Bankruptcy battle is off-season distraction: Season Preview
As part of the HFBoards partnership program, I've been granted the permission to post the below article.
Quote:
For such a young and talented team, the focus on the Phoenix Coyotes should be on the team, but just where the future of the team is remains uncertain.
While the NHL, Blackberry boss Jim Balsillie, and a bankruptcy judge bicker about the future prosperity and location of the club, General Manager Don Maloney had a difficult task this off-season. Maloney was in no position to spend through free agency, but he needed to assemble a competitive team to ice to a fan base that might not be located in Phoenix.
The Coyotes made a pair of trades at the forward ranks, flipping Steven Reinprecht to Florida for Stefan Meyer, while fugitive winger Radim Vrbata was acquired from Tampa Bay.
Matthew Lombardi, acquired in the Olli Jokinen trade, will centre the top line. Lombardi scored 16 points last year with the Coyotes and the team will see how that translates over a full season. Captain Shane Doan is expected to lead the team in scoring.
The Coyotes own a handful of forwards who will all look to improve on last season, including Mikkel Boedker, Viktor Tikhonov, Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal and Daniel Winnik. Third overall pick in 2007, Kyle Turris, will see more playing time on a regular basis in 2009-10.
Phoenix’s blueline is highlighted by seasoned Ed Jovanovski, Kurt Sauer, and summer additions of Adrian Aucoin and Jim Vandermeer. Defenseman Keith Yandle should see more playing time in his third NHL season.
Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is among the Coyotes most valuable players, while Jason LaBarbera was added during the offseason.
Wow, predicting Phoenix to finish dead last in the conference. How utterly predictable. I'm willing to wager that they don't.
Hey, if Zbynek Michalek is absent, we're a lock for dead last. Especially with Winnik and some guy named Tikonen making the team. Not to mention that increase in ice time for Turris. That would leave a few of Pyatt, Tikhonov, Korpikoski, Fiddler, and Prucha without jobs.
Hey, if Zbynek Michalek is absent, we're a lock for dead last. Especially with Winnik and some guy named Tikonen making the team. Not to mention that increase in ice time for Turris. That would leave a few of Pyatt, Tikhonov, Korpikoski, Fiddler, and Prucha without jobs.
We're not a flashy pick. I get that. I just think the so called experts (or guys who are getting paid to publish an opinion) are just mailing in a Phoenix prediction. Your post above about Michalek just proves that. Last I checked the Lawyers don't actually play hockey.
I will bet anyone from CAN right now $1000 that this team will not finish dead last in the west. I'm serious, Anyone interested and wants to take me up on my bet lets set up an escrow account.
i could have SWORN we had a D man who was JUST ON THE COVER OF NHL.com for having themost blocked shots in the league. a pretty long article about him. and not only did he had the most but he had the most by almost 40. but maybe im wrong maybe i just dreamt that up. im sure a player like that will have zero effect on how this team does anyway. I love articles like this. it just shows how little people know.
also where can i get a Tikonen jersey? i want one now.
i could have SWORN we had a D man who was JUST ON THE COVER OF NHL.com for having themost blocked shots in the league. a pretty long article about him. and not only did he had the most but he had the most by almost 40. but maybe im wrong maybe i just dreamt that up. im sure a player like that will have zero effect on how this team does anyway.
I guess that's the only benefit of the partner program. Ever since they started that thing every Joe schmo posts his website offering 2 cents on their daily NHL musings. At least it can be entertaining from time to time.
I guess that's the only benefit of the partner program. Ever since they started that thing every Joe schmo posts his website offering 2 cents on their daily NHL musings. At least it can be entertaining from time to time.
Someone ought to put up a blog with The Onion style satire of it. I nominate you doing the entire thing but authored as Wavy and Cheeky Monkey.
Having traded away Finnish born Olli Jokinen, the Phoenix Coyotes decided to add a little more Scandinavian flavor to their locker room by converting their young Russian forward, Tikhonov, into the fiery young Finn Tikonen.
"We're thrilled with the conversion" says Coyotes GM Don Maloney. "We feel that Tikonen will be with this organization for a long time and be an important contributor next season. You look at the post-deadline action and I think the lack of Finn on the ice was very clear." Tikhonov's grandfather, the legendary Viktor Tikhonov, could not be reached for comment.
This is Dave Vest reporting for PhoenixCoyotes.com
