Looking at the Coyotes Roster

By Seth Haahr

I’ll be honest, last year was tough to be a Coyotes fan. Finishing 29th out of 30 and missing out on a generational talent (thanks Edmonton) was the salt in the wound. Strome is still a great consolation prize (pretty good right?), but he’s no McDavid or Eichel. This year isn’t shaping up to be much different. With an all-star roster consisting of a likely top 6 of Boedker, Vermette, Hanzal, and Doan with rookies Domi and Duclair having the best shot at making the roster (and seriously needing to be in top 6 roles) it’s only slightly better than closing out last year with Kyle Chipchura facing off against opposing teams top lines. Yeah our bottom 6 is about the best in the business, at least the number of bottom 6 players on the team is intimidating (Vitale, Richardson, Gordon, Chipchura, Doan should be here, Vermette should be here, Downie, Rieder, G.O.A.T. John Scott, Lessio if he makes the permanent jump). Now I wasn’t a math or statistics major in college but I was a science major, and the data doesn’t add up, you have in reality 10 players that should be in these roles to fill 6 spots.

Looking at the defense you have this crazy hyphenated Swedish guy that I’ll just call OEL, Stone, Murphy, Gormley, Dahlbeck, Michalek, and Grossman (that trade about made me vomit). We already know OEL will be on the first pairing, coach Tippet has said Grossman will more than likely end up on the second (seriously the seemingly only Swede that can’t play defense and benefits from great defensive partners). Who do you have play 7th D? Because I seriously can’t see wasting Stone’s physical play and second pairing ability as a 7th D, Murphy should continue to develop into a solid defensemen, Gormley hasn’t gotten a legit chance to play, and Dahlbeck played very well with us last season after the Vermette trade (seriously, thank you Chicago for essentially renting Vermette for Dahlbeck and Merkley). And while Michalek has lost a step the dude would be a legit shut down guy playing on the third pairing where he belongs at this stage of his career. Again, something seems amiss.

I understand that next year will be rough, and I accept that. Am I thrilled? Absolutely not, but to have ownership and coaches say “we will be a lot better this year” and trying to essentially sell me last year’s roster with the differences of having Domi and Duclair is pretty offensive. If I am going to pay my season tickets and watch the team play, at least make it entertaining. Put in Samuelsson, Perlini, Domi, Duclair, Lessio put in the kids and let them learn, maybe you sprinkle in the youth, or maybe you do a lot of what you’re doing now but don’t tell me we may be able to push for a 7th or 8th seed come playoffs.

I applaud what Don Maloney was able to put together on an extremely limited budget during the pre-ICE Arizona days and the heart, grit, and compete Tippet was able to squeeze out of the players in the impressive 2012 WCF run but I seriously wonder what Don Maloney is doing. Our best goaltending prospect who is now playing for the Ice Hogs in the AHL went unsigned after trying to recover from a broken ankle suffered last year at training camp (seriously, you couldn’t give the guy a one year deal?)

Regardless of all this griping I still love my ’Yotes and I will keep watching them. And hey, maybe next year we get the local kid Matthews, or the first Coyotes Captain’s kid Tkachuk (who will be playing alongside one of our great prospects Dvorak in London).

Thanks for reading.