Shuffling the Pack

The trade deadline is fast approaching and we are bound to see some big names moving around and switching franchises. The way things have panned out so far this season, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a mass exodus of players from New Jersey all looking for new homes.

The Devils have been utterly terrible this season and have zero cap space left after acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk for stupid money last year in a deal that really has not worked out. Kovalchuk is a skilled player who puts up points but I sometimes wonder about his work ethic and his ability to be a team player.

After a fantastic season last year, the Phoenix Coyotes are finding things a little more difficult this year. They are struggling for consistency and are crying out for someone to take the initiative up front and start putting up some serious points. Shane Doan has had a decent month and a half and even Lee Stempniak has started scoring again, but, while there are several Coyotes who have reached the 10 goal mark, none of them have managed to get to 15. They are a team in the truest essence of the word but that hard work and pack mentality alone is not going to win them a Stanley Cup.

What can the Coyotes do during this window of opportunity to keep the team in the playoff hunt?

Well first of all, it should be pointed out that since Hulsizer took over as owner of the franchise, GM Don Maloney will have much more of a say, money-wise, during this trade window than the Coyotes had last year. Phoenix will not be struggling for cap space, that much is certain.

Maloney is going to want to look at his current players very carefully. Several of them are in the final year of their contracts and it will be up to Maloney to decide whether or not they are worth keeping around.

Players such as Ed Jovanovski and Adrian Aucoin (not in his final year), who have been great servants of the franchise but are coming rapidly towards the end of their careers could be moved to struggling teams for picks or young prospects. Petr Prucha and Andrew Ebbet will probably also leave. Bryzgalov is also in his final year but he is one Coyote that should certainly be resigned. Great goaltending is the first step towards a great team and, with Bryzgalov between the pipes, Phoenix undoubtedly have great goaltending. Fiddler should also be resigned as players such as he, who bring 100% every game, are invaluable.

The Coyotes have already picked up Michal Rozsival from the Rangers in exchange for struggling forward, Wojtek Wolski, who has not been the player Maloney hoped he would have been when he signed for Phoenix in the latter half of last season from the Colorado Avalanche. Rozsival is a solid, if unspectacular, acquisition who will be a good addition to the Phoenix blueline.

Another younger defenseman for Phoenix in the mould of Zbynek Michalek (who the franchise let go last year for nothing) would be a great pick-up for this team. As mentioned in a previous article, I think Carolina's Joni Pitkanen would be the best bet. Kevin Bieksa will no doubt be resigned in Vancouver but he too would be a great choice. There are several more options available but what is definitely the case is that Phoenix need strengthening at the back.

91 Turris: one for the future.

A top centre should also be high on Maloney's list. Let's look at who Phoenix already have in that position. With Turris and Hanzal, there is potential for the future. Turris, with his stick skills, speed and shot could become a great second or third line centre, whereas Hanzal's size and strength on the puck make him a great candidate for the fourth line centre. Fiddler brings a hard working and physical side of play to his game and could easily be shifted out to the wing on the fourth line. Belanger, who has a great technical game, could also be moved out to the wing on the potential Turris line which would free up two spots to fill with players who have the ability to hit over 60 points a season.

Available to fill those slots are Tomas Fleischmann and Brad Richards, who are both coming to the end of their contracts. Richards is having another great season for Dallas and Fleischmann, since his move from the Capitals to the Avalanche has been putting up major points. David Backes should also be on the radar.

Hard work ahead for Maloney

Maloney is going to have to work hard to acquire even one of those players mentioned, but things are looking far more positive down in Arizona than they have in recent years. The team is on the up and, with a new owner in place, the money issues are gone. The desert doesn't seem like such a bad place to go anymore.

If Phoenix manage to get their targets, assuming Maloney's targets are the same as the ones outlined here, then the desert dogs might find getting to the playoffs (and maybe past the first round) a little easier.

'Yotes trade Wolski for Rozsival

On Tuesday night the Phoenix Coyotes traded forward Wojtek Wolski for New York Rangers' defenseman, Michal Rozsival in a move that should benefit both teams. The Coyotes are so much better offensively, and worse defensively, this year than they were last year and the misfiring Wolski was finding it hard to get more ice time. The Rangers have just lost Frolov for the rest of the season and need some offensive talent for back up.

Wojtek Wolski

Wolski is young and has undoubted talent. What he managed in the latter half of last season for the Coyotes was remarkable. He was scoring at a rate of a point per game and continued his good form into the playoffs. However, this year, he has struggled to find any sort of consistency and sits towards the bottom of the Coyotes pack with only six goals and 10 assists in 36 games. He was a player in need of a big game or a move and due to a lack of ice time, he got the latter. 

Michal Rozsival

Rozsival is a veteran defenseman and brings more experience to the Phoenix blue-line He will be a great mentor for the younger guys such as Ekman-Larsson, Yandle and Schlemko, although Yandle is having the best season of all the Coyotes' defensemen so far and looks to have matured a lot since last season. Rozsival also has the ability to put up points and score goals as well, something so crucial to the Phoenix organisation, who play defensively and look to their blue-line to contribute along with the forwards.

Rozsival also brings depth to the Coyotes defence that has, at times, looked a little prone to making mistakes. This is especially the case for the younger defensemen. Of course, making mistakes is all part of the learning process, but Phoenix did need another experienced defenseman who, by and large, knows his trade inside out and will not make as many errors.

Phoenix could do with another player built in the Rozsival mould, who is perhaps a little younger and speedier on the ice. I like the look of Joni Pitkanen to fill that role. Whether the franchise can acquire such a player is another matter, but the Yotes should have plenty of cap space if they do go for a big signing.

The 'Yotes also still need a sniper as Stempniak, despite scoring in the last game, has not been putting up the points and goals he should. Doan, Korpikoski and Upshall are all around the 10 goals mark so it's not like players aren't contributing, the 'Yotes just need someone to come in and light the lamp for 82+ games. 

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'Yotes lose it in a Shootout

12 - Paul Bissonnette

Too many penalties are killing the Coyotes right now. Just when momentum seems to be swinging their way, they slash, hook and throw it over the glass, handing it back to the other team. They stormed into an early lead last night in New York with a PPG from Taylor Pyatt and goal from Adrian Aucoin. I was actually hoping the latter goal would be given to Paul Bissonnette, the Coyotes enforcer who seemed to re-direct the puck. Bissonnette has built up quite a fan-following in the desert and around the hockey community and his funny tweets are well worth checking out.

However, three consecutive penalties in a row destroyed any rhythm the Coyotes had and let New York back in the game with a PPG of their own before the end of the first period. The Coyotes had gone from dominant to desperate in less than ten minutes. They aren't showing any of that killer instinct that served them so well last season. They would often win games by just a single goal because they were so strong mentally and defensively. The second period started off very well, just like the first, with Martin Hanzal taking a fantastic pass from Shane Doan in front of the net and putting the 'Yotes ahead by two again.

However, with six seconds remaining in the period, a mistake by LaBarbera let in Brandon Prust to score a short handed goal and swing the momentum back in the favour of the Rangers. As Dave Tippet put it, the Coyotes are simply shooting themselves in the foot. They are playing well enough to beat teams, but then throwing the game away with poor decisions and costly mistakes.

The Coyotes still had a one goal advantage going into the third period but gave that up around the 14 minute mark. After a goalless overtime, the game went to a shootout. Last season, the 'Yotes were so strong in the shootout but have been far from impressive this season. Only one goal was needed to decide the outcome and it was Erik Christensen who managed to score it, meaning the Coyotes left Madison Square Garden with only one point when they really should have had two.

Last night in New York was a microcosm of the 'Yotes' season so far. They have simply been inconsistent. They need to find that rhythm that served them so well last season and they need to learn not to throw it away when they have it. The Western Conference is so close this year that these odd points here and there that the 'Yotes are dropping could prove costly. Of course, there is a long way to go, but I'd love to see those mistakes rectified sooner rather than later.