butt last game and the punches to Doan as he was falling across the paint last night were not only uncalled for but very un-Dallas like) I lost a lot of respect for Marty with these actions. One of the solidly Dallas fans in the stands took off her Turco jersey after the punches and has disavowed him. (She was staunchly in his corner for years) Playing hard and playing with attitude are great things… why does the cheap and ugly suddenly have to enter the picture?

Props to Bissonnette and Hanzal for standing up for their team mates.

Anyway, the Stars did exactly what they were supposed to do, get a lead and make a tired, legless team chase the game. Intentional or not, the injury to Prucha helped the Stars to keep the Yotes off their game and mentally screwed up. Does this game matter in the scheme of things? We’re still 3 – 2 in this series. I guess it only matters if you are wearing the green and gold. (Dallas remains in 9th tied with DET and 14th in the league.)Dallas is still fighting for their playoff lives, we on the other hand didn’t lose anything, still 4th in the league and in the conference. (although LAK and COL have snuck a little closer, we’ll have to put some serious distance between us when we return from the break) 

Come playoffs, the Yotes will have to shake these things loose and continue to play their system if they want to progress. Not forgive of course, but forget long enough to get the job done. First priority is to get the win, revenge is a dish best served cold, from a big silver cup that finally has our name on it.

Darryl Jones of Ice Edge was at the game last night. Good to see that they are keeping a sharp eye on their future investment. Too bad we lost but he did get to see a team of heart put out a good effort after a brutal travel schedule and a team that stands up for itself and its mates. If you haven’t been watching Goldwater’s attempts to interfere in our business, the Judge pretty much told the GWI to butt out. The court says there are no new documents for them to root around over and to get lost because they didn’t present enough evidence to contradict the City of Glendale and Ice Edge.

So enjoy this break Yotes fans, devote time to the family and the dog and the yard. Watch the Olympics and cheer for our kids playing for their countries and of course root for the USA to win a bunch of gold. We’ll all be really busy watching the Yotes make the mad sprint into their long awaited post season berth after this haiatus. A healthy and well rested Coyotes team will be hunting points and howling their way through the NHL ranks. THIS is the year of the Coyotes!

As always… Go Coyotes!

Petr Prucha was nailed hard by James Neil and left the ice on a stretcher.

Word from the Coyotes PR guy Sergey Kocharov  is that Pru was released from the hospital after evalution. He will be listed as day-to-day with an upperbody injury. Prucha will be re-evaluated in the morning to be sure everything is okay.

There are 20 games left including tonight’s tilt against the Dallas Stars. That is 40 points, sitting there, begging to be brought home. Now of course we can’t bring them all home but I’m sure our record can accommodate 21 or more of the little critters.

Looking back and being honest, who can say they saw this coming? We had hopes of course and most of us said we’d skid into the post season on a smoking wing and a prayer. But who saw THIS? This team that won’t quit, that hasn’t lost more than 3 in a row all season. This Coyotes squad that never gives up, even when they’re 2 goals or 3 goals behind. Who saw these guys becoming a family, a unit, a force of nature?

That force is back in Glendale tonight after burning the Oil,  sweeping the Wild for the first time ever! and just missing beating the Avs to 2 points. (we just left too many chances on the table last night. Totally winnable but I’m not totally disappointed. Just gotta say… there are nights when I really hate zebras) But the boys scratched, clawed and as Tippett says, hung around til they could find a way to win for the most part. We grabbed 4 more of those coveted little points to bring our total to a whopping 79! *we’re 3 points ahead of LAK and within shouting distance of Chicago’s 83*

Tonight is one of those nasty back-to-back nights with a bit of travel slipped in to make it more interesting. (the NHL scheduler really hates us apparently, because we just did this… against Dallas no less!) Well the Stars can forget about facing a lifeless, legless team again this time. They’re home and we’ll be providing them with some energy to help them along tonight on home ice.

So, keys to this game?

Screw Marty Turco. Literally and figuratively. Make him a non factor. Don’t dump anything too close or he’ll go all 3rd defenseman on us. *putting it out far enuff that he’s tempted to go out front would be fine and then strip him and put it in the net!* that works quite well.

Watch out for the rejuvenated Ratboy, Ribbie is back in the lineup and ready to sneak a few goals if he can. Don’t let them get any good chances, they had a good game against CAL the other night.

Play physical not tentative. (just because the refs in COL blew some calls at the end, doesn’t mean we’ll get jobbed again) We have to play these guys physically and hard all 60 minutes. No space allowed.

Discipline as always will have to be tight. No matter what any Star does, let HIM get the penalty… or take that clown to the box with you. (we don’t have to worry about Otter, he’s out with his appendix)

Scoring committee and their new left wing Lombardi need to come out firing all the heavy artillery tonight. We need to go into the break with a good victory.

Puck drops at 6pm. Tailgate is from 2pm til 5pm in parking lot J. Hope to see you all there! It is we win/you win night so don’t forget to keep your ticket AND the voucher for free tickets after we win. Booster Club 50/50 bring your extra 2 bucks to get in on the chance to win some dough.

******************NHL Olympic Roster Freeze is on

Some juicy pieces cleared waivers  Like Jonathan Cheechoo… an interesting player,  we should at least kick the tires on that

As always… Go Coyotes!

Records?! We don’t need no steenking records!  But we sure love smashing them. From Bryzzie’s phenomenal career high wins & shutouts to our amazing 10 game home streak to our most wins the fastest in the franchise’s history, we’re knocking down all preconceptions faster than anyone ever dreamed. Not to mention the weird and often too knuckle twisting ways we are finding to win.

We took on Nashville and never scored a goal…and still won! Talk about a fantastic game of defense and guts. The Preds are like a mirror image of our own team. (It was like twin brothers battling each other) Both sides showed no weaknesses. And the 10 round shootout at the end was a gut buster of EPIC porportions. Who would have ever predicted Adrian Aucoin as the shoot out savior? Oakie was brilliant (sooo glad he participates in the shootout tourneys at practice) A 1 – 0 win in a tight almost playoff type game is good practice for the real thing. Aucoin is very funny, he says he was just trying to put the goalie to sleep with his speed, we think that the wiley vet has been watchin these things pretty closely and knows exactly what he is doin out there.

We just love the shoot out apparently because we battled Chicago to a standstill behind the amazing game of AZBarbie. Last season we all cringed everytime the name ‘Blackhawks’ came up in conversation. They schooled us and ruled us all season long. Well, that is no more. We took it to the Chi-town boys 3 -1 in our first contest on home ice and then last night we won again on the crazy success of Adrian Aucoin’s sudden shootout prowess. Oaks says this about his second one “Now I’m nervous,” Aucoin said. “The first one was luck. Now it’s actually a streak.” 2 – 1 W, Yotes! Simply amazing as we got our 6th straight victory.

A tired yet elated team rolled into Dallas around 2 am to try to sleep in yet another set of strange and uncomfortable beds. Then the boys dragged into American Airlines Center to face a desperate Marty Turco (who is facing a serious challenge for his job from TBA – tall, bald & Auld). We’ll talk about goalies facing the possibility of being put on the trading block in another post. (along with rumors about possible pickups for the trade deadline… Wisniewski? really?)

We seem to have a very obstinate attitude towards making anything 7 right now. Our 6 game winning streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday night. The desperate Stars came to play and jumped on us from the first puck drop til the last buzzer. I won’t sugar coat it, it was bad all night. A short handed goal was scored on us, the PP went 0 – 6, a rookie scored twice in less than 5 minutes and Marty Turco denied every good old college try that we could muster. The only good thing about the night was Biznasty dropping the hammer on Barch, which was thoroughly enjoyable even though I wished it had been Steve Ott. Yeah we lost and lost badly (okay, we got shut out 4 – 0) but you have to keep everything in perspective. We are 7-3-0 in our last 10! We’re sitting pretty with 75 points (35-19-5), we’ve got 23 games left to get the other 25 points to break 100 and secure a post season berth. We have no severe injuries (except Uppy and Sweets) *knock on wood, lets keep it that way* We just need to break even on this last week before the break and then we get to rest for the sprint portion of the season.

So don’t be disheartened folks. I know we have gotten so caught up in having a competitive team that is spoiling us by finding ways to win no matter what, but the reality is that the boys are going to falter now and then and we just have to hang in there and keep supporting and believing. This Coyotes squad is the real deal and even though there will be a few more bumps and roadblocks, they are going to stay in the hunt for Lord Stanley’s Cup into April and beyond.

It sure is irritating, yet so very cool, to call for tickets and find out there aren’t many left for quite a few games. If you are planning to see the Hawks game on 3/20, you better call quick. That game was close to sold out last week.

So anyways, we play the Oil tonight. Those boys have been having a rough go of it all season. (18-33-6) and (2-7-1) in their last 10. I hate to kick a team when they are down but we need these 2 points. Besides, its not like they didn’t wreck us more than their share last season.

The keys to this game?

Get a good rest and come out raging. Don’t think about the fact that you got smacked in Dallas or the fact that you gotta hit the road again for another nasty road trip. Think only about containing Dustin Penner and Gagne (if he’s well enough to play). Think about taking advantage of Staios, Horcoff and O’Sullivan (the worst +/- holders on the team). These guys are struggling, run through them or over them as often as possible on your way to see Deslauriers about a goal or 5. (The kid owes us for lettin him have his 1st shutout, doesn’t he?) The scoring committee should really ramp themselves up for a bunch of shots on goal, we’ve had too many nights lately where the sogs were horribly lacking, in quality if not in quantity.

Defense and discipline. It has been our ability to execute these two things that has saved our bacon lately. Let’s keep that going. The goalies have gotten used to having help, lets give them a break tonight and limit the amount of rubber they have to fend off. Don’t let their losses fool you, these boys from EDM are sneaky, they have been right on the verge of winning quite a few of these games. Do NOT let them have PP time or we will give them the break they’ve been waiting for to get some confidence and possibly go on a tear.

Maaan Bryz, hang tight. I know there is all kinds of craziness running through your mind right now. Bearing the weight of your country for the Olympics is never easy (especially when that country is Russia) and knowing you are one of the lynchpins for the success of an entire franchise has got to be quite the heavy load. You only have 3 more weeks of double duty big guy. Hold fast, we believe in you. Come out scrappin tonight, you got this!

Sorry this one is so brief but I am crunched for time. Lets just get to the game tonight and let our boys know how much we care. BRING THE NOISE!

See you all at the game, puck drops late on this one folks 7:30 start time. See you all there.

As always… Go Coyotes!

Apparently working 9hrs and school for another 3hrs every day is resulting in epic fail for my posting habits. So I will endeavor to catch up.

Wings 5 – 4  We won… at the Joe…  I know the Wings have been struggling lately but give the boys their due. This was no easy task. Both Zetterberg and Datsyuk were in this game, neither of them could take over and run us like they used to. This pack is somethin else when they decide to bear down and take a game to its limits. It was gratifying to see that the boys refused to quit even after Lidstrom nailed us twice. Apparently there is no such thing as a game out of reach for these guys.

Flames 3 – 2 We won… despite a house packed with Flamers. These 1 point games are killers. But to give Calgary their due, that was one hungry team on the ice. Desperation doesn’t even describe it. We handed them their 9th straight loss. No wonder the team is getting blown up even as I type. We’ve already seen Phaneuf leave town. (Our poor Sjo got dragged with him but at least he was wanted, not sloughed off. Poor Prust, is he ever gonna find a real home?) Now its buh bye Olli and Brandon? Hello Kotalik and Chris Higgins? If Darren Dreger of TSN is right, what a weird trade but at least Calgary gets rid of 2 rumored cancers and can get back on track.

Rangers 3 -2 We won on Teppo retirement night! How awesome is that? Especially since it was the 3rd straight win in a row. Sean Avery is still a puke. (too bad we let the lil arseclown score) The creepy little feces disturber was up to his dirty deeds before the puck even dropped. (whacking Bissonnette was not the smartest thing he ever did but luckily Paul did the smart thing and ignored the pest). I sincerely hope we learn to put these things completely out of reach before one of these comes back to bite us in the butt. 3 – 0 in the 1st only to let Gabby and Creepy give the Rangers hope in the 3rd *facepalm* But its okay, AZBarbie held on through the blizzard at the end and we handed the ailing Rangers their 5th straight loss.

Stars 4 -2 We won! On Tip’s first trip back to Dallas since they stupidly gave him the boot. We have won all 3 meetings so far with Tippett’s former team. We play them 2 more times in the next 2 weeks. The game got pretty scrappy and I can’t even imagine how bad it may get, playing them so much, so close together. 4 Yotes with points and 3 of the 4 with multiple points…suhweet! Vernon Fiddler with back to back nasty blocks to help keep the Stars from gaining control of the end of the 3rd period. 4th straight win. (I wonder how many in a row we’ll have to win before TSN give us props in the power rankings? Seriously TSN? The Flames move up based on the trades?) *ESPN has moved us up from 10 to 6th…guess they’re one of the few looking under the radar?

Scottie Upshall – torn ACL, surgery imminent. Sucks in the worst way. If anyone could be termed irreplacable in this pack, it would be the Gr8Scott. How does such a little guy leave such a big hole? Well, he’s 90% heart and that is hard to replace. Even if the surgery goes well and the tear isn’t horrendous we probably won’t see Scottie for the rest of the season and maybe not even the start of the next (Most orthopedic physicians agree that a minimum of 6 months is needed before returning to competitive sports. Because of potential risks of reinjury, however, most recommend waiting 7 to 9 months.) *Jerry Rice made it back to the NFL in 3 1/2 months, only to scrag the whole knee in his first game back*…we don’t even want to contemplate something like that for our boy. Take your time Uppy, get well soon. We’ll miss you on the ice but rest assured, your boys have it covered.

Trade deadline – March 3rd is bearing down on us like a lion. What will GMDM do? With Upshall out, I am sure Don’s phones are ringing off the hook. Teams will be looking to steal from us, to capitalize off what will appear to outsiders as a desperation factor. They don’t know the Don very well if they think they can trade their junk for some of our prospects and picks. Will he stand pat? Guess it will depend on the next few games. Mueller stepped up huge in Dallas (perfect timing Petey! Show you can be the missing piece of the Lombo-combo line and give Don some more breathing room) Has GMDM already got someone in his sights? More than likely. You know the Don, value is his middle name… (we’ll take a look at the possibles on Wednesday… errr maybe Thursday) Tippett’s pack doesn’t let much throw them for long. There are 26 regular games left in the season. We need to win a little more than half of them and get to 100 points to be sure to make it to the ‘extra session games’ (we’re avoiding the P word because I am a superstitious cow who is afraid to jinx the boys). Can we do it? Hell to the yeah! One for all and all for one against a world that is still dubious about whether we’re the real deal or not.

Some food for thought

Yandle – 10-19 for 29 points AND +10! Enough said. I’m won over.

Mueller – You can say that anybody playing on a line with a red hot Doan should be able to score but it just ain’t so. (exhibit A - Olie Jokinen) Mueller manned up in Dallas and exhibited skills we haven’t seen in a month of Sundays. Give the boy his props and cross all your appendages that this isn’t a one time deal.

Blueline points – Our defense is #1 in the NHL for points! The boys in the back keep steppin up to the front. Bombs, lasers, wicked wristers, these guys have an entire arsenal back there and apparently they are not afraid to use any of it. Kudos!

Bryz – He may have faltered a bit but don’t count Beast-galov out. The Russian pillow is back! We may still see a few 3 or 4 hole issues but for the most part Bryzzie has been stellar after getting his head back together. That is one determined goalie in our net. He has proven that  he is a crunch guy (see the Duck’s Stanley Cup run for your proof if you doubt the veracity of that statement) This is as big as it gets for a #1 guy, keeping your team in the hunt is the stuff NHL dreams are made of. Focus and calm seem to be his trademarks lately. Look out Vezina, there is a new boy in the race.

Attendence – 12,725 vs Calgary on a weeknight. 16,687 vs New York on a Saturday.  Chicago is nearly sold out already for 3/20. Methinks, the general public is starting to figure out that the JobArena is the cool place to be. Alice Cooper and Muhammad Ali have made return visits, Vince Vaughn has hung out with us too. We’re the hot ticket now and things will only keep getting better as we keep battling closer to the post season.

Teppo Numminen – It was fantastic to see one of our best honored. He seemed so pleased with the whole thing. Man of few words, our RepoMan. Our ring of honor finally got its first Coyotes player! I wish I had made a better sign since it got some camera time towards the end of the ceremony. But my heart and sentiments were in the right place, Congratulations Teppo, enjoy your retirement. You definitely deserve every honor the Yotes can give you.

Captain Shane Doan with the NHL’s 1st star!

We take on the Nashville Predators tomorrow. Puck drops at 6PM. Let’s get a win for Fiddy’s return to Nashville!

Keys to the game?

Play the system! No matter what the Preds throw at us (and you better believe it will be everything they’ve got) we have to stay disciplined and play all 60 minutes. The Preds have lost 5 of their last 6 and are looking to halt their slide before they skid out of the hunt. (The Preds were tied with us before the skid, they now sit 7th place in the conference with 63 points)

The committee members have to show up. We don’t do too well at Sommet Center (haven’t won there in awhile, like 2 years?) We need to bring the heat early and often. We’re 26-2-1 when we score first. Don’t let the goalie with the funny name (Pekka Rinne) get settled. Last time Scottie Upshall pulled our collective chestnuts out of the fire. This would be a great time for our big guns to stay hot. Doan, Vrbata and Mueller can get this party started right and let the blueliners finish it off. We need to win this in regulation, don’t give the Preds anything to move them up in the standings or they could get on a tear and catch us again… no bueno! Plus with Langer out our shootout might just kill us.

Defense! Defense! Defense! Martin Erat is a dangerous man. These boys can play the scoring by committee game just as well as us. We’re going to have to be sharp, these boys really throw some rubber at the net when they face us. Positioning and heart is where our blueline has to be. Keep these guys out of the scoring areas at all costs.

Watch your back Breezy there will be rubber flyin from every angle these boys can try. This will likely be a pretty high sog game. Danger! Danger! Be sharp and give the boys the chance to score first please.

Special teams…meh… play the system and let special teams be a non-factor please.

There is a new media gurl on the Yotes beat. Be sure to check Sarah out on Twitter. She has some great insider videos to share.

As always… GO COYOTES!