Can the Coyotes afford a proper rebuild?

[Tak7]

Was listening to Maloney on the radio this morning - openly admitting his team is in rebuild mode for this season.

My question is can the Coyotes afford a proper, full, multi-year rebuild?

It's well known that the Coyotes aren't a huge, popular draw in Arizona.

Would bottoming out and being an awful team for, say, 3-5 years, just hurt the Yotes to the point where the few fans that do come now, don't come back?

I'm not at all familiar with the dynamics of the Arizona hockey market so thought I would inquire

Thanks in advance

Click to read more...

 

[KG]

At this point there's really no choice anyway. And now is the best time with new ownership.

The struggles with the fanbase have been well-documented over the years. Only way to improve it is through a winner. During 2012, lots of people were talking about the team. There was even a large Coyotes banner on Sky harbor's control tower for the whole playoff run, you could see it from the highway.

 

[XX]

A five year rebuild? No. Two years of uncertainty about how a young roster will produce? Absolutely.

It's possible McDavid or Eichel, in combination with the youth in the system, would secure the future of the team in the valley.

 

[Mosby]

We have 2 key phases coming up. First is the trade deadline. Second is the draft. What occurs over those 2 phases will determine which side of the ledger we land on: reload or rebuild. With the right moves at the deadline and a little lotto luck, this is a reload.

 

[SniperHF]

Not to mention bringing in some needed skill and an improving roster will allow new fans to grow with the team. Obviously the majority will hop on once they are good already. But having some exciting talent on the roster will attract more eyeballs then this travesty ever could.

Andrew had it right in that there really isn't another option anyway.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Would bottoming out and being an awful team for, say, 3-5 years, just hurt the Yotes to the point where the few fans that do come now, don't come back?

The fans who go to the games have been through nearly a decade of the worst that hockey and economics have thrown at us, so there will be few who decide to stay home if they believe that there is a sincere effort to make the team better.

The fact that this team could not really suck any worse, and yet we're seeing a higher average attendance this year than last, keeps me optimistic.

 

[goyotes]

I think they can afford a two year rebuild. I also don't think there would be a suitable relocation site should the ownership want to exercise the "out" clause, and I think ownership knows that now. They are banking on expansion fees to pay back loses going forward. I think ownership wants to create a stable organization, and believes that if they can match what the Ducks, Kings and Sharks have been able to do over the years, that from a financial standpoint, the organization will be just fine.

I used to be more concerned that a rebuild would go hand in hand with timing to exercise and out clause, but I no longer see that as ownership's play here. And, I would not be at all surprised if the Coyotes aren't working on purchasing an AHL team to move to Prescott in a year or two. Once that happens, the team is even more firmly entrenched in Arizona.

I see a rebuild as a good thing long term. I also think GMDM can pull off trades to help that happen. And starting last year, we have shown some ability to make good draft decisions.

Now if we could stop beating teams like the Leafs and get one of those two bottom slots for the draft....

 

[The Grocery Stick]

I think they can afford a two year rebuild. I also don't think there would be a suitable relocation site should the ownership want to exercise the "out" clause, and I think ownership knows that now. They are banking on expansion fees to pay back loses going forward. I think ownership wants to create a stable organization, and believes that if they can match what the Ducks, Kings and Sharks have been able to do over the years, that from a financial standpoint, the organization will be just fine.

I used to be more concerned that a rebuild would go hand in hand with timing to exercise and out clause, but I no longer see that as ownership's play here. And, I would not be at all surprised if the Coyotes aren't working on purchasing an AHL team to move to Prescott in a year or two. Once that happens, the team is even more firmly entrenched in Arizona.

I see a rebuild as a good thing long term. I also think GMDM can pull off trades to help that happen. And starting last year, we have shown some ability to make good draft decisions.

Now if we could stop beating teams like the Leafs and get one of those two bottom slots for the draft....

Did you see there is a 5 team expansion going into Cali? I was wondering if that might mean a Coyote affiliate over there in the future. What leads you to believe Prescott?

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=750864&navid=nhl:topheads

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Did you see there is a 5 team expansion going into Cali? I was wondering if that might mean a Coyote affiliate over there in the future. What leads you to believe Prescott?

John Shannon at Sportsnet tweeted that the second stage of western minors expansion would likely include Boise and Prescott.

I really doubt, though, that the Coyotes are going to purchase a minor-league team, at least in the short term.

 

[Sinurgy]

Edmonton rebuild, no. Islanders rebuild, yes.

 

[BUX7PHX]

I don't think that the team would bottom out for 3-5 years, given that there is some talent in juniors and the AHL that can still blossom for the Coyotes.

Getting either McDavid or Eichel will generate interest. Getting Matthews in 2016 will have a bigger effect, IMO, due to the "hometown kid" idea.

If we get McDavid and Matthews, the fan base will pick up exponentially, even if the on-ice product is a little lackluster. I don't expect that to stay the same for long, though. Imagine a team with the following players in 3 years:
McDavid
Matthews
Domi
Perlini
Dvorak
OEL
Murphy
Gormley

That group of 8 players should generate quite a bit of interest, and we have yet to know the fates of players like Rieder, Stone, Karlsson, Visentin, Domingue, Langhamer, LaPlante, and quite a few others...

 

[AZviaNJ]

I think they can afford a two year rebuild. I also don't think there would be a suitable relocation site should the ownership want to exercise the "out" clause, and I think ownership knows that now. They are banking on expansion fees to pay back loses going forward. I think ownership wants to create a stable organization, and believes that if they can match what the Ducks, Kings and Sharks have been able to do over the years, that from a financial standpoint, the organization will be just fine.

I used to be more concerned that a rebuild would go hand in hand with timing to exercise and out clause, but I no longer see that as ownership's play here. And, I would not be at all surprised if the Coyotes aren't working on purchasing an AHL team to move to Prescott in a year or two. Once that happens, the team is even more firmly entrenched in Arizona.

I see a rebuild as a good thing long term. I also think GMDM can pull off trades to help that happen. And starting last year, we have shown some ability to make good draft decisions.

Now if we could stop beating teams like the Leafs and get one of those two bottom slots for the draft....

^^^
I agree with every word of this post.

I believe (hope) this will be the worst year. They started this season as the 8th oldest team in the NHL. but only a few months from being 2nd oldest, and over a year older than LA and Anaheim. Next year, they'll be considerably younger and more fun to watch....but probably not a much better. With the right leadership guidance the ship should turn.

 

[Plub]

Was listening to Maloney on the radio this morning - openly admitting his team is in rebuild mode for this season.

My question is can the Coyotes afford a proper, full, multi-year rebuild?

It's well known that the Coyotes aren't a huge, popular draw in Arizona.

Would bottoming out and being an awful team for, say, 3-5 years, just hurt the Yotes to the point where the few fans that do come now, don't come back?

I'm not at all familiar with the dynamics of the Arizona hockey market so thought I would inquire

Thanks in advance

They have no choice. They have to do a full rebuild. However, I don't think we will need 3-5 years to correct it. A year or two and we should be competitive again.

 

[fuswald]

They have no choice. They have to do a full rebuild. However, I don't think we will need 3-5 years to correct it. A year or two and we should be competitive again.

Deleted. Obvious oiler management fail comment.

 

[Tak7]

So, just to summarize what most people are saying here and to make sure I understand:

1 - A short term rebuild (2-3 years) would be OK and manageable, but a long term rebuild could be potentially catastrophic to the market / team?

2 - A long term rebuild isn't necessarily even needed? 2-3 years of bottoming out and the team can become competitive again?

 

[Desert Ice 11]

So, just to summarize what most people are saying here and to make sure I understand:

1 - A short term rebuild (2-3 years) would be OK and manageable, but a long term rebuild could be potentially catastrophic to the market / team?

2 - A long term rebuild isn't necessarily even needed? 2-3 years of bottoming out and the team can become competitive again?

1 -Owner doesn't care, he want's a long term competitive team. Short term loss for long term gain. 5 years in manageable.

2- If the Coyotes get some "luck" and get McDavid this rebuild will not be 5 years. However, this team might be able to manage a quick rebuild with Marner/Strome then Mathews.