QuickHit (still don’t have internet at home…)

It’s a unique problem that faces the Yotes next season, where do you put all the talent?

When you’ve got the Hobey Baker Winner, a kid that comes into the AHL cup run and nets a hat trick, the 3rd pick overall in 2006, waiting in the wings for 2008-2009 what do you do?

Do we run basically the same team that barely missed the post season last year with a few additions? (adding only Turris and 1 other lucky forward *Lisin* and a new player in that 6th defensive spot?) leaving you with:

Bryz/Telly

Jovo/Z, Dmo/Bally, Boynk/new guy*Ahnelov* (Yandle up and down for coffee breaks)

Doan/Mueller/Turris Hanzal/Vrbata/Winnik Carcillo/Kapi/Lisin Rhino/Weller/TQ

Which stocks San Antonio to the gills with great new talent in:(Kolarick/Porter/Wheeler/Ross/MacLean) who have the entire season to learn the system and gell outside of the harsh spotlight.

OR

Is there another spot coming available with Vrbie still so uncertain? Leaving you with basically the same lineup after replacing Vrbata w/ MacLean. I really love the idea of bringing the Porter/Kolarick tandem up together (increase their comfort zones/chances for success and possibly grooming a Datsyuk/Zetterberg-like duo).

Enough with the new kids on the block already… get TQ and Kapanen under lock and key. Where the hell is Carcillo’s extention? With Wheeler ditchin us for (freedom of choice or a less talented roster… maybe one he can actually crack in 08-09) or whatever you want to believe, maybe now GMDM can concentrate on a few less fronts and take care of our RFAs before some bone head decides that Carci would look good in some other team’s colors.

We have a LOT of current players still dangling about out there. But I remember last season with invitees and temporary veteran looksees… GMDM is a cagey bastage, we may be seeing a bit more of that strategy as he tweaks the possible options for the roster.

More report cards coming soon… hopefully I will be really, really busy this weekend (with my new interenet, catching up)

COYOTES SIGN CHAD KOLARIK TO ENTRY LEVEL CONTRACT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Sunday, April 13, 2008

GLENDALE, ARIZONA — Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed forward Chad Kolarik to an entry level contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Kolarik, 22, recently completed his senior season at the University of Michigan where he helped lead the Wolverines to their 23^rd Frozen Four appearance in school history. Kolarik finished the season ranked 2^nd on the team in scoring with 30-26-56. He also ranked 3^rd in the nation in points and 4^th in goals.

A native of Abington , Pennsylvania , Kolarik was named to the 2008 Central Collegiate Hockey League (CCHL) First Team and was a RBK West Second Team All-American.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Kolarik appeared in 163 career games for Michigan , collecting 78-96-174 and 131 penalty minutes (PIM).

Kolarik was selected by the Coyotes in the seventh round (199^th overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft.

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There has been a lil more talk about the Blake Wheeler situation.

(hey Goon, thanks for stopping by and thanx for the link)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/coyotes/articles/2008/04/04/20080404yotenbonlineonly0404.html

I don’t think its as simple as Wheels not wanting to come to Phoenix. The kid was still in high school when drafted, he is a prelockout draftee so he has lots more to consider.

If he returns to school he will be the captain of the squad and have his degree at the end as well as another full year to equalize his age and the chance of success.

If he goes pro with the Yotes he will seriously be fighting a whooole bunch of talent for a spot on a team that doesn’t have a whole lot more room for more rookies (ratio of rookies to vets has to be maintained for success). He is also most likely lookin at offers from DMGM of the new rookie max plus bonuses which is not as much as he could get elsewhere.

If he goes pro and doesn’t sign with the Yotes some other team would likely pick him up and since he would be UFA (prelockout rules/CBA) he could command more $$$ from another team. I don’t think he is limited to going back into the draft pool.

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Well now… let’s see what been happening to the boys in the last few days… the good and the bad.

After gorging themselves on bad sushi (Sharks win on 3/25) the boys went to LA and played sickly. The royals gave them a whippin and sent them off to San Jose in shut down mode.

Ersberg didn’t let them get a shot in edgewise and picked up his second shut out since arriving in the NHL, proving to himself and the Kings he is a top notch goalie who can backstop the royals next season for sure. The Kings were on the top of their game (the confidence of a strong goal tender can do amazing things for a team eh?). We played a perimeter, soft, game all night. Multiple turnovers, no visible signs of fire and of course… no points on the board.

“It feels great, I couldn’t ask for much more, ” said Ersberg, whose parents had traveled from Sweden to attend Thursday’s game. ” I think we played a great game defensively. I saw almost every shot and (the defense) was there on the rebounds too, so they helped me out a lot. “Ahem… that pretty much sums up this game. 3 - 0 Kings final.

And to add insult to well lets just call it salt in a wound rather than injury, we followed up the royal spanking with a tacky loss to the Sharks. Let’s face it, Joe Thornton has turned on the playoff mentality and is a force of nature. In the last meeting between these two mortal enemies Big Joe has 5 goals. Yeah you read that right, the guy has the skill and talent to carry the fish even when no one else shows up to play. Gotta give credit where its due.

In this 3 -1 Sharks finale Nabby actually had his act together and pretty much stopped anything he could see… well except that hella sick performance by our captain on the lone Yote tally. Man! that was some serious patience and control. The Donor is a force to be reckoned with on his own.

So doin the math here, we are now officially out of the playoff run and will be playing strictly for pride and to finish a fantastic run with our heads up and for love of the game.

The good news is… drumroll please

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Well we all knew it was coming. GMDM said he was standing pat unless something just about knocked his socks off. Well coming from New York city he musta brought a man crush on Montoya with him cause I see nothing else about this trade that accounts for doing it.

We gave NY our beloved Sjo our beleagured Lenny and threw in the lovable and feisty Bam Bam in return for lil Hoss and Monty (and depending on which site you read there’s a pick in there, going some way, conditionally).

I realize that as a 1st round pick (and one we moved up to get) more was expected of Fast Freddie and that it never really materialised but I was hoping we’d keep the boy for one more shot. But there’s a lot of talent coming up in the ranks and the lovable Swede was going to be in even more of a dog fight to stay out of the press box than ever before. I hope the change of scenery can do for Freddie, what dawg days in the desert could not. Good luck to you and godspeed, Weeble, you will be missed greatly.

Rather than lose Grats to that horrible re-entry waiver rule, he was allowed to languish down in the A. I only wish the Bammer’s hands were as soft as his head is hard. The kid gives his all each and every shift. Protector and big hearted lug that he is, we will all miss his courage and fire. With Avery already agitating the hell out of the east coast there really doesn’t seem to be a place for Josh on the NYR bench but the Rangers have obviously seen what happens to them when that moron is out of the lineup and decided to get a backup. Josh will most likely sit on the farm due to not having much else to contribute besides pugilistic talent. But who knows, he is still young maybe he can be taught to crease camp and earn some type of offensive distiguishment that way? Who the hell would try to get him out of a crease? Anyway… Good luck to you too Bammer and thanks for all the spark you provided for us.

Ah Lenny. At least you will be reunited with the goalie coach who understood how to get through to you. Underappreciated (your record when you managed to get a game wasn’t that bad) and badly managed (thrown to the freakin wolves in a series of ugly goalie dramas) you are still a guilty secret crush for me. I hope you fare well back there on the other coast. Fast glove and smooth lateral movement to you bucko.

So GMDM finally got his boy. Montoya has been brought into the Yotie fold. Creates a very interesting tandem down in the A. The next 2 years should be very interesting on our goalie front as Tordjy and Monty battle for top dog honors. With the Breezy/Telly combo working out so awesomely and Tell is signed for another year, looks like we finally have some good depth in the cupboard for flexibility. So welcome to the family Monty ( I hope you are half as good a GMDM thinks you could turn out to be).

Last but not least Lil Hoss. Forever in the shadows of the awesomeness that is Marian, this poor guy needed a break like nobody’s business. He got one in this change of scenery. Hopefully Marcel Hossa will jump right in and find his niche and hopefully a wee bit of a scoring touch. Not much to look at as far as offense this season, Marcel does possess a nice defensive edge so maybe we won’t feel the pinch of losing our defensive Swede so much. Come on in Marcel we got plenty of love for the underdog to go round.

COYOTES RE-SIGN BRYZGALOV TO THREE-YEAR CONTRACT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

GLENDALE, ARIZONA — Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have re-signed goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a three-year contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Bryzgalov, 27, has posted a 16-10-2 record with a 2.33 goals against average (GAA) and a .921 save percentage (SV%) in 28 games with the Coyotes this season. Bryzgalov, who was claimed off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 17, won his first four games with the Coyotes, trying him for the third-longest winning streak by a goaltender to begin his career with a new club after playing for a different team earlier in the season.  The 6-foot-3, 210-pound netminder was also named the NHL’s ‘Second Star” for the week ending Nov. 25, 2007. Bryzgalov posted a 3-0-0 record with a 1.62 GAA and .938 SV%.

“I’m extremely excited to sign with the Phoenix Coyotes,” said Bryzgalov. “I’m very excited about our team, coaches and management. I chose to stay in Phoenix because I love our fans, my teammates and I’m confident that we have a bright future ahead of us.”

Bryzgalov also collected a 2-3-1 record with a 2.55 goals against average (GAA) and a .909 save percentage (SV%) in nine games with the Ducks this season.  The native of Togliatti, Russia helped lead the Ducks to a Stanley Cup Championship last season, posting a 3-1-0 record with a 2.25 GAA and .922 SV% in five playoff games.

“We are extremely pleased to sign Ilya to a long-term contract,” said Maloney. “He’s a world class goaltender with a Stanley Cup on his resume and has been a great addition to our hockey club. We are thrilled to have him in a Coyotes uniform for the next three years.”

During the 2006-07 regular season, Bryzgalov posted a 10-8-6 record with a 2.47 GAA and .907 SV% in 27 games with the Ducks. He went 5-1-3 in his last eight games of the season (all starts), recording a 1.96 GAA and .934 SV%.

Bryzgalov led the NHL in GAA (1.46), SV% (.944) and shutouts (3) in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He recorded a shutout streak of 249:15, the second longest streak in NHL postseason history, while tying an NHL record for consecutive shutouts (3). In addition, Bryzgalov became the first rookie goaltender to post consecutive shutouts in the playoffs since 1945. In Anaheim ’s four-game series sweep of the Colorado Avalanche, Bryzgalov posted a 0.93 GAA and .967 SV%. In Anaheim ’s first-round, seven-game series versus Calgary , Bryzgalov shut out the Flames in Calgary to give the Ducks the Game Seven victory.

Bryzgalov has earned a career NHL record of 42-33-10, with a 2.44 GAA and .913 SV% with Anaheim and Phoenix . He was drafted by Anaheim in the second round (44th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

-COYOTES-

~photo stolen errr borrowed from BOC~ - http://battleofcalifornia.blogspot.com/2007/11/boom-goes-bryzgalomite.html

COYOTES ACQUIRE DICASMIRRO AND 5^th ROUND DRAFT CHOICE IN 2009 FROM BOSTON FOR AULD

Thursday, December 6, 2007

GLENDALE, ARIZONA — Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have acquired forward Nate DiCasmirro and a 5^th round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Alex Auld.

DiCasmirro, 29, registered 2-3-5 and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 20 games this season for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL).  DiCasmirro has recorded 57-105-162 in 358 career AHL games with Hamilton , Toronto , Edmonton , Grand Rapids and Providence .  He also has 9-10-19 and 44 PIM in 57 career playoff games.  The Atikokan, Ontario native set career-highs in points (52), assists (36) and PIM (97) as a member of Grand Rapids during the 2005-06 season.

DiCasmirro originally signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers organization on May 28, 2002 following a four-year collegiate career at St. Cloud State , where he recorded 51-85-136 and 156 PIM in 147 games.

Auld registered a 3-6-0 record with a 3.54 goals against average (GAA), .880 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout in nine games with the Coyotes this season, his first in Phoenix .  He also collected a 1-1-0 record with a 2.53 GAA, .906 SV% and one shutout in two games this season with Phoenix ’s AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.  For his career, Auld has collected a 49-50-2-11 record with a 2.94 GAA, .901 SV% and three shutouts in 117 NHL games with Vancouver , Florida and Phoenix .

Auld signed with the Coyotes as a free agent on Aug. 13, 2007.

-COYOTES-

As everyone and their great Aunt Fanny surely knows by now… we got a new goalie. OK, let me rephrase that. We got the goalie nearly every Yote fan coveted that wasn’t already a starter for another team.

Yep we were the winners of the Ilya Bryzgalov waiver classic!

We have a gen-U-wine Russian Nethound in our pack folks! Bryz or Breezy as many fans have already named him became a Coyote on Saturday morning around 10-ish. As soon as the Eklund (E5) went up I started to hope (Ek doesn’t always get them right but I still began to hope) I also scoured the rest of the usual suspect sites looking for confirmation and (bless his lil bald head) The Panger came through in his blog! I woulda started a one woman bacchanalia but wine gives me a headache. I did however add a spoonful of Baileys to my morning coffee and thanked the hockey gods for their largess. Slainte!

Unsuprisingly the internet lit up with discussion about the aquisition. What was surprising is that none of it was negative (there are usually an equal amount of positive wellwishers as negative player bashers). Not this time. It seams that Breezy is beloved by his old fans enuff to bring them out in droves to wish him well in his new adventure away from the Pond. Well there was one naysayer in the comment section of Pang’s blog who said Burke needed to get rid of Bryz due to the other Duckies not liking him (paraphrased) . But of course we expected at least one person to try to piss in our Cheerios, so we will ignore him.

Speculation was rife on why the clearly-ready-to-take-the-next-step goalie was ‘really’ let go of. But I prefer to believe BBurke when he says he had to take the high road for his much respected and dedicated backup. And since he promised Bryz a chance to get a starting spot somewhere he had to honor his word. Now words of honor aside BB probably had a few non-altruistic reasons for his actions too. Do the words ‘return of the semi-retired duo’ ring any chords with you people? Nieds of course is already part of the Ducks money figures but should Teemu decide to return, there may be a slight dent in the available dough that Burke has left to spend. (with Nieds skating again and Tee spotted at the Pond, one has to wonder if December or January may see a drastic change in the Duck’s lineup)

I don’t really care why Burke did it. Nor do I care why the other three teams ahead of us, passed on the lovable Russian. I am just thrilled to have him in the pack. There is a fresh Breeze blowin across the desert tonight and it feels good.