Speculation: 2013 - 2014 Season Roster Part 4

[Guest]

I don't think this warrants it's own thread, but am I the only one that thinks this team is going to fall back to earth a bit? I know they have been really good so far, but they are scoring much more than most people would expect from this lineup. The offense from the blueline has been a huge part of the teams success and they are getting scoring throughout their lineup. I'm not saying this is not a playoff team, but I think they will be closer to the wildcard teams than the division leader as the season winds down.

If they get back to playing the defensive style we've seen this team play the past couple of years then I think they can keep winning, but right now I don't see the defensive lapses holding up over the course of the full (long) season.

I didn't follow the Stars when Tip was there, but I do recall there was the season where the team was one of the higher scoring teams in the league and everyone was marveling at how a team like that could be scoring like they were. Are we experiencing a repeat of that now? I think that was a year a lot of Stars had career years offensively so it made sense at the time. I'm curious if they were actually poorer defensively than you would expect from a Tip team, kind of like the Coyotes this year.

 

[Thor Savage]

That said, there are still some guys that could be worth bringing in. Lee Stempniak comes to mind.

I liked Stempniak when he was here . . . . but, the guy wilted in the playoffs. I'd pass at this point.

 

[Tad Mikowski]

I don't think this warrants it's own thread, but am I the only one that thinks this team is going to fall back to earth a bit? I know they have been really good so far, but they are scoring much more than most people would expect from this lineup. The offense from the blueline has been a huge part of the teams success and they are getting scoring throughout their lineup. I'm not saying this is not a playoff team, but I think they will be closer to the wildcard teams than the division leader as the season winds down.

If they get back to playing the defensive style we've seen this team play the past couple of years then I think they can keep winning, but right now I don't see the defensive lapses holding up over the course of the full (long) season.

I didn't follow the Stars when Tip was there, but I do recall there was the season where the team was one of the higher scoring teams in the league and everyone was marveling at how a team like that could be scoring like they were. Are we experiencing a repeat of that now? I think that was a year a lot of Stars had career years offensively so it made sense at the time. I'm curious if they were actually poorer defensively than you would expect from a Tip team, kind of like the Coyotes this year.

while I agree with you on the fact that the defensive side of the game hasn't been great, I disagree that we can't keep up the scoring. OEL has another year of experience under his belt as does Yandle. we finally have a playmaker in Ribeiro and we have a new pp coach that apparently knows what he's doing.

keeping in mind we were pacific division champions 2 years ago as well.

if our defense tightens up and gets to its old ways soon and our key players remain healthy and productive it wouldn't surprise me if we challenge for the Pacific division again.

we have a slew of talent that quite frankly has been a bit underperforming the last couple years, but this year feels like everyone is all in.

so to answer your question. No I don't think we'll slip in the standings our the offensive production, provided everyone competes at this level all year

 

[drgregg]

That said, there are still some guys that could be worth bringing in. Lee Stempniak comes to mind.

Funny, I have been kicking around the idea of Stempniak in my own tiny brain for the last few weeks now. I think he would could potentially be a very good (and cheap) addition.

The offence from the defence is fun and all, but I feel all of the pinching and defencemen behind the opposing goal line is biting us on the ass. I would like to see a winger with some offence added sooner rather than later so that Ribeiro's primary go to passing targets aren't OEL and Yandle. This team needs to seriously tighten up.

 

[Guest]

I guess I am thinking of the 2007-2008 season for the Dallas Stars. That year they scored 242 goals in 82 games (2.95 GPG) and allowed 207 goals (2.52 GAA). That team finished 5th in the West and lost to the Red Wings in 6 games of the Conference Finals when Detroit won the Cup.

The Coyotes have scored 63 goals in 19 games (3.32 GPG) and allowed 58 goals (3.05 GAA) so far this season. Typically those are not the numbers of a team that is 4th in it's conference.

 

[Thor Savage]

The offense from the blueline has been a huge part of the teams success and they are getting scoring throughout their lineup.

In my opinion, this is why all of the talk about trading Yandle needs to go away . . . . permanently. Having both OEL and Yandle makes this team so much better than if it was just OEL. Seems like Yandle has a little Doan in him . . . . takes a while for him to start scoring points.

I also think that despite how often he is injured, Rusty Klesla should not be traded either. This is a playoff team and we will need him.

I think a top 6 LW is the missing piece at this point and realistically we are going to have to trade Runblad or another young offensive defensemen and draft pick(s) to get it.

 

[Guest]

I agree, I am not in favor of trading either Yandle or Klesla. I think the key guys on the Coyotes blueline are Yandle, OEL, Z, Morris and Klesla (pretty obvious I know). The only area where we have flexibility at this point is between Schlemko, Stone and Runblad. I would prefer to keep Stone and I doubt I am alone there, but Schlemko and Runblad are redundant and we all knew that coming in the season.

In response to my past couple of posts, make no mistake about it this feeling is not purely based on the stats. Just looking at the team this year they feel special. All of these come from behind wins and fighting back to tie the game is unlike any Coyotes team in history. However, we have not seen a team this bad on the defensive side of the puck since Tip has been here either. Some of that has been the goaltending at times, but at other times like last night the goaltending makes some huge saves.

One of the posts above made me laugh, paraphrasing it basically said if everyone keeps contributing at the same level as they are now then it will not end. That is an obvious statement, but also common sense tells you that this production will not continue as it usually does not over the course of a season.

I guess I am just cautiously optimistic about the position the Coyotes are in right now.

 

[Tad Mikowski]

I think a top 6 LW is the missing piece at this point and realistically we are going to have to trade Runblad or another young offensive defensemen and draft pick(s) to get it.

This. I'd much rather keep Yandle and let guys like Stone and Gormley come up. ya Rundblad has some great upside, but our blueline is so stacked with guys like Rundblad both at the NHL and AHL levels (currently) that already deserve to be NHL'ers. trading Rundblad + for a top 6 LW seems like the best way to aquire someone without giving up Yandle. i'll admit at the beginning of the lockout season i was for trading Yandle for a #1 center, but now since we have Ribs i dont see Yands as tradeable any more.

 

[Sinurgy]

I don't think this warrants it's own thread, but am I the only one that thinks this team is going to fall back to earth a bit?

I think you're probably right, I don't see how this team can continue to score the way they have been. The good news though is that they are capable of much better defense. So while it's not unrealistic to expect them to offensively come back to earth, it's also not unrealistic to expect them to seriously up their defensive game. Ideally they'll retain some of the scoring touch they've had lately while tightening up there defensive game but even if that doesn't happen, I can still see the switch from offense to defense kind of evening itself out. So I guess in a nutshell I don't think the team is overachieving as much as just skating in bizarro world right now.

 

[drgregg]

I agree, I am not in favor of trading either Yandle or Klesla. I think the key guys on the Coyotes blueline are Yandle, OEL, Z, Morris and Klesla (pretty obvious I know). The only area where we have flexibility at this point is between Schlemko, Stone and Runblad. I would prefer to keep Stone and I doubt I am alone there, but Schlemko and Runblad are redundant and we all knew that coming in the season.

In response to my past couple of posts, make no mistake about it this feeling is not purely based on the stats. Just looking at the team this year they feel special. All of these come from behind wins and fighting back to tie the game is unlike any Coyotes team in history. However, we have not seen a team this bad on the defensive side of the puck since Tip has been here either. Some of that has been the goaltending at times, but at other times like last night the goaltending makes some huge saves.

One of the posts above made me laugh, paraphrasing it basically said if everyone keeps contributing at the same level as they are now then it will not end. That is an obvious statement, but also common sense tells you that this production will not continue as it usually does not over the course of a season.

I guess I am just cautiously optimistic about the position the Coyotes are in right now.

I think you've got it all nailed, every point you made.

 

[Grimes]

I don't think this warrants it's own thread, but am I the only one that thinks this team is going to fall back to earth a bit?

I think there are two ways to look at this. They have gotten a lot of lucky bounces that are going to soon return on the otherside. However, the defense and goaltending has been a little shaky at times. I think that the defense/goaltending will begin to tighten up and instead of 4-3 wins we will begin to see more 2-0 or 2-1 type wins. Either that, or the bounces catch up and the team starts sitting on the 3-4 side of things.

I think the offense has bailed this team out in the first month, despite those two brutal losses. And now Smith is starting to bail the team out (SJ/STL games in particular). It's time for the blue line and the forwards to tighten things up in our end to continue winning. Who knows though, perhaps this is the new team identity and they have found healthy production from two of the top offensive dmen in the league and the growth of guys like Hanzel and Boeds

 

[KG]

I agree with all that's been said, but it's also worth noting we've only had a few games when our defense + Halpern/Hanzal are fully healthy. I think the defense will tighten up and the offense will slow down. That being said, I think we will be scoring more than we're used to. Smith looks really good too. A hot goaltender can take us a long way.

 

[BUX7PHX]

At the same token, assuming every team in the Western Conference has some level of improvement on their defense, and the offense starts to slow down, which team would you prefer to have, given the performance for the first 20% of the season:

Team A: 63 goals for, 58 goals against
Team B: 64 goals for, 46 goals against
Team C: 61 goals for, 38 goals against

Those are large disparities on the number of goals against thus far. If the Coyotes had to play Team B or C in a 7-game series, I'd surmise that the Coyotes would have a tough time winning a series against either of those teams.

For the record, the Coyotes are Team A, Anaheim is Team B and, San Jose is Team C

 

[cobra427]

Looking at the team, our problem is playing solid defense and turning the puck over. These are problems that Tip can fix. Being healthy will help as will more time. If we have a problem, this is a great one to have as Tip is the master at fixing it.

If goal tending were an issue, how do we fix that? Thankfully, Smith is playing well right now and it continuing would not be a surprise. Greiss has been good so far but not many games. I am glad we don't have a goal tending problem. Look at the Blues, as great as they are, how far can Halak carry them, to the finals, not likely..

Scoring has not been an issue. If it was, like in years past, it would be way harder to fix. Yes we can use another top 6 but we can live without it versus trading a Yandle or too many assets for help.

 

[BUX7PHX]

^^^^

I do think that the point is true that we can fix them, but that can be done not only from a style of play standpoint, but also from a player acquisition standpoint, too.

We can still add a bottom 6 player who can play effective minutes from a defensive standpoint and provide success in games and be a team that still stands to gain a top 6 forward closer to the deadline.

Miele, Szwarz, and Brown would all be getting their burn in the minors, and be that much better for it when they are able to step into those roles later through their careers. No D movement necessary for a bottom 6 player at the moment, either.

And sorry about the awfulness of the stats above. I had to use Wikipedia at work (most sports content on websites is banned) instead of flashing back and forth on phone, and the pages are not always updated well. But, the point remains that we are a surprisingly bad defensive team in GA and PK%, and that is not what we obviously expect from a Tippett team.

 

[hbk]

I believe 2 games accounted for 13 goals against. Remove those 2 and it paints a better picture. Still work to do but the sky isn't falling.

 

[cobra427]

^^^^

I do think that the point is true that we can fix them, but that can be done not only from a style of play standpoint, but also from a player acquisition standpoint, too.

We can still add a bottom 6 player who can play effective minutes from a defensive standpoint and provide success in games and be a team that still stands to gain a top 6 forward closer to the deadline.

Miele, Szwarz, and Brown would all be getting their burn in the minors, and be that much better for it when they are able to step into those roles later through their careers. No D movement necessary for a bottom 6 player at the moment, either.

And sorry about the awfulness of the stats above. I had to use Wikipedia at work (most sports content on websites is banned) instead of flashing back and forth on phone, and the pages are not always updated well. But, the point remains that we are a surprisingly bad defensive team in GA and PK%, and that is not what we obviously expect from a Tippett team.

I could see a Fidler helping our bottom 6. It is a question of money though. If we acquire veteran talent, we likely need salary going back the other way, because we can't afford it. Dallas would want draft picks or AHL players for Fidler, not a cap dump back. If so, who would we trade for a Fidler? I don't think he is worth Schlemko for instance. We don't really have a non producing cap dump type player we can trade without hurting our team to get a bottom 6 guy. So, if we have to trade some young talent, and up our payroll, I had rather get a top 6 forward. That would make it easier to include a Moss in the package. Just my thoughts, but I do wonder what strategy DM and Tip are thinking for improvements....

 

[mitch27]

I just wanted to say, I ****ing love this team. No doubt in my mind it's the best team we've had in the desert ever.

 

[Kaibur]

I also think that despite how often he is injured, Rusty Klesla should not be traded either. This is a playoff team and we will need him.

I have been one of the biggest proponents of trading Klesla for the last year or so. He basically only plays about 2/3 of the games he's contracted for. But at this point, I think we keep him for the playoff push and let him walk at year's end. He brings a missing element to the D corps.

As long as they're winning and hanging tough in the playoff rankings, I see no reason to make a personnel change unless they can get really good value.

I've really liked the way they've used the taxi squad of young players and castoffs. Giving Szwarz, Brown, Miele and Lessio spot duty while competing with Yip, Kennedy and Brule for call up time in Portland should keep them all hungry while also keeping guys like Klinkhammer and Chipchura working hard. Previously, Tippett would have inclined toward giving the ice time to the young vets, but this year they've balanced winning with some early season prospect development.

What does Tippett (or the Yotes) need to do to win the Jack Adams this year?

 

[cobra427]

I have been one of the biggest proponents of trading Klesla for the last year or so. He basically only plays about 2/3 of the games he's contracted for. But at this point, I think we keep him for the playoff push and let him walk at year's end. He brings a missing element to the D corps.

As long as they're winning and hanging tough in the playoff rankings, I see no reason to make a personnel change unless they can get really good value.

I've really liked the way they've used the taxi squad of young players and castoffs. Giving Szwarz, Brown, Miele and Lessio spot duty while competing with Yip, Kennedy and Brule for call up time in Portland should keep them all hungry while also keeping guys like Klinkhammer and Chipchura working hard. Previously, Tippett would have inclined toward giving the ice time to the young vets, but this year they've balanced winning with some early season prospect development.

What does Tippett (or the Yotes) need to do to win the Jack Adams this year?

Keep winning and Colorado has to slow down, or Roy will win it...

 

[SniperHF]

Keep winning and Colorado has to slow down, or Roy will win it...

Yeah it seems like basically a requirement for the JA that the team suck beforehand. Only exception to that since the lockout was Bylsma. So I don't put much stock in the award anyway.

I'm not really criticizing Roy since the results are there. But Colorado was sitting on a bucket of talent waiting to put it all together. Sacco was just that bad more so than Roy is all that great.

 

[IPreferPi]

I think the only way for Tippett to have a shot at winning the Jack Adams again is for Phoenix to win the President's Cup - and even then, Colorado would still have to take a major nosedive. That being said, if the Yotes do keep up winning, don't see any reason why Tippett shouldn't finish in the Top 5 at least.

 

[IPreferPi]

Patrick Eaves was just waived by Detroit. If Maloney wants some cheap insurance on our PK, he can certainly pick up a pretty darn good PKer for free now. Definitely would be a speedy compliment to Chipchura and Halpern.

 

[AZviaNJ]

Biggest concerns I see are the following....first 2 are fixable, the last one is a concern:

1. Penalties - dumb > aggressive penalties. This is a big reason for the high SOG and GA totals. The addition of a Fiddler might really help the PK unit, although Halpern has played well. The key is staying out of the box.

2. 4th line play - need to find the right combination to bring more energy and eat up minutes. Chip needs to step-up considerably or play Halpern f/t, then ideally match the right vet (Yip, Kennedy, Brule, Biz) with right youngster (Brown, Lessio, Szwarz, Miele). Biz seemingly has forgotten why he's in the line-up. Trade is an option but always hoping a youngster takes a spot he never relinquishes (eg: Klinkhammer).

3. Injuries - a concern for all teams. While the depth is better than in recent years there is a considerable drop-off from the top 8-9 forwards and 4 dmen.....keeping those guys along with Smitty healthy is critical. Given 8 of them are likely headed to Sochi (Smith, Yandle, OEL, Korpi, Hanzal, Vrbata, Z and Klesla) adds to the concern.

These problems are nominal compared to last year and the fast start is/was critical given the Olympic break.

 

[SniperHF]

Fragile Hanzal and Klesla at the Olympics is gonna give me a heart attack. Would much rather them parked in front of the tv.