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.
Showing posts with label new york rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york rangers. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Introducing The Western Hockey Exchange
Welcome to the humble beginnings of Western Hockey Exchange.
Since moving to Phoenix, I have been thinking about starting a blog that focuses on hockey in the Western US and Canada. Having lived all over the US, I’ve often found that hockey west of the Mississippi is underreported and often unappreciated by the North American Hockey establishment. And if you follow an Eastern team, getting good information from western games is just about impossible. I hope to fill a void by following issues and stories that might escape the glare of the eastern hockey media.
My love affair with hockey dates to the late 1950s, mostly as a fan but also from 4 years as a minor league team manager. I can’t remember the first time I watched a hockey game, but I have a crystal clear memory of November 1, 1959. I was listening to my beloved New York Rangers and Montreal Canadians play that night when an Andy Bathgate shot ripped open the face of goaltender Jacques Plante. While Plante was off for repairs, legendary Ranger announcer Jim Gordon announced that Plante would return wearing a mask. What a moment! I called my Dad to my room and he sat on the end of my bed as we listened to hockey history. I didn’t know what it all meant at the time but I certainly do now.
In the 1960s I followed the Rangers devoutly and when they weren’t playing, I would listen to minor league hockey on radio. Great clear channel stations like WBAL in Baltimore covered the American League Clippers. Bob Chase on WOWO described the International League Ft. Wayne Komets. And the Long Island Ducks, perhaps the most colorful team in minor professional hockey, played 10 miles from my home. Their games were broadcast by Al Baron, the electrical store proprietor who went on to become the team owner. He was a wonderful man who once bought me lunch when my school newspaper sent me off to write about the Ducks.
In the early 1970s I went off to Syracuse University and I began to follow the Syracuse Blazers, first as a fan and later as a front office jack of all trades. I had the opportunity to learn the business firsthand with one of the truly dominating minor league teams. From Syracuse I went on to Roanoke, VA and San Diego, CA where I served as the general manager of minor league teams. And along the way, I’ve also been a sportswriter with the Syracuse Post Standard and a sportscaster with WSLS-TV in Roanoke, VA.
Minor league hockey was struggling mightily with the recession of the mid-1970s. At that time, I had the good fortune to get in the restaurant business, where I have built my career as a marketing executive at some of America’s largest chains. Throughout the years, I maintained my love affair with hockey. At various times, I’ve held season tickets for 5 NHL teams and still have my Rangers tickets. My wife and I long planned our move to Phoenix, building a home 15 minutes away from the new state of the art arena.
My original intent was to start blogging this September. That was before all hell broke loose in Phoenix.
When I heard the news about the Coyotes leaving town, it brought me back to a day almost 52 years ago. When my grandfather came home from work that day, he sat in his chair and cried. I wasn’t really old enough to understand but my grandmother took me aside and told me he was crying because the Dodgers were leaving Brooklyn. It took me years to understand what that moment meant to him. 52 years to be exact.
Now seems like the right time for me to raise my voice. I appreciate the “great call” comments on local sports radio and acknowledgements my posts receive. For those of us who have made significant life decisions around hockey, this is an important and dramatic time. Anyone who has the passion of a hockey fan knows and understands how much this means to so many people.
So here we go. I’d love to hear your comments, both in general and about specific stories, and I look forward to making the Western Hockey Exchange a good read whenever my time allows.
Since moving to Phoenix, I have been thinking about starting a blog that focuses on hockey in the Western US and Canada. Having lived all over the US, I’ve often found that hockey west of the Mississippi is underreported and often unappreciated by the North American Hockey establishment. And if you follow an Eastern team, getting good information from western games is just about impossible. I hope to fill a void by following issues and stories that might escape the glare of the eastern hockey media.
My love affair with hockey dates to the late 1950s, mostly as a fan but also from 4 years as a minor league team manager. I can’t remember the first time I watched a hockey game, but I have a crystal clear memory of November 1, 1959. I was listening to my beloved New York Rangers and Montreal Canadians play that night when an Andy Bathgate shot ripped open the face of goaltender Jacques Plante. While Plante was off for repairs, legendary Ranger announcer Jim Gordon announced that Plante would return wearing a mask. What a moment! I called my Dad to my room and he sat on the end of my bed as we listened to hockey history. I didn’t know what it all meant at the time but I certainly do now.
In the 1960s I followed the Rangers devoutly and when they weren’t playing, I would listen to minor league hockey on radio. Great clear channel stations like WBAL in Baltimore covered the American League Clippers. Bob Chase on WOWO described the International League Ft. Wayne Komets. And the Long Island Ducks, perhaps the most colorful team in minor professional hockey, played 10 miles from my home. Their games were broadcast by Al Baron, the electrical store proprietor who went on to become the team owner. He was a wonderful man who once bought me lunch when my school newspaper sent me off to write about the Ducks.
In the early 1970s I went off to Syracuse University and I began to follow the Syracuse Blazers, first as a fan and later as a front office jack of all trades. I had the opportunity to learn the business firsthand with one of the truly dominating minor league teams. From Syracuse I went on to Roanoke, VA and San Diego, CA where I served as the general manager of minor league teams. And along the way, I’ve also been a sportswriter with the Syracuse Post Standard and a sportscaster with WSLS-TV in Roanoke, VA.
Minor league hockey was struggling mightily with the recession of the mid-1970s. At that time, I had the good fortune to get in the restaurant business, where I have built my career as a marketing executive at some of America’s largest chains. Throughout the years, I maintained my love affair with hockey. At various times, I’ve held season tickets for 5 NHL teams and still have my Rangers tickets. My wife and I long planned our move to Phoenix, building a home 15 minutes away from the new state of the art arena.
My original intent was to start blogging this September. That was before all hell broke loose in Phoenix.
When I heard the news about the Coyotes leaving town, it brought me back to a day almost 52 years ago. When my grandfather came home from work that day, he sat in his chair and cried. I wasn’t really old enough to understand but my grandmother took me aside and told me he was crying because the Dodgers were leaving Brooklyn. It took me years to understand what that moment meant to him. 52 years to be exact.
Now seems like the right time for me to raise my voice. I appreciate the “great call” comments on local sports radio and acknowledgements my posts receive. For those of us who have made significant life decisions around hockey, this is an important and dramatic time. Anyone who has the passion of a hockey fan knows and understands how much this means to so many people.
So here we go. I’d love to hear your comments, both in general and about specific stories, and I look forward to making the Western Hockey Exchange a good read whenever my time allows.
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