Thursday, 18 September 2014

Phoenix Coyotes - Preview



The Coyotes have had to spend the summer filling the gaps left by some surprise departures. Former Edmonton Center Sam Gagner has arrived with the task of replacing Radim Vrbata and Mike Ribeiro. Vrbata was second highest scorer with 51 points last season but has optwd to join vancouver, while Ribeiro was bought out of an expensive contract due to alcohol problems that created tension in the camp last season. Mikkel Boedker was one player who was a good offensive force last season while youngsters Max Domi (son of Tie) and Lucas Lessio are hoping to feature.



A young puck-moving defense is lead by Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but with youngsters Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley ready to step up, the loss of Derek Morris to free agency will be softened. To be fair he was a liability at times last season. Yandle and Ekman-Larsson are two of the best defenseman in the league at providing offense from the blue line and they will really need to step again to make up for the loss of offense.



To make the playoffs this season, the Coyotes will need to improve their defense and penalty kill. As was so bluntly pointed out by some dumb-ass Blackhawks fans last November 'the Yotes cant hand a 2PP' If the Penalty Kill struggled last seaosn Phoneix finished fourth on the Power Play and that will have to stay the same if they want to challenge. With the additions of physical forwards Joe Vitale and B.J. Crombeen on the fourth line as well as Antoine Vermette dropping down to the third line where he can exploit his faceoff and forecheck abilities, means the Coyotes are much stronger in the bottom six forwards. Mike Smith also needs to rediscover his form from 2012 and stop messing about making pointless pizza comercials.



Having started strongly last season, Phoenix fell apart down the stretch only winning one of their final eight games. The year before they lost eight of their last nine. That ultimaltely proved their undoing, I have to say I am worried for the season ahead. I am not sad to see the back of Mike Ribeiro who was a huge disapointment, but losing Vrbata is a huge loss to a team already short on offense. I really cant see this Coyotes team going anywhere near as close as they did last year.



Boedker – Vermette – Doan

Korpikoski – Domi – Gagner

Erat – Hanzal – Moss

McMillan – Vitale – Chipchura

Klinkhammer – Crombeen



Ekman-Larsson – Michalek

Yandle – Stone

Gormley - Schlemko

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