HF Determines the Coyotes Offseason Needs (2018)

[SniperHF]

Did this before, let's do it again. It is the offseason which means canned topic time

Feel free to take (or don't) whether that need is realistically going to be addressed or not in your voting.
FYI the poll is MULTIPLE CHOICE (3 picks)

If something isn't in the poll I can add it, let me know.


Depth Chart:
Center:
Stepan
Galchenyuk (kinda)
Dvorak
Strome
Kruger

LW
Keller
Perlini
Cousins
Crouse


RW
Panik
Fischer
Archibald


LD:
OEL
Goligoski
Chychrun

RD:
Hjlamarsson
Demers


G:
Raanta
Kuemper

Click to read more...

 

[moosemeister]

1) call Thanos
2) ask to borrow time stone
3) draft zadina

 

[Plub]

Definitely a top six winger.

 

[Muppet]

A couple investors with deep pockets.

.. and a winger.

 

[FinnishCoyote]

RHS top six winger and bottom pairing RHD PPQB

 

[DesertDawg]

I still believe that Strome and Galchenyuk will be on the same line. Either with Strome @ LW or Galchunyuk @ RW with the other at center. However they may need a wing. I'm still hoping that the Pens dump Kessel to the Coyotes. That's not likely, but this time of the year, hoping for a long shot!
This team just has so many questions.
Another need is depth on the blueline.

 

[Mosby]

Top line winger for sure. Then you can bump Panik lower in the top 9.

Also voted PP QB, although I think a better description would be a second power play trigger guy. I’m probably comfortable with Oliver and Goose running the first unit.

 

[Matias Maccete]

Two right wingers would be nice. One to push Panik lower, and one to push Archibald out of the lineup.

 

[rt]

Top six winger that can help the PP. Bottom pair RD that can help the PP.

 

[Sleestak Nation]

New rink.

RW.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

My thought process was always get the best players available. Now.. realistically it's what RT said in my mind. The winger and D... Hopefully with pp upside.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

We could bring Rieder back.

 

[jdfitz12]

Glad I dumped my season tix

 

[Mosby]

We could bring Rieder back.

Annoying agent and struggled to adjust to Tocchet’s system.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

Annoying agent and struggled to adjust to Tocchet’s system.

Shoots left but plays on the right side. Do we have 4 better right wings right now?

 

[Summer Rose]

Center depth isn't great but it's acceptable, considering that realistically we aren't going to get an elite center overnight and just have to hope that Strome or Hayton grow into that role. Stepan is a great two-way center who can eat those top line minutes for now.

Wing depth is meh. Panik on the top line is meh. I know the Panik-Stepan-Keller line showed some chemistry in the spring but still, meh. I don't dislike Panik but an upgrade on him to play on that line with Stepan and Keller would make us a much, much better hockey team.

Happy with the top 5 D (OEL, Hjalmarsson, Goligoski, Chychrun, Demers) and praying to every god in existence that Chychrun stays healthy. I think I'll single out Wotan and Erda in particular. I didn't dislike Kevin Connauton by the end of the season anymore but handedness/side doesn't quite stack up to round out the defense. Bottom pairing PP trigger man on the second unit (OEL-Goligoski is fine on the first PP unit) would be immensely helpful. Can Robbie Russo step up? Probably not, he's an AHL guy. Ilya Lyubishkin is a shutdown bruiser so it won't be him either. Too bad David Rundblad didn't pan out, if he had, he'd be perfect for this role.

Goaltending is fine. Kuemper isn't a great goalie but he's the backup. Also praying to Wotan and Erda that Raanta can stay healthy and get around 60 starts this upcoming season.

Coaching staff is fine. They've only got one season under their belt and while the season's start was record-tying futility, they seemed to get their shit together by February. I expected this, but the face-falling was worse than I thought and turnaround time was a little longer than I hoped.

 

[Grimes]

Cody Franson is an upcoming ufa. How would he look on the bottom pair?

I'm actually fine with Panik on the top line, if the chemistry continues there is no reason to tweak it and it helps distribute skill across four lines. Kinda reminds me of Killoron being an asset for TB. But we HAVE to add another top 9 player or Archibald makes the line up. If Archibald can crack our top 9 out of camp we are in a very bad spot.

 

[AZviaNJ]

Annoying agent and struggled to adjust to Tocchet’s system.

and never looked the same after the knee injury.

 

[Mosby]

I don't think Cody Franson is an NHL defenseman anymore.

 

[Summer Rose]

Cody Franson is an upcoming ufa. How would he look on the bottom pair?

I'm actually fine with Panik on the top line, if the chemistry continues there is no reason to tweak it and it helps distribute skill across four lines. Kinda reminds me of Killoron being an asset for TB. But we HAVE to add another top 9 player or Archibald makes the line up. If Archibald can crack our top 9 out of camp we are in a very bad spot.

Franson can't skate worth shit or so I've heard (when I wanted to sign him last offseason).

 

[XX]

Franson can't skate worth **** or so I've heard (when I wanted to sign him last offseason).

Franson is like Schenn if Schenn insisted on staying in the offensive zone way too much. Not really an NHL defender anymore. Trevor Murphy is probably better.

and never looked the same after the knee injury.

Rieder was an excellent little 2 way winger before that, shame what happened.

 

[_Del_]

He could still bounce back, imo. Knee injury, so affected his mobility. Rehab during the summer on a gimp knee doesn't help his cardio. Meantime your confidence and opportunities start to become more limited. I could see how it might cascade a bit and take time to get it all back. Or why it might never come back.

Someone will take a gamble on him if they need a depth player and the price is right.

I think we just were/are in "fresh start" mode though. I don't see a return in the cards especially with Tocchett left "wanting more" before being dealt.

Re: Franson, I don't remember seeing him last year, but he may still get an offer. All third pairing guys get slagged. He happened to be a lucky guy who made the "mistake " of signing a $3M AAV deal, which only amplified criticism when he underperformed. Now his Hfboard groupthink rating is unrecoverable. I know his skating was always an issue, and it has regressed by all acounts, but he's reasonably productive on offense. Someone will like him for a third pairing/7d guy, if he hasn't completely fallenoff.

 

[RemoAZ]

Rieder was good until the team tried to make him something he isn't, a top six winger. The knee injury had zero to do with that. He's a good 4th line PKer that can pitch in a few points. Sure if you force feed him offensive minutes he'll score a bit more but that's a lose-lose. You take him away from what he's good at to make him a below average top sixer. On a good team he's an excellent addition if he and the team accept him for what he is. I doubt his agent lets that happen though.

 

[_Del_]

I don't know. He definitely wasn't fullspeed. He had decent straight-line speed, but his acceleration was not what it was. So much of his game was suddenly creating separation or closing the gap with his skating. That wasn't happening last year.

But I do agree he was always a complimentary player. A good one, who was asked to play too high in the lineup. Tipp thought he was perfect because he was all about the defensive pick and a breakaway. When asked to play inside the circles by Tocchett, it's night and day. I don't think either was happy with the other.

 

[SniperHF]

So of the popular responses, the Coyotes have covered the bottom pairing D and middle six/winger.

From all appearances they tried to go for a top line winger.
Haven't really addressed the PP situation further.

What's left out there that's interesting? Was Grabner the backup plan to JVR or would we have signed both?