Phoenix Coyotes 2013-14 Season Primer

• Team Outlook from McKeen’s Hockey Guide:

  The long wait is over in the desert. The Phoenix Coyotes – which will be the Arizona Coyotes in 2014-15 – were bought by IceArizona, led by Anthony LeBlanc, the Coyotes’ new CEO and alternate governor, more than four years after former owner Jerry Moyes put the team through bankruptcy court.

  This doesn’t mean the Coyotes will never move, the new ownership has a five-year out-clause after all, but for now at least, the issue is no longer in the forefront. The Coyotes performed admirably over the last few years despite the turmoil taking place around them, however they also missed the playoffs last season due in part to a rough campaign from goaltender Mike Smith.

  The team signed him to a six-year, $34 million extension despite that, so for better or worse, their fate will be tied to Smith. They’re counting on him re-living his strong 2011-12 season, which is a gamble considering that he’s now 31 and has yet to enjoy sustained success in the NHL.

  If nothing else, Phoenix’s mediocre offense should get a boost after they signed Mike Ribeiro over the summer. He was a point-per-game player in his one-year tenure with the Capitals and while the move likely won’t help his production, he is still the biggest offensive threat they have.

  The Coyotes don’t look like a particularly remarkable club on paper and consequently, this is one of those teams that needs to be more than the sum of their parts. It’s cliché to say that everyone needs to pull their weight for a team to succeed, but that’s fundamental on teams like the Coyotes that values balance over star power.

• Team Fantasy Outlook from Dobber Hockey’s 2013-14 Fantasy Guide – Over a 150 pages of fantasy goodness:

  The lowdown on: Mikkel Boedker – Ribeiro is the best offensive center who the Coyotes have had in awhile and so you immediately look to who will benefit the most. Vrbata and Boedker are the top candidates. Vrbata has already broken through, so it’s the young Boedker who stands to benefit. His fourth year just went by and there was no breakout – but the point is, he’s in that key range. The 16 points that he had in 21 games to start the season – playing with a bunch of nobodies when it comes to offense – tell me that the talent is in there, ready to come out. I was actively trying to acquire him in my keeper leagues in June and July.

  The Six years in the league now and Hanzal has missed at least eight games in five of them. His points-per-game has risen steadily, year-over-year, but not quick enough to indicate that there is another gear. However, he’s still only 26 and as a big man (6-6, 236) I’m not closing the door yet – but that just means I’ll be acting quickly if I see any signs of “pulling a Bertuzzi” (a 50-point player until he was 27, and then suddenly a 90-point guy). That does not mean I will draft him expecting more than 50 points, because I’m not.

  Yandle is one of the best power-play quarterbacks in the league, probably in the top five. But by the end of last season he (3:30 per game) was surpassed in PP ice time by Phoenix’s Golden Boy – Ekman-Larsson (3:40 per game). Expect Yandle to be traded, since Stone is also a fine puck-mover and Rundblad has very high upside. And I won’t even get into Gormley, another hotshot prospect on the way.

  The Coyotes invited Gilbert Brule to camp and his potential is 20 or 30 points and 100+ hits…Tim Kennedy signed a twoway contract with the team (which is basically a camp tryout with a minor-league agreement). He had upside back in the day, but hasn’t caught a break with any of his coaches since his first year with Buffalo.

  Not only did Doan post his lowest points-per-game average since 1999, but the 37-year-old (as of September) had just three points in the last 10 games. He played the final two weeks with a back injury – but at his age, that’s the type of injury to be worried about.

  Vermette had his worst season since he was a sophomore. But the last time he posted solid numbers he had a supporting cast. I think Ribeiro taking the heat off of him will help tremendously and he could get back up to the 55-point mark.

Follow link for more info and stats

Additions: D Mathieu Brisebois, G Thomas Greiss, F Tim Kennedy, F Mike Ribeiro, F Brandon Yip.

Subtractions: F Scott Arnold, F Alexandre Bolduc, F Matt Clackson, F Chris Conner, F Boyd Gordon, G Chad Johnson, F Nick Johnson, G Jason LaBarbera, F Alexander Nikulin.

Promotion candidates: C Chris Brown, LW Lucas Lessio, C Andy Miele

Player salaries: $54,600,000 (22)
Cap Number: $60,726,667
Bonuses: $0
Cap Space: $3,573,333
Forwards: $30,712,500 (12)
Defensemen: $23,597,500 (8)
Goalies: $6,416,667 (2)
Source: CapGeek

Forwards
Mikkel Boedker – Mike Ribeiro – Radim Vrbata
Shane Doan – Martin Hanzal – Chris Brown
Lauri Korpikoski – Antoine Vermette – David Moss
Rob Klinkhammer – Kyle Chipchura – Brandon Yip
Paul Bissonette

Defensemen
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
Keith Yandle – Michael Stone
Rostislav Klesla – Derek Morris
David Schlemko

Goalies
Mike Smith
Thomas Greiss

2013 Phoenix Coyotes Draft Results 

Phoenix Coyotes Top Prospects

2012-13 Phoenix Coyotes  Player Stats

Some info, stats and video taken from NHL.com’s 30-in-30 series.