In the News...

There were many things going on in the NHL, with a trade, coaching announcements, and a new captain all being on the ledger. For at least half of those announcements, the Arizona Coyotes were at the center of them, so let's get caught up.

First, the trade, and the Arizona Coyotes acquired Dave Bolland and Lawson Crouse from the Flordia Florida Panthers in exchange for a third round pick in next year's draft and a conditional second round pick in 2018. For Florida, they get a little cap space after clearing Bolland's contract off the books, but it comes at the cost of a player with power forward potential in Crouse. Of course, there is the matter of getting Jonathan Huberdeau signed to a long-term deal, and the pipeline is still fairly strong, and given the glut of forwards, somebody had to be moved to get Bolland moved. For Arizona, they've announced that Bolland is unlikely to play for the forseeable future, meaning that his contract is likely nothing more than a way to stay above the cap floor beyond this season, as both Chris Pronger and Pavel Datsyuk's contracts come off the books after the season. Crouse offers a power forward option for a Coyotes team that is likely going to be in need of it once guys like Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and Dylan Strome all either make the roster or make a bigger impact.

The Coyotes were also in the news for coaching announcements, as they hired Mike Van Ryn, Steve Potvin, and Dawn Braid to be a part of their coaching staff. The last name on that list is significant because Braid becomes the first female to have a full-time coaching spot on an NHL roster, as she will be the skating coach. Her credentials include consulting gigs with Anaheim, Toronto, Calgary, and Buffalo, and was the director of skating development at Athletes Training Center in Mississauga, ON, where one of the clients included John Tavares. Van Ryn will be the development coach while Potvin becomes the skills coach.

The other coaching announcement involves the Colorado Avalanche, who hired Jared Bednar away from the now Cleveland Monsters to be their head coach. A lifelong minor leaguer in his playing days, Bednar achieved success in both the ECHL and AHL levels, coaching the Carolina Stingrays to a championship, as well as coaching in Peoria and in the Columbus Blue Jackets' system with both Springfield and then-Lake Erie, winning a title with Lake Erie last season. It will be up to Bednar to do what neither Joe Sacco nor Patrick Roy could do, and that is build up a credible defense, something that he should have familiarity with, as he was a defenseman in his playing days.

Last bit of news is the captaincy, and one spot is now spoken for, as the St. Louis Blues announced that Alex Pietrangelo will be replacing David Backes as captain starting next season. The decision is the right one, as Pietrangelo has grown into an all-around defender who certainly has the potential to be even better as he enters his prime years.