2009-2010 record: 50-25-7 (107 points)
Lost to Detroit in the 1st round 4-3
Captain: Shane Doan
Alternate captains: Ed Jovanovski
3 players to watch: The playoff hopes for Phoenix begin with the man in net: Ilya Bryzgalov. The Vezina Trophy finalist has really found his game since coming to Phoenix in the middle of the 2008-2009 season. He will be asked to provide solid goaltending once again. Mid-season acquisition Lee Stempniak was a revelation, rediscovering the game he lost in Toronto. The question here is which Stempniak will show up: the one that looked lost in Toronto or the one who was on a torrid scoring stretch in Phoenix? Kyle Turris was rushed to the NHL and like many rookies, looked lost most of the time. A year in the minors has him ready to try again at the NHL level. Look for him to make a bigger impact this time around.
Things to look for: Goal scoring was spread out evenly, but pretty scarce. This isn't necessarily an indictment of the team's lack of offense, but the Coyotes tried addressing this beginning in mid-season, acquiring Stempniak and Wojtek Wolski. The search for offense continued in the offseason, with the Coyotes signing Ray Whitney to a deal. Expect Wolski and Whitney to provide near or above last year's numbers. It would also help if Shane Doan can rebound from a down year, as he failed to reach 20 goals last year. The blue line is in good shape, with Ed Jovanovski and Keith Yandle holding down the top two spots, and the group as a whole was good, helping the team to a third overall ranking in goals allowed. Of course, it also helps that Bryzgalov is in net, too. The kids who were rushed to the Coyotes two seasons ago (Turris, Mikkel Boedker, Mikhail Tikhonov) were sent down before last season, and all three will be better for it in the long run. Throw in Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the blue line, and the Coyotes look like they will have a lot to look forward to this season and beyond.
Prediction: 6th in the West
Song: Firewind-Head Up High
There are many reasons for the Coyotes to have their head up high. A bright future on the ice in the face of an uncertain future off of it, the Coyotes don't appear to be fazed by much.
No comments:
Post a Comment