Phoenix Coyotes' Adrian Aucoin (33) clobbers San Jose Sharks' John McCarthy (43) in the third period of a preseason NHL hockey game Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, in Glendale, Ariz. Aucoin was charged with a roughing penalty, but the Coyotes defeated the Sharks 2-1.Ross D. Franklin
The Phoenix Coyotes were in the midst of a whistle stop tour of Alberta Tuesday, before heading overseas to open the NHL season against the Boston Bruins in the Czech Republic; and a lot of people really don't know what to make of them, one year after their unexpected Cinderella climb up the ladder. Many had the Coyotes pegged for 15th in the Western Conference a year ago; they ended up fourth and pushed the Detroit Red Wings to seven games in a riveting opening-round series. Much of the off-ice angst still exists - no owner in place, other than the NHL; consistent rumours that they will be Winnipeg-bound if the situation doesn't improve soon.
Collectively, the Coyotes' players and staff did an excellent job of playing through the distractions last year - and based on nothing more than a casual walk through the dressing room this morning - it looks as if they will manage that again. Shane Doan's family was down from Halkirk for a visit; Ilya Bryzgalov, who is scheduled to be on the bench tonight against Calgary, was his usual glib self in an informal chat in the corridor. Coach Dave Tippett was the same as always - demanding and ultra-positive. For years, the Coyotes team was picked mostly by default, with a comparatively shallow talent pool to draw from. This time around? It's trickier, given that a trio of youngsters - Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker and Viktor Tikhonov - are all a year older and closer to making an NHL contribution, which they weren't last year.
And so, they went to the minors - and in Tikhonov's case, back to Russia - for more development and Tippett now sees a definite year-over-year change. "I know it was challenging for them to be down there," Tippett said, "but they're much better players for it. They're knocking on the door right now. It's a great situation for our team to be in. We didn't have that last year. This year, we have four or five players that realistically could come in and knock a veteran out of a job."
That hinges partly on finance, although Tippett suggested the dollars will not ultimately dictate who he chooses to keep - and who he chooses to send down. "That's hard to do with contracts," Tippett said, "but we're going to end up with the best team we can possibly be. It might not be in the last week of September; it might be in the second week of November, but these guys have played well in camp. It's a positive sign."
One rookie who might crack the lineup: Swedish defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a 6-2 skilled defenceman from Leksand and the sixth overall pick in the 2009 entry draft, who has been turning heads since his arrival. If Ekman-Larsson can crack the lineup, then defence will be a strong suit again, with emerging star Keith Yandle ably supported by a veteran cast that includes Ed Jovanovski, Derek Morris and Adrian Aucoin. The Coyotes won't catch anybody by surprise this season. With the kids coming up and the solid nucleus of vets in place, maybe the only surprise is they could be more than just one-year wonders. If Winnipeg ever lands them, they might have the best team in Canada right off the hop.