By Michael Wifall from Tucson, USA (Kyle Turris getting stick-lifted by Taylor Pyatt) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Courtesy of Elliotte Friedman’s ’30 Thoughts’ column, we now can confirm that Kyle Turris has no interest in playing for the Phoenix Coyotesand may forgo playing this season just to not play in the desert. The New Westminster, BC native baffled the hockey world with his contract demands during the preseason, making it well known that if his organization wants him back, he wants to be paid like a first liner. Some people look for information about a list of online colleges when they want to take sports management classes.

With 19 goals and 46 points through his first 131 games, asking for in excess of $4 million is certainly outrageous. However, Friedman explains that he would sign a decent contract with another club, effectively eliminating any form of offer sheet. GM Don Maloney has a very strategic way of dealing with RFAs, which usually includes signing a reasonable two-year deal north of $2 million. in keeping the second contract low effectively keeps the third contract lower and more reasonable — a must for a cash-strapped, under-budget organization like the Coyotes.

If Turris won’t play for the Coyotes, they can call his bluff and allow him to sit out the entire season which would certainly hinder his development and his unfortunately for the ‘Yotes, his trade value. Turris, in turn, could then lend his talents to some overseas team (against team orders) or just continue to play chicken with the team in hopes of eventually playing in a more hockey-friendly market.

Perhaps he prefers a more-populated arena. Maybe he clashes with coach Dave Tippett. Quite possibly he just doesn’t like his current developmental track. At this point, we really don’t know his thoughts while the mainstream media in Arizona haven’t necessarily aided in finding out; we can only assume with his disdain for Phoenix, he isn’t local to the team or available to the team’s media.

While we remain unsure of his motives, we can take a gander at the teams who might need his services.

The Calgary Flames top the list as they could certainly use a blue-chip center like Turris, but as Friedman notes, they probably don’t have the necessary players to complete a deal. Mikael Backlund would almost certainly be required while both sides likely fail to make such a lateral move. To get a player with the potential of Turris — former 3rd overall pick, right-handed center with size — most teams will need to give up a center prospect of their own. Who has the depth to withstand such a move?

One team that jumps out is the New Jersey Devils, who are short in NHL-caliber centers but long on prospects. Adam Henrique could be a starting point in the Turris sweepstakes coupled with controversial prospect Jon Merrill or even a lesser d-man like Eric Gelinas, Matt Taormina or current-NHLer Mark Fayne. Nevertheless, the Coyotes likely turn that down — especially if they would turn down Backlund — countering with a package that probably includes current third-line center Jacob Josefson plus a first rounder. In other words, the Devils, despite their plethora of prospects, would not be a fit for Turris unless they overpay; in a rebuilding year, they probably pass.

Another option could be the Nashville Predators, who have a history of making early moves in the regular season. Considering they already roster a young core, they could have prospects to spare. Austin Watson along with Charles-Olivier Roussel, Roman Josi or Mattias Ekblom could get the job done. However, due to the uncertainty of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, the Preds likely continue to stockpile their youngsters as a contingency plan. Similar to the Calgary proposal, we’re not sure the Yotes would accept such a deal in any event.

Although we only listed a few organizations who could have interest in Turris, the majority either don’t have enough to offer or probably would pass on trading for an enigma like Turris.

The Coyotes feature solid depth in both goalie and defense prospects, which limits them to wanting high-end forwards in the same mold as Turris. Furthermore, Tippett rarely uses blue-chip offensive prospects, letting Brett MacLean and Viktor Tikhonov go through waivers this past preseason in favor of Kyle Chipchura, Petteri Nokelainen and Patrick O’Sullivan. The team’s brightest offensive chip, Mikkel Boedker, currently centers the team’s fourth line. In other words, if you have a flaw on the defensive side of the puck, you will not play with any regularity in Phoenix.

Which comes back to Turris. Last season, he averaged a whopping 11:16 of ice time despite scoring 11 goals and 25 points over 65 games. While the team didn’t necessarily struggle to score in 2010-2011, they did hold a goal differential of only six. Playing Turris more could have helped that in a positive way provided he didn’t struggle in his own end. Nevertheless, his ice time ranked 22nd on the team with Petr Prucha even seeing more ice time than him — a less-than-ideal spot for a budding forward.

In a very quiet trade market, this pivot stands out as one of the few things to discuss. One thing is almost certain: his holdout will be infamous and may even become it’s own hockey-related verb. Ie. Hope the Leafs sign X before his Turrist his way out of the NHL. As of this writing, that very well could happen.

Earlier today, the Minnesota Wild placed veteran winger Petr Sykora on waivers, leaving this reporter wondering what is next for the Stanley Cup champion.

The Wild brought in the veteran winger to supplement the off-season signing of Czech native Martin Havlat. Much to their disappointment, the plan backfired. An injury plagued season created difficulty in earning a roster spot as Sykora played a meager 14 games in a Wild uniform, managing three points and a minus seven rating.

In his career, both the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins placed the veteran on waivers.  Although signed on a try-out basis, Sykora earned a roster spot during the off-season eliciting higher expectations.

Alan Walsh, his agent, made numerous attempts to showcase Sykora via his twitter account, as Michael Russo of The Star Tribune reported earlier this week. When questioned,  coach Todd Richards responded with:

“Playing [James] Sheppard over Sykora is all about roles, and Sheppard was filling Robbie Earl‘s fourth-line, energy role. “I had a chat with Petr [last week],” Richards said. “And Petr even said the same thing to me — that he doesn’t see himself being an effective fourth-line guy, that where he needs to play is the top two lines.”

For a fair 800,000 who would be willing to take a gamble on him?

The Montreal Canadiens lost winger Andrei Kostitsyn for a substantial amount of time.  A healthy Sykora would be a fine stop gap at a very decent cap hit.  If healthy, there lies a  possibility to play a top six role with the Habs as the injured players make their way back into the roster.  The recall of Mathieu Darche, however, negates most speculation.

The New York Rangers, who desperately need scoring help on the wing, should also consider Sykora when considering his price tag and their available cap space.  Still the Rangers already failed to resign him years ago while he felt very comfortable in Manhatten. Given that situations change all the time in hockey, the possibility of second chance arises for Sykora.

The Penguins need to survive the loss of Chris Kunitz, will miss a significant amount of time so they could be a likely destination.  Callup Luca Caputi needs time to develop his game further, as noted by his recent demotion.

The Phoenix Coyotes should also look at bringing the veteran on board. He would be a nice fit with their new found Czech connection as well as their need for scoring it could be the perfect fit.  He played with Petr Prucha in New York and his UFA status creates a perfect opportunity to solidify a playoff seeding.

The red hot New York Islanders should not be left out of this scenario. With only six true veteran players on the roster and the need for a top six forward, the only cost to the team would be placing a waiver claim.  GM Garth Snow would benefit from such a move, considering it costs no assets.  An experiment worth the risk and early enough to take an alternate route.

If Sykora falters, he can be waived once more with the claiming team only losing waiver priority.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @ACHockeyGuys

Central

• Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune breaks down last night’s 4-3 win over the Red Wings.  Although the Wings received plenty of reinforcements, they still fell short to the Blackhawks.  Tim Sassone of The Daily Herald labeled this game an instant classic.  Rivalry, check.  Physicality, check.  Shootout, check.
• Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch wonders whether the intense off-season workouts set certain players back.  The Maple Leafs used to play golf most of training camp and won cups doing it!
• Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press discusses the merit of the Wings getting a point out of Chicago.  Patrick Kane said, “It’s one of those situations where I still think they’re the team to beat until proven otherwise in the playoffs.” I think Kane underestimates his team.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean profiles GM David Poile and his history within the Predators organization.
• The Blues continue to win by playing strong third periods.  ”And we won all three games,” forward David Backes said. “We haven’t been playing that prevent defense. The only thing you do is prevent yourself from winning. We haven’t been on our heels.”  Four in a row and counting going into tonight’s contest.

Northwest

• The Flames scored last night, but still lost to the Ducks 5-4.  “I’m disappointed in my performance. I feel that way . . . I’d be hard pressed that nobody else does either,” said backup Curtis McElhinney.  Tough luck loss for a team in desperate need of a win.
• Adrian Dater of the Denver Post hosted a mailbag and discussed the nominees for the Jack Adams Award.
• Edmonton defenseman Jason Strudwick parallels the struggles between these Oilers and the Blackhawks.  ”This is not how I anticipated the season going but I am proud of the way the guys have stuck together. I’ve seen teams start shooting each other in the back,” he said.
• Trying to get more scoring out of his team, coach Todd Richards recently broke up his top trio of Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen and Andrew Brunette.
• Mason Raymond won the fastest skater in the Canucks skills competition yesterday.

Pacific

• Despite their rash of injuries and poor placement in the standings, the Ducks rallied to beat the Flames 5-4.  ”We knew what was at stake,” winger Corey Perry said. “We’re looking at the standings. We know what’s going on. It’s up to us. We have to get every point we can.“
• Since breaking the Stars out of a recent funk, goaltender Alex Auld received the opportunity to carry the load in Dallas.
• Interesting quote from coach Terry Murray on the Kings offensive play and in his opinion lacking a star play on LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond.
• The Coyotes field a Czech line, with Petr Prucha leading Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata.  ”That’s really helping our game, because we better understand each other, better know each other. We play a similar game.”
• Manny Malhotra replaced Ryan Clowe on the second line and fits right in with Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove

After a hectic and worrisome summer, the Phoenix Coyotes came into the 2009-2010 season completely revamped.  With a new coach, Dave Tippett, and a new owner, the Coyotes have remodeled their roster, acquiring fourteen of its 25 players in the year 2009.

The new roster has proven to be a successful change, as the Coyotes with 45 games played sit fourth in the Western Conference with 26 wins, and 56 points. They are on pace to shatter the Phoenix Coyotes franchise record, of 95 points (achieved in the 2001-2002 season)*, with a total of 106 points. If the Coyotes want to establish the Coyotes fan support in Arizona, they will need to make the playoffs—and ideally, win the first round. Through half the season, the Coyotes have proven they are a new, rejuvenated team (average age of team is 27.8 years) that can win.

Though attendance has not been outstanding this season at Jobing.com Arena, the Coyotes have posted a great home record (16-6-1), and fared decently on the road (10-8-3). Hopefully the days of 5,000 fans in attendance are gone, as they will need the support to continue winning.

Though the Coyotes dropped their home opener to the Columbus Blue Jackets (2-0), bringing back the White-Out showed how great the momentum and energy can feel when the Coyotes play in front of a nearly sell-out crowd.

The recently larger crowds however are not the only reason behind their success.

Tippett, an ex-Dallas Stars head coach, brought a new look to the way the Coyotes play hockey. Wayne Gretzky, though an amazing player, was not the man to help the Coyotes make the playoffs. In Gretzky’s four years coaching since the lockout, the Coyotes finished 12^th, 15^th, 12^th, and 13^th in the Western Conference.

Their highest point totals reached 83 points in 2007-2008, but Gretzky was never able to bump the Coyotes into the playoffs. Tippett brings a defensive game to the Coyotes, backed by strong goaltending. He has proven thus far that his defense-first, offense-second strategy has been successful. The goaltending of Ilya Bryzgalov and Jason LaBarbera help Tippett’s defensive team philosophy, while the offense has not slowed down.

The Coyotes claimed Bryzgalov, a goaltender who previously won a Cup with the Anaheim Ducks, off waivers in 2007. He instantly succeeded with the Coyotes, playing in 55 games (and winning 26) in his first season.

This year is proving to be an even better season for Russian. He has 23 wins in 38 games with five of those coming by  shutouts, typing him for first in the league for with Martin Brodeur and Ryan Miller. His goals against average, 2.08, has him in third out of forty-seven goaltenders. Goaltending has been one of the biggest issues for the Coyotes over the years, but Bryzgalov looks to change that.

Recently Shane Doan played in his 1000^th NHL game, all with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise. The youth of the team has rejuvenated the thirty-three year old, and his leadership ability has soared. His experience speaks for itself, his point totals haven’t been outstanding in the past, but he has become the reliable, clutch player the Coyotes were hoping he would develop into when they drafted him in 1995.

The veteran sits currently tied with Scottie Upshall with 3 game winning goals. After posting a career high in goals last season (31 goals), it looks like Doan will finish with less goals than that, but fortunately, the Coyotes are no longer relying solely on him for production.

In March of 2009, the team traded Daniel Carcillo to Philadelphia for Upshall and a 2011 draft pick. Carcillo was a fan-favorite in Phoenix for his grit, energy, and dedication he gave to the franchise. The trade seemed ridiculous to both fan bases in Philadelphia and Phoenix; neither have played in a full NHL season as of now, but Upshall had never scored more than 14 goals in a year (in 61 games), whereas Carcillo, an enforcer, had scored 13 goals in 57 games in 2007-2008.

Nevertheless, the trade has proven to be a smart move for the Coyotes. Having played in 41 games this season, Upshall has already tied his career-high in goals, and is six points behind his career-high of 30. He is having a career year and seems to be finally playing to his ability under Tippett**. At only26-years-old, Upshall should have many great seasons left in him, however the left wing will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Another addition in the past year, Matthew Lombardi, has been producing and adding another punch to the offense. He is on pace to finish six goals short of his career high, but his total point total (26 at the half-way point) is on track to become a new career high. Lombardi is an unrestricted free agent next season however, and the Coyotes must look to resign him.

Injuries:

Fortunately for the Coyotes, they have not been hurt by too many injuries this season. Some big name players have been injured this season, but not for long periods of time (Petr Prucha and Ed Jovanovski each missed 4 games). Avoiding injury has been helpful in the Coyotes’ quest for a playoff berth, and remaining healthy will be essential to continue with their current pace.

Olympics:

The Coyotes will have three players — Sami Lepisto, Zbynek Michalek and Bryzgalov — participate in the Olympics in February. Though these men are lucky to compete for their country, the Coyotes left off their respective country’s rosters will have a chance to recuperate, heal any nagging injuries, and relax in the middle of the season.

The first few games after the break will be critical in how each team finishes at the end of the season, but the smaller number of representatives may help the Coyotes in the end. Only three teams have less members participating in the Winter Olympics, and this may prove to be the advantage the Coyotes need.

Free Agents:

Ten players will be free agents after this season, and the Coyotes will look to resign as many as possible. Unrestricted free agents include: Lombardi, Robert Lang, Adrian Aucoin, Michalek, and restricted free agents include: Peter Mueller, Upshall, Martin Hanzal, Daniel Winnik, Paul Bissonnette, and Lepisto.

Michalek appears to be a player that will need to be signed first. He is one of the two alternate captains, one of the top two defenseman (Jovanovski the other).  In 378 games with the Coyotes he produced 26 goals and 81 assists for a total of 107 points. His experience, defensive-ability, leadership, and production cannot be replaced for less money, but his resigning may cost the Coyotes other players. On offense the biggest resigning will be Upshall, who has proven himself to be a successful Coyote. Mueller and Hanzal, both drafted by the Coyotes, have been successful in the past, but seem to be still adjusting to a new system, though the Coyotes should try to resign these two young players if possible.

Playoffs and Future:

If the Coyotes do make the playoffs, their experience may hinder them from going all the way. Between the 45 players (on the Coyotes’ roster with more than five games played this season) only 462 playoff games have been played, however fifteen have some playoff experience.

The Chicago Blackhawks proved last year playoff experience isn’t always necessary as they had 309 combined playoff games, and only ten players had previous playoff experience before making it the Western Conference Finals. The Coyotes must follow in the Hawks’ footsteps.

Ice Edge, a Canadian group that has signed a letter of intent to buy the Coyotes from the NHL, stated they are willing to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona for the long haul, but success is the only factor that will put fans in seats. Without a playoff win this year, the Coyotes may be looking at another tough attendance season next year.

Katlyn Gambill
NHLHS Writer
kgambill@nhlhotstove.com

*Winnipeg Jets finished with 96 points in the 1984-1985 season.
**On January 7, 2010, Scottie Upshall was placed on Injured Reserve.

I am certain that an opinion piece of this nature will upset each team’s fans but these head shots have got to stop.  Of course, we are all hockey fans and love the big hit, some live for it but there needs to be a line drawn with the increasing speed to the game.  These hits need to stop or else hockey becomes a survival of the fittest in which young players stand little chance of establishing a career due to playing scared due to footage from the last gruesome head shot.

While the League’s general managers mull over a rule change, I would like to propose a rule change of my own.  Repeat dirty hits will lead to a permanent suspension from the League.  The OHL instilled a similar rule when they banned Michael Liambas, a notoriously dirty player, from playing in their League following a career ending hit against Ben Fanelli.  This instance marked just another time Liambas made a questionable hit, you cam see another one on first overall pick John Tavares here.  The NHL made a similar move with former NHL pugilist Ryan Hollweg, essentially calling any hit remotely borderline until he played his way out of the league.

The moral of my rant will be that these types of players simply do not deserve a paycheck in the National Hockey League.  A League where the rest of the world comes to play and play for the sport’s greatest trophies.  What kind of message does it send when careers start to end due to these injuries? Do we need Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin seriously injured before we start to see lifetime bans?

My nominees for a lifetime ban…

Patrick Kaleta - Kaleta first comes to mind after a brutal blindside hit to Paul Mara.  The hit came well after the blue liner moved the puck up ice however the right winger committed to a late hit in which he left his feet and subsequently broke Mara’s orbital bone.  This blatant hitting however did not stop with Mara as in the beginning of the year he left his feet to make shoulder-to-head contact with Phoenix Coyote Petr Prucha in October.  Due to a non-call or perhaps just the player’s tendency to skim the line, he delivered another brutal board to Jared Ross of the Flyers.

The 23-year-old recently received a head shot of his own, delivered by the equally dirty Jarkko Ruutu.  The entire city of Buffalo seemed to uproar at the notion of a dirty player allowed to take out one of their own, but in all honesty this instance was a case of a player receiving his just deserts.

One would think getting his proverbial bell rung would stifle his headhunting ways, but it seems like the lesson fell on deaf ears.  Last week, Kaleta comes out of the penalty box to immediately deliver a blind-side head shot to veteran Paul Kariya, a true travesty.  How can the NHL truly allow a player of this caliber to take out a great like Kariya.  The Blues list the veteran as day-to-day with concussion-related symptoms but one has to wonder if this would be the end of a great career due to some punk’s antics.

Jarkko Ruutu – Don’t you worry Sabres fans, Ruutu makes the list as well.  Just four short years ago the Finnish forward drilled Jaromir Jagr with a brutal looking hit during the Olympics.  The hit went unpunished by NHL officials as it took place off of their ice, but he should have been kept on a short leash.

Instead, the 34-year-old continued to play in the League with no punishment.  The veteran not only laid that dirty hit on an unsuspecting Kaleta, but also bit Andrew Peters last year.  I repeat, he bit a guy!  While the Helsinki native continues to antagonize opponents in hopes of instigating a fight or a penalty, he should be sitting at home watching the Senators game.  A player of this caliber with this track record shows no remorse for his actions and his play should not be welcomed in the best League in the world.

Brent Sutter – Sutter has given a lot to this great game of hockey, but his time has come and gone.  The style of play which he deploys dates back to the late seventies with an eye-for-an-eye style where specific players get taken out others in order to benefit your team.  This new NHL where the speed increased dramatically holds little value for head hunting and generally dirty play.

Even if we cannot prove that some of these hits are Sutter’s doing, I find the coincidences baffling.  Sending his own son, Brandon Sutter, to take out Russian star Alexei Cherepanov comes to mind, a blatant charge in which the younger Sutter clearly left his fee in order to commit a head shot not to mention skated the length of the ice to make the hit.  Notice another less than typical hit came from the shoulder of Sutter mercenary Curtis Glencross, where the winger delivered a blind-side head shot to Rangers captain Chris Drury, giving him another concussion.  The puck never even touched Drury’s stick yet Glencross has been trained to hit without attempting to retrieve the puck.

Perhaps the most daunting an thank god not most damaging hit came recently at the hands of Dion Phaneuf.  Similarly, the Flames defenseman took the body instead of looking for the puck when he drilled star center Anze Kopitar into the boards following a rush for the puck. A hit of this caliber warranted a game misconduct but no suspension from the league.  What would happen if this incident crippled Kopitar?

Here is a quote from Anze Kopitar, courtesy of LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond:

“We’re going down for the puck. I’m reaching around, trying to get the puck. He doesn’t even think about the puck. You be the judge if that’s a dirty hit.”

Think of the last time that was said about a hit.  It involved Liambas, who similarly went straight for the hit instead of even attempting to play the pucks.  At this rate repeat offenders need permanent suspensions.  Harsh but true.  Mike Richards, Clarke MacArthur, Chris Pronger be warned, these attempts to injure should not stand.

Now I will take off my commisioner suit and enjoy the rest of this weekend’s hockey.  As always I hope you enjoyed our latest feature. You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the right or clicking on our donate tab at the top.

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-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com