While much of the news surrounding the Coyotes has been about off-ice happenings this year, there is still a roster to assemble and a season to play.
GMDM has worked under extraordinary circumstances this summer. Give Maloney much credit for getting ANYONE to agree to come to Phoenix with all the uncertainty surrounding the team. In fact, he's managed to bring in some nice pieces.
And the Coyotes need all the nice pieces they can get. A playoff contending team is a necessity to get the town thinking about hockey again. It's tough to be a win-now team with a (close to) minimum budget.
The Coyotes success this season will start (and hopefully not stop) with their goaltending. Specifically Ilya Bryzgalov, the team's top goaltender must, must have a good season for the Coyotes to compete for a playoff spot. It's an imperative -- there's really no viable fallback position.
Last year, Ilya's play was wildly inconsistent. Catch him on a good night and the team had a chance to win. But on what turned out to be way too many bad nights, he was just awful. So awful that hockey's nicest man, Wayne Gretzky, publicly called out his goaltender. The Coyotes simply can't afford awful this year; their margin for error is too small.
I've never been sold on Bryz and in fact suggested last spring that the Coyotes might consider moving him and looking for a replacement. So far, his career has been built on two very good hot streaks -- through the end of the regular season and the playoffs for the 2006 Almighty Ducks (why did they ever drop that great name?) and a great run when he first joined the Coyotes in 2007. One of those streaks would be nice right now. What would be even nicer is a consistent season that delivers very good play over the long haul.
The alternatives in goal are not compelling. Jason LaBarbera was a curious free agent signing who has had a checkered career. Al Montoya's regular season in San Antonio was spotty last year but he was impressive in a late-season call up and training camp. His reward was a trip to San Antonio but if he plays well and others falter, he could be back in Phoenix quickly.
What will help is a more mobile and talented defense. Arguably, the team's two best off season acquisitions were backliners Adrian Aucoin and Jim Vandermeer. Aucoin is a minutes eater who will give the team excellent puck movement and an offensive threat to go with Ed Jovanoski. Vandemeer is oh, so slow but he plays with an edge and makes the backliner tougher. Sami Lepisto, a draft day acquisition from Washington, is another mobile player. Combined with returnees Jovanoski, Zbynek Michalek, Keith Yandle and Kurt Sauer, it's a deep and talented group.
It will need to be because the Coyotes will having trouble scoring goals. Shane Doan, who has scored 20+ goals 9 straight years, will continue to be the linchpin of the offense. But other than Doaner, no player has sever scored 20 or more twice in their carrer and only 4 (Vrbata, Lombardi, Mueller, Prucha) have even done it once.
Much of the hope for improved scoring will come from a return to rookie season form by Mueller and rapid improvement from last years first draft pick, Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes also hope that late season acquisitions Matthew Lombardi and Scottie Upshall continue to benefit from increased ice time and raise their offensive production. They are also hoping that Radim Vrbata can repeat his lighting in a bottle season from 2007-08. About the only thing that is certain is that there's a lot of hope going on here.
Update 11:45 AM -- The Coyotes have helped their offense today. Pending a physical, the Coyotes have signed veteran NHL center (and 7 time 20 goal scorer) Robert Lang. Details forthcoming. Interesting move. Lang, 38, was 18-21-39 in 50 games for Montreal last year before suffering a torn Achilles tendon. Assuming he's healthy, it will be interesting to see what he has left in the tank. Could be an excellent signing.
Dave Tippett has a good group of accomplished checkers and defensive players available to form quality checking and penalty killing units. Newcomers Vernon Fiddler and Lauri Korpikoski are accomplished penalty killers and both have some offensive upside. They will join Marty Hanzal to give the team good defensive options. Tippett's work is cut out for him, the Coyotes were 29th in the league in penalty killing last year. Improvement here and on the power play are absolutely necessary for the team to be more competitive this year.
Perhaps what's as important are players who are no longer here. Derek Morris was listless and disinterested in his last Phoenix season. Olli Jokinen was disappointing on the ice and an apparent problem in the locker room. And David Hale and Todd Fedoruk were little more than bottom of the roster players. None will be missed.
The Coyotes should be sturdier on defense, better on special teams and faster than last years edition. They also have a well stocked farm team in San Antonio with numerous players motivated to get back to Phoenix. It should help keep roster players motivated knowing that reinforcements are only a phone call away.
For the 2009-10 Coyotes, it's all going to come down to goaltending and the ability to score goals. There are going to be a lot of tight games this year. There's not a lot of margin for error.
Oh, and some off ice clarity wouldn't hurt. It would allow the team to keep their focus where it most definitely needs to be -- on the ice.
Showing posts with label Lauri Korpikoski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lauri Korpikoski. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
The (Still Flawed) Coyotes Look To Be Staying...
The news from Judge Tom's court this week have given everyone renewed optimism that the Coyotes will have new owners, a new arena lease and a new outlook within the next few weeks.
They need all of the above because preparations are underway for the opening of training camp. In Phoenix. Rookies and selected younger players will be due in Arizona on September 5th and veterans will report on September 12th.
Which leads to two important questions; Is this the team we are going to war with and who is the coach going to be?
Over the next few days, I'll look at the team, options to improve the team and the coaching situation.
General Manager Don Maloney has a done a good job shopping the bargain aisle with the free agent signings of Vernon Fiddler, Jason Labarbera and Adrian Aucoin. We love the Aucoin and Fiddler moves but are concerned about Labarbera. That could become a moot point if Al Montoya expands on the promise he displayed late last year and wins the backup goaltending job.
Maloney has also been busy at the trade desk. He swapped two players with no future in Phoenix (Todd Fedoruk and David Hale) to Tampa for Radim Vrbata. GMDM will light a candle hoping that Vrbata can regain his goalscoring magic from the first half of the 2007-08 season. Lauri Korpikoski comes in from New York for the enigmatic Enver Lisin and gritty defenseman Jim Vandermeer comes over from Calgary for Brandon Prust. Vandermeer's contract is a little rich ($2.3MM) for a bottom pair defenseman and Vrbata has to live up to the $3MM contract he got from Tampa but on merit both trades make sense. We'll trust that Maloney couldn't find a better place to spend the money.
But this still leaves Phoenix with a flawed team. Right now, Shane Doan is the only player on the roster who scored more than 15 goals last season. In fact, Lombardi (1), Vrbata (1), Prucha (2) and Mueller (1) are the only Coyotes who have ever scored 20 goals in an NHL season. No matter how you add it up, this team still needs to add goalscoring. Lots of it.
There will be much hope for internal improvement. Mikkel Boedker may be the Yotes' best young forward and he should grow into a constant 25-35 goal scorer. Peter Mueller slid backwards in his sophomore season from 22 to 13 goals. A return to form would be very helpful. Scottie Upshall has long been buried on checking lines but in Phoenix he will get a chance to play top 6 minutes. After scoring 14 and 15 goals the last two years, he could upgrade his production. And there's Kyle Turris, who may not ever become a top goalscorer but hopefully will develop playmaking skills that enhance his teammates.
At the end of the day, that's a lot of hope. But, it's also a lot of "if's". Other teams in the Western Conference have beefed up too. The Coyotes desperately need to make the playoffs and the roster as currently constituted would do well to fight for a playoff spot.
There are still intriguing scorers available. According to many reports, Boston may have to move young forwards Phil Kessel or Chuck Kobasew. Free agents Alex Tanguay and well traveled veterans Miro Satan and Petr Sykora are still on the market.
I spoke to a Coyote official about Kessel and in a polite way, he indicated that Kessel probably wasn't what the team was looking for. His less than pristine attitude is well known and with best friend Blake Wheeler thumbing his nose at the Coyotes and joining him in Boston, it doesn't seem likely he would be thrilled about coming to Arizona.
Tanguay certainly is an option. It's been rumored that he's been close to signing with the Coyotes on multiple occasions. In fact, one popular rumor site went as far as to say he had signed with the Coyotes but his contract was rejected by the NHL because of budget concerns. In any event there's no deal in place but he is still available.
And then there's Dany Heatley. Heatley has made it clear he wants out of Ottawa. I never even though about Heatley and the Coyotes until I looked around the league at teams that might be able to digest his contract. There aren't many.
And it's a contract with some interesting angles. Heatley carries a salary cap hit of $7.5MM. That would seemingly disqualify the Coyotes under normal circumstances, but he has already collected $4MM this year, with an additional $4MM to be paid. Over the next four years, the Coyotes would take a $7.5MM cap hit but pay out an average of $6.75MM. If the Coyotes were looking at $3MM for Tanguay, bringing in Heatley for $4MM this year (with much more in the out years) would seem to make sense under the budget Don Maloney is managing.
That's a lot of money but Heatley is a lot of hockey player. He's connected for 260 goals in 7 NHL seasons and twice has passed the 50 mark. He is a special player unlike anyone who has worn a Coyote uniform in recent years.
And if the ownership situation is settled soon, new management could weigh in here. If and when the Reinsdorf-Kaites-Tavares-Reinsdorf Jr. group gets control of the team it would make sense that they would consider loosening the purse strings a little bit. And as experienced sports promoters and managers they understand that the best way to boost lagging ticket sales is to make some big news.
The Coyotes desperately need some juice to excite the fan base. Vern Fiddler and Adrian Aucoin are nice hockey players but they are not going to sell a lot of tickets. Heatley may not even want to come to Phoenix (and he would have to waive his no-trade clause) but it's sure worth a try. He would give the franchise a marquis name that is badly lacking, great offensive production on the ice and a generous helping of sizzle to help turn the page from this summer's debacle.
What would it take to make a deal? An educated guess would be Peter Mueller, one of the team's prize young defensemen (Goncharov, Summers or Ross) and probably a 1st draft choice. (This is similar to a deal the New York Rangers supposedly had in place with Ottawa earlier this summer) Expensive, yes. Well worth the price? You bet! Ottawa wants to get younger and has a real salary cap problem. If Maloney could get all the stars aligned on this one, he would have solved the team's biggest problem with a bold and imaginative move. And he would probably carry those guys on his back to Ottawa to make the deal.
The legal and ownership issues can't be solved soon enough. Rookie camp starts in less than three weeks. Our first exhibition game is on September 15th. And opening night is less than two months away. And there's still work to be done on this roster.
We'll all feel better when the focus is back on the game and the team rather than the circus.
They need all of the above because preparations are underway for the opening of training camp. In Phoenix. Rookies and selected younger players will be due in Arizona on September 5th and veterans will report on September 12th.
Which leads to two important questions; Is this the team we are going to war with and who is the coach going to be?
Over the next few days, I'll look at the team, options to improve the team and the coaching situation.
General Manager Don Maloney has a done a good job shopping the bargain aisle with the free agent signings of Vernon Fiddler, Jason Labarbera and Adrian Aucoin. We love the Aucoin and Fiddler moves but are concerned about Labarbera. That could become a moot point if Al Montoya expands on the promise he displayed late last year and wins the backup goaltending job.
Maloney has also been busy at the trade desk. He swapped two players with no future in Phoenix (Todd Fedoruk and David Hale) to Tampa for Radim Vrbata. GMDM will light a candle hoping that Vrbata can regain his goalscoring magic from the first half of the 2007-08 season. Lauri Korpikoski comes in from New York for the enigmatic Enver Lisin and gritty defenseman Jim Vandermeer comes over from Calgary for Brandon Prust. Vandermeer's contract is a little rich ($2.3MM) for a bottom pair defenseman and Vrbata has to live up to the $3MM contract he got from Tampa but on merit both trades make sense. We'll trust that Maloney couldn't find a better place to spend the money.
But this still leaves Phoenix with a flawed team. Right now, Shane Doan is the only player on the roster who scored more than 15 goals last season. In fact, Lombardi (1), Vrbata (1), Prucha (2) and Mueller (1) are the only Coyotes who have ever scored 20 goals in an NHL season. No matter how you add it up, this team still needs to add goalscoring. Lots of it.
There will be much hope for internal improvement. Mikkel Boedker may be the Yotes' best young forward and he should grow into a constant 25-35 goal scorer. Peter Mueller slid backwards in his sophomore season from 22 to 13 goals. A return to form would be very helpful. Scottie Upshall has long been buried on checking lines but in Phoenix he will get a chance to play top 6 minutes. After scoring 14 and 15 goals the last two years, he could upgrade his production. And there's Kyle Turris, who may not ever become a top goalscorer but hopefully will develop playmaking skills that enhance his teammates.
At the end of the day, that's a lot of hope. But, it's also a lot of "if's". Other teams in the Western Conference have beefed up too. The Coyotes desperately need to make the playoffs and the roster as currently constituted would do well to fight for a playoff spot.
There are still intriguing scorers available. According to many reports, Boston may have to move young forwards Phil Kessel or Chuck Kobasew. Free agents Alex Tanguay and well traveled veterans Miro Satan and Petr Sykora are still on the market.
I spoke to a Coyote official about Kessel and in a polite way, he indicated that Kessel probably wasn't what the team was looking for. His less than pristine attitude is well known and with best friend Blake Wheeler thumbing his nose at the Coyotes and joining him in Boston, it doesn't seem likely he would be thrilled about coming to Arizona.
Tanguay certainly is an option. It's been rumored that he's been close to signing with the Coyotes on multiple occasions. In fact, one popular rumor site went as far as to say he had signed with the Coyotes but his contract was rejected by the NHL because of budget concerns. In any event there's no deal in place but he is still available.
And then there's Dany Heatley. Heatley has made it clear he wants out of Ottawa. I never even though about Heatley and the Coyotes until I looked around the league at teams that might be able to digest his contract. There aren't many.
And it's a contract with some interesting angles. Heatley carries a salary cap hit of $7.5MM. That would seemingly disqualify the Coyotes under normal circumstances, but he has already collected $4MM this year, with an additional $4MM to be paid. Over the next four years, the Coyotes would take a $7.5MM cap hit but pay out an average of $6.75MM. If the Coyotes were looking at $3MM for Tanguay, bringing in Heatley for $4MM this year (with much more in the out years) would seem to make sense under the budget Don Maloney is managing.
That's a lot of money but Heatley is a lot of hockey player. He's connected for 260 goals in 7 NHL seasons and twice has passed the 50 mark. He is a special player unlike anyone who has worn a Coyote uniform in recent years.
And if the ownership situation is settled soon, new management could weigh in here. If and when the Reinsdorf-Kaites-Tavares-Reinsdorf Jr. group gets control of the team it would make sense that they would consider loosening the purse strings a little bit. And as experienced sports promoters and managers they understand that the best way to boost lagging ticket sales is to make some big news.
The Coyotes desperately need some juice to excite the fan base. Vern Fiddler and Adrian Aucoin are nice hockey players but they are not going to sell a lot of tickets. Heatley may not even want to come to Phoenix (and he would have to waive his no-trade clause) but it's sure worth a try. He would give the franchise a marquis name that is badly lacking, great offensive production on the ice and a generous helping of sizzle to help turn the page from this summer's debacle.
What would it take to make a deal? An educated guess would be Peter Mueller, one of the team's prize young defensemen (Goncharov, Summers or Ross) and probably a 1st draft choice. (This is similar to a deal the New York Rangers supposedly had in place with Ottawa earlier this summer) Expensive, yes. Well worth the price? You bet! Ottawa wants to get younger and has a real salary cap problem. If Maloney could get all the stars aligned on this one, he would have solved the team's biggest problem with a bold and imaginative move. And he would probably carry those guys on his back to Ottawa to make the deal.
The legal and ownership issues can't be solved soon enough. Rookie camp starts in less than three weeks. Our first exhibition game is on September 15th. And opening night is less than two months away. And there's still work to be done on this roster.
We'll all feel better when the focus is back on the game and the team rather than the circus.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thumbs Down On Coyote Off-Season
Adam Proteau of the Hockey News isn't impressed with the Coyotes off season moves
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27216-THNcom-Blog-Calamitous-Coyotes-in-for-a-long-200910.html
And we're not either.
But...
The off-season is not over yet. And we suspect that Don Maloney still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He'll need to because the Yotes are still a ways off from having a team that can compete in the ultra competitive NHL Western Conference.
There's probably enough money to add one very desperately needed scorer to the team. The Coyotes could use a winger, preferably someone who plays the left side and another center wouldn't hurt either.
It's likely though that the next Coyote to hit town won't be a free agent. Aside from Alex Tanguay, there aren't any front line offensive players available. Tanguay would be a nice signing but it appears that there is lots of competition for his services. There are a number of roll of the dice type forwards still left on the shelves including Petr Sykora, Maxim Afinogenov and Miro Satan. These are guys could give you 25 goals or an Excedrin headache. The problem is that many of these players will have options to go to Europe or Russia for a better than bargain rate contracts.
The best chances to find a scoring froward is going to be through trades.
There are several teams (Ottawa, San Jose, Philadelphia, New York Rangers, Boston, Chicago) who have real cap problems. Many are facing even bigger problems with restricted free agents looking for big paydays. Maloney may be able to pick up a serviceable player on the cheap or perhaps a premium player (Phil Kessel comes to mind) albeit at the cost of future assets. Given the Coyotes urgency to ice a playoff contending team this year, I would not be opposed (in fact I would strongly support) moving draft picks and players already in the system if premium players (uhhhh, did I mention Phil Kessel) become available.
And finally, there's a chance that Maloney may be able to move his one bad contract -- Ed Jovanoski -- in exchange for help at multiple positions. The Coyotes look OK on defense and if 1--2 youngsters blossom this year they might even be considered deep. There are also capable free agent defensemen that could still be signed. Moving Jovo would not only free up a bundle of salary cap space but could bring back significant talent up front.
No matter which way GMDM turns, the Coyotes still have time to upgrade the team. The job is not done here yet. And the real job, selling tickets, is just getting underway. This franchise desperately needs some juice to excite the fan base and sell tickets. Lauri Korpikoski and Adrian Aucoin are nice acquisitions but they are not going to inspire the fans. There's no question that the Coyotes off season to date has been a yawner but we're only midway through the second period. There's plenty of time to left turn things around.
And putting a winning product on the ice in Phoenix is the biggest off season job any NHL GM is facing this year.
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27216-THNcom-Blog-Calamitous-Coyotes-in-for-a-long-200910.html
And we're not either.
But...
The off-season is not over yet. And we suspect that Don Maloney still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He'll need to because the Yotes are still a ways off from having a team that can compete in the ultra competitive NHL Western Conference.
There's probably enough money to add one very desperately needed scorer to the team. The Coyotes could use a winger, preferably someone who plays the left side and another center wouldn't hurt either.
It's likely though that the next Coyote to hit town won't be a free agent. Aside from Alex Tanguay, there aren't any front line offensive players available. Tanguay would be a nice signing but it appears that there is lots of competition for his services. There are a number of roll of the dice type forwards still left on the shelves including Petr Sykora, Maxim Afinogenov and Miro Satan. These are guys could give you 25 goals or an Excedrin headache. The problem is that many of these players will have options to go to Europe or Russia for a better than bargain rate contracts.
The best chances to find a scoring froward is going to be through trades.
There are several teams (Ottawa, San Jose, Philadelphia, New York Rangers, Boston, Chicago) who have real cap problems. Many are facing even bigger problems with restricted free agents looking for big paydays. Maloney may be able to pick up a serviceable player on the cheap or perhaps a premium player (Phil Kessel comes to mind) albeit at the cost of future assets. Given the Coyotes urgency to ice a playoff contending team this year, I would not be opposed (in fact I would strongly support) moving draft picks and players already in the system if premium players (uhhhh, did I mention Phil Kessel) become available.
And finally, there's a chance that Maloney may be able to move his one bad contract -- Ed Jovanoski -- in exchange for help at multiple positions. The Coyotes look OK on defense and if 1--2 youngsters blossom this year they might even be considered deep. There are also capable free agent defensemen that could still be signed. Moving Jovo would not only free up a bundle of salary cap space but could bring back significant talent up front.
No matter which way GMDM turns, the Coyotes still have time to upgrade the team. The job is not done here yet. And the real job, selling tickets, is just getting underway. This franchise desperately needs some juice to excite the fan base and sell tickets. Lauri Korpikoski and Adrian Aucoin are nice acquisitions but they are not going to inspire the fans. There's no question that the Coyotes off season to date has been a yawner but we're only midway through the second period. There's plenty of time to left turn things around.
And putting a winning product on the ice in Phoenix is the biggest off season job any NHL GM is facing this year.
Monday, July 13, 2009
A Little Dealing Between Friends
I have to make a confession. Long before I moved to Phoenix and long before the Coyotes were even a thought, I was a New York Ranger fan. Born and bred since I was 7 years old. At that’s a long time ago. Official hint: Dwight Eisenhower was President. Of the United States.
The Coyotes are my (Western Division) team. The Rangers are my team. With season tickets for both teams and the NHL TV package I get to see 50-60 of each team’s games every year.
So to say I’m a little torn with tonight’s trade of Enver Lisin for Lauri Korpikoski would be an understatement.
You see, these are two of my favorite players.
Enver Lisin is an exciting player. He’s the best skater in the league and he has a chance to be an outstanding offensive player. How good? 35-40 goals is a realistic ceiling. What impressed me the most this year was how many battles he won in the offensive end. He’s more than just fast; he has great instincts and a wonderful shot. He has a chance to be special. He was one of the few players on the Coyotes who could lift you out of your seat.
Enver’s downside is that like many Russian players, he’s been a liability at the other end of the rink. A real big liability. In 2006-07, he turned in a -18 in 17 games. That my friends, takes some work. This year he was a -13 in 48 games. Numbers can be misleading but in this case they are not.
And you clearly got the impression that once the Coyotes backed up the truck at the trade deadline, he was pushed further down the lineup by the glut of forwards. The coaching staff seemed to be a little sour on him. Truth be told, more than a little sour.
Lisin is going to be either a very good player in the league or another guy who takes a pass at North American hockey and then goes back to Russia. We’ll be watching the Rangers closely to see how it plays out.
If Lisin is the prototypical risk/reward player, Korpikoski is anything but. An excellent skater, The Korpedo is going to play in the league for 10 years. He’s an excellent penalty killer (something the Yotes’ desperately need) and a very responsible defensive player. What is he is not is an offensive force. He has a nice shot and has shown some offensive flashes. You may have been watching on NBC last year when he scored a goal in his first NHL game, a second round playoff game vs. the Penguins.
At 22, there’s lot of room for growth. Worse case, he’ll ride shotgun with Marty Hanzel on the checking line. Best case, he’ll chip in enough goals to battle for a top six spot.
Although they are very different, both seem like good kids. As Korpikoski is cool and professional, Lisin is charged with emotion. The Finnish born Korpikoski speaks excellent English. Lisin has struggled to learn the language and was homesick when he first came to North America. Last year it was reported that he had made a real attempt to better acclimate himself. For some players it comes easier than others.
Check back in a few years and we’ll tell you who won this trade. Don Maloney wanted the reliability of a player he once drafted who does all of the little things well and has room to grow. The Rangers wanted a high risk/high reward player. Both got what they wanted at a modest price.
And I get to continue to follow the progress of two players whom I immensely like.
The Coyotes are my (Western Division) team. The Rangers are my team. With season tickets for both teams and the NHL TV package I get to see 50-60 of each team’s games every year.
So to say I’m a little torn with tonight’s trade of Enver Lisin for Lauri Korpikoski would be an understatement.
You see, these are two of my favorite players.
Enver Lisin is an exciting player. He’s the best skater in the league and he has a chance to be an outstanding offensive player. How good? 35-40 goals is a realistic ceiling. What impressed me the most this year was how many battles he won in the offensive end. He’s more than just fast; he has great instincts and a wonderful shot. He has a chance to be special. He was one of the few players on the Coyotes who could lift you out of your seat.
Enver’s downside is that like many Russian players, he’s been a liability at the other end of the rink. A real big liability. In 2006-07, he turned in a -18 in 17 games. That my friends, takes some work. This year he was a -13 in 48 games. Numbers can be misleading but in this case they are not.
And you clearly got the impression that once the Coyotes backed up the truck at the trade deadline, he was pushed further down the lineup by the glut of forwards. The coaching staff seemed to be a little sour on him. Truth be told, more than a little sour.
Lisin is going to be either a very good player in the league or another guy who takes a pass at North American hockey and then goes back to Russia. We’ll be watching the Rangers closely to see how it plays out.
If Lisin is the prototypical risk/reward player, Korpikoski is anything but. An excellent skater, The Korpedo is going to play in the league for 10 years. He’s an excellent penalty killer (something the Yotes’ desperately need) and a very responsible defensive player. What is he is not is an offensive force. He has a nice shot and has shown some offensive flashes. You may have been watching on NBC last year when he scored a goal in his first NHL game, a second round playoff game vs. the Penguins.
At 22, there’s lot of room for growth. Worse case, he’ll ride shotgun with Marty Hanzel on the checking line. Best case, he’ll chip in enough goals to battle for a top six spot.
Although they are very different, both seem like good kids. As Korpikoski is cool and professional, Lisin is charged with emotion. The Finnish born Korpikoski speaks excellent English. Lisin has struggled to learn the language and was homesick when he first came to North America. Last year it was reported that he had made a real attempt to better acclimate himself. For some players it comes easier than others.
Check back in a few years and we’ll tell you who won this trade. Don Maloney wanted the reliability of a player he once drafted who does all of the little things well and has room to grow. The Rangers wanted a high risk/high reward player. Both got what they wanted at a modest price.
And I get to continue to follow the progress of two players whom I immensely like.
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