2009-2010 Phoenix Coyotes Preview

Or is it the Hamilton Coyotes/Bulldogs? As the whole hockey world knows, the Coyotes are currently embroiled in a nasty legal battle between Blackberry founder Jim Balsillie and the NHL over the ownership rights to the team. A quick summary: The Coyotes routinely hemorrhage money in a warm weather town that doesn’t care about hockey and Balsillie has been trying to buy a team and move it to Canada for about four years now. Enter the Coyotes, who were taken from Winnipeg in 1996. Balsillie, who previously thought he had purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators at different points in time, was part of a plan by Phoenix’s owner, Jerry Moyes, to take the team into bankruptcy and recoup some of his investment.

However, the NHL wasn’t too keen on this plan, voting 26-0 against Balsillie as an owner and filing a myriad of legal injunctions as they attempted to have the team sold to an owner that would keep the team in Phoenix. Shockingly, they couldn’t find anyone who wanted to buy a team that lost 300 million dollars in a decade and were forced to submit a bid of their own to buy the team, which was taken into auction by the courts. Considering that Balsillie’s bid is about 100 million dollars more than the NHL’s it seems a foregone conclusion that he’ll get the team.

Either way, it seems like the legal process is going to be long and drawn out (the NHL will certainly appeal any ruling in Balsillie’s favor) and that certainly won’t help the team, which can count on tepid support at home games until the move is announced. Then they’ll play in front of no one until they move to Hamilton.

Looking Back at 2008-2009

Last season was pretty tough for the Coyotes. They finished with a 36-39-7 record, good enough for 13 th in the West. That left them out of the playoff picture and tied for last place in the Pacific Division. What really makes the whole ownership battle a shame is that the Coyotes actually performed fairly well on home ice, posting a 23-15-3 mark at the Jobing.com Arena. It is worth noting, however, that there was no discussion of the team moving until after the year ended.

The Offseason

The Coyotes opened free agency strong, signing veteran defenseman Adrian Aucion to bolster their defense and improve their power play. They furthered their solid signings by bringing in veteran netminder Jason LaBarbera, who performed well as a backup last season. The Coyotes also brought in a trio of solid forwards in Radim Vrbata (traded for David Hale and Todd Fedoruk), Scottie Upshall and Vernon Fiddler. Overall, the Coyotes improved their talent in the offseason with some strong moves, most of which occurred before the legal wrangling began.

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2009-2010 Outlook

For the Coyotes, upgrading their scoring was a priority after finishing 27 th in the NHL in scoring last year. The additions of Vrbata, who scored 27 goals two seasons ago for the Coyotes, Upshall (15 goals last year) and Aucoin (who should provide good quarterbacking on the power play) were solid steps towards more goal production.

However, captain Shane Doan is the team’s only consistent goal scorer, having scored 31 goals and 72 points last year and that doesn’t bode well as he’s in his mid-30s and moving towards the downside of his career. While talented young players like Kyle Turris, Matthew Lombardi, Peter Mueller and Viktor Tikhonov have a ton of potential, Doan is the only proven scorer on the roster. With all of the turmoil surrounding the team and the expense which Balsillie will incur to purchase and move the team, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Doan wearing another jersey by April. However, trade rumors have dogged Captain Coyote for years, so I’ll believe that he’s leaving when I see it.

Defensively, Aucoin’s arrival gives the Coyotes a pair of top-flight defensemen as Ed Jovanovski remains one of the league’s best. Along with Keith Yandle, Dmitri Kalinin and Zybanek Michalek, there is the potential for a much-improved corps after the Coyotes allowed the 6 th most goals in the league. A better season from starting goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov would also certainly help the Coyotes in that department.

Finally, a big question surrounding the team: Who will be the head coach? Wayne Gretzky is considered the face of the franchise and is listed as the head coach but he hasn’t shown up for training camp. As the Great One is also a part-owner in the franchise, it seems likely that he’s waiting for the legal battles to resolve themselves because he’s being pulled in a number of directions. Either way, when the Coyotes’ head coach isn’t in camp, it doesn’t bode well for the team’s on-ice performance.

PREDICTION: If you look solely at the product on the ice, you’d have to think that the Coyotes are a stronger team. They have more proven scoring and a deeper defense. However, with so much youth being counted on to make a difference, it would seem unlikely that the Coyotes would be able to muster a playoff push.

Then consider the legal brouhaha going on surrounding the team and the looming specter of a midseason move and you have to really hate the Coyotes chances at having much of a season. The distraction is so bad that the team’s head coach hasn’t even shown up for training camp! Let’s call a spade a spade here: This team is in for a season of disarray and distraction and is almost certainly going to finish in the Pacific Division basement with the NHL’s worst record while playing in a mostly empty building in Phoenix until the team is moved to Hamilton. If that’s not bad enough, they’ll face extremely long road trips the rest of the year considering that they’ll be playing in the Pacific division despite playing their home games on Lake Ontario. Congratulations, Phoenix/Hamilton, you are very likely to have the best odds in the 2010 NHL draft lottery!

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com

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