TEAM PREVIEWS: THE PHOENIX COYOTES

Introduction:

An influx of young talent and the arrival of Olli Jokinen are making Gretzky's desert dogs a popular pre-season surprise candidate. They have a talented goalie, a more talented by the day offense, and a fairly solid defense assuming that Jovanovski can have another healthy season. That said the youngsters on this team are still young, and the Coyotes aren't particularly deep at any position except possibly center.

Bryzgalov, Jokinen and Doan will provide heroics from day 1, and they will be an interesting team to watch as youngsters like Mueller and Turris announce their presence but I think Gretzky still has a few tough years ahead of him as he gets this franchise back on its feet.

Key Departures:
Keith Ballard
Nick Boynton
Radim Vrbata

The Coyotes sacrificed their depth in defensive defenseman in order to obtain a legitimate number 1 center. Ballard and Boynton was on no one's list of fantasy relevant defensemen and Ballard had yet to show the promise as an offensive defensemen that had been projected earlier in his career but their loss hurts Phoenix as a team. With fewer quality D-men, much more pressure will be on Bryzgalov to perform this year.

Gone also is the talented Radim Vrbata. The Coyotes are dry at wing and this move will hurt their depth some. Expect some shuffling of lines as a result this season.

New Faces:
Olli Jokinen

Jokinen is unfairly criticized for never leading a team to the post-season. Here there will be no such expectations placed upon him. Jokinen will also find himself with a supporting cast reminiscent of his time in Florida. A talented power forward of a right winger, a goalie better then his win total would indicate, a few talented d-men and lots of prospects. Same story, different warm weather climate for Jokinen.

The Offense:

You Want to Draft:
Olli Jokinen
Shane Doan

Jokinen had been something of a fantasy god since the lockout. Last season saw a bit of a setback for the talented center as he became a significant minus and scored only 71 points. Jokinen was the center of trade rumors for the entire season and at 29 is too young to have peaked. Expect a return to the 80 point arena, and better +/-. Expect about 70 PIM, 35 powerplay points and 350 shots from the talented and useful center.
FACT: Why do I preach patience with the prospects? Jokinen was drafted 3rd overall by the Los Angeles Kings... and was on his third team by the time he scored thirty goals. We've seen a lot of players step in and be instantly relevant in the last few years, but that still isn't the norm. Be aware of your prospects and be patient with them.

Doan saw his value skyrocket last season as he had his best fantasy season since his 66 point 123 PIM season in 2005-2006. Doan will probably one get you about half of those PIM this year, Gretzky has reigned him in, and expect a slight downgrade on his 78 point season last year as he becomes more of a supporting player with Jokinen's arrival. On the positive side his plus/minus and powerplay numbers should improve.
FACT: Shane Doan is the only player currently on the Coyotes who played with the team when they were still the Winnipeg Jets.

You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Peter Mueller
Kyle Turris

Mueller had a spectacular breakout season last year, scoring 35 of his 54 points in the second half of the year. I think its entirely possible that he sustains that pace but Jokinen's arrival is going to knock down his ice time. Further, if Turris is in fact the Calder trophy candidate many prognosticators believe him to be then Mueller will receive even less ice time as he would suddenly find himself as the third line center. I'm not knocking Mueller, I think he's very talented but unless he switches to the wing he won't see much ice at all as Phoenix is very very deep at center.
FACT: Mueller played in the NHL young stars game last season.

Turris, the third overall selection in 2007, has a lot of people excited and saying words like "Calder." I, for one, believe that is Stamkos' to lose. Turris has been successful at every level he's played at, but he still has to prove that he is NHL ready and will be fighting for playing time at the a DEEP position for the Coyotes. Watch him. Draft him late if you have to, but don't draft him like he's the next Crosby.
FACT: Turris was born on August 14, 1989... the same day the Sega Genesis was released in North America. That's right ...Turris is just as old as the Genesis.

The Defense:

You Want to Draft:
Ed Jovanovski

It has never been a question of talent with Jovo-cop, nor has it been about determination. Jovo's got the skill and the will he just doesn't have the health plan. If Jovo stays healthy he'll be something of a Phaneuf lite for you, getting a little over 50 points, scoring on the powerplay and putting up big PIM numbers... if he doesn't well... have somebody ready to replace him on that bench. Like everyone else who will play with him, Jokinen's arrival should help Jovanovski in the games that he does play. Should he go down look to Derrik Morris or Zbynek Michalek to pick up the slack. Morris has value for PIM while Jovo is healthy. Michalek has value if he finds the next level many believe him capable of.
FACT: Since 2002-03 Jovanovski has missed 109 games to injury.

The Powerplay:
Olli Jokinen
Shane Doan
Peter Mueller
Martin Hanzal
Ed Jovanovski

Instantly better as a result of Jokinen's arrival, the first unit should be far more effective this year. Hanzal's position here is somewhat suspect and could go to Turris or a younger defenseman.

The Goalie(s):

Bryzgalov ends a drought of quality goaltending in the desert. Since being acquired off of waivers last year (welcome to the salary cap NHL) Breezie has single-handedly carried the Coyotes back into relevance, even putting them in the playoff picture for a little while last season. Bryzgalov's Save Percentage should remain relatively spectacular this season. The GAA is going to be what its going to be (anywhere from 2.30 to 2.70 depending on how quickly the D adjusts to the loss of Ballard and Boynton) and Bryzgalov should get you anywhere from 28 to 34 wins. He's a good option, better then most. Save Percentage is the toughest of the predictable categories to draft.
FACT: Bryzgalov currently has the second longest shutout streak in the NHL playoffs having accomplished the feat with three consecutive shutouts in 2005-06.

The Verdict:

The Coyotes, are a couple of years, a couple of wingers, and a shutdown defenseman away from being a real cup contender, but they have made significant strides and should, at the very least, be an entertaining team to watch while they try to get there.