Rate the Coyotes Off-season - On Ice Only

[SniperHF]

So since it's basically zzzZZZzz time out of the Coyotes camp right now, I don't think we ever did this.

Rate the off-season hockey moves for the Coyotes. Leave the organizational moves out of it for now 1-10, 10 being the best.

IN:
Alex Goligoski (5Yr 5.5AAV)
Radim Vrbata (1 year 1M + Bonuses)
Dave BOLLAND (Insured)
Lawson Course (ELC)
Luke Schenn (2 Yr 1.25AAV)
Jamie McGinn (3Yr 3.33AAV)
Anthony Deangelo (ELC)
Pavel Datsyuk's Contract ("Retiring")

Re-sign/extended
Michael Stone (1 Yr 4M)
Connor Murphy (6 Yr 3.85AAV)
Shane Doan ( 2.5M + Bonuses)
Klas Dahlbeck (1Yr - 750K)
Louis Domingue (2Yr - 1M AAV)


OUT:
Antoine Vermette (Buyout)
Joe Vitale (Trade)
Maxim Letunov (Trade)


Picks traded for assets:
20th Overall (2016)
53rd Overall (2016)
5th round draft pick (2016)
3rd round draft pick (2017)
Conditional 2nd round draft pick (2017)



Tobias Rieder

Contracts Expired:
Kyle Chipchura
Jiri Sekac
Sergei Plotnikov
Nicklas Grossmann
Steve Downie
Alex Tanguay
Boyd Gordon
Viktor Tikhonov
Anders Lindback

Click to read more...

 

[rt]

I'm not going to rate them but I'll say that each actual player move they've made so far has ranged from acceptable to really exciting. I've been okay with everything and happy with most things. I've yet to be disappointed with a player move (at least disappointment worthy of being mentioned) this off-season.

 

[Ebb]

I went with a 7.

We've made some nice changes, but didn't really fix as many of our gaps as I'd hoped we would.

Gaps we didn't fill:

• #1 LW, C, and RW (I didn't figure we'd get any of those this off-season)
• 2 RHSs (hopefully the kids will earn these spots)
• that elusive #1 RHD

 

[Matias Maccete]

9

We added solid players to the big club without sacrificing our future, and in fact added to our prospect pool. Only thing holding it back from a 10 would be adding another top 4 D or a center to take some pressure off of strome and dvo. Both of those are hard to acquire though, and we did get one very good dman.

 

[cobra427]

We eliminated 150+ penalty minutes, 93 of which was Vermette, all good IMHO. We were the most penalized team in the NHL last year, had the third worst PK%, and too many short handed goals. We have addressed that by signing Gogo, but I am not sure we have done enough. Obviously, Bods not on the point will help. If we could be middle of the pack in this area, it would be a huge improvement. We lost Gordon which I don't think helps our PK.

Anyway, better than expected off season so far, give it a 8.

 

[Decoyote]

I went with an 8 and almost went with 9.

Restocked the D prospect cupboard, added some great young prospects that seem close to contributing and greatly improved the blueline by filling the most glaring hole at 2LD. Adding competition for the bottom pairing is good. I liked all of the deals for the RFA's. Most of those players they let walk are addition by subtraction

I didn't like the Vermette buyout but if they really didn't think he could rebound then I get it. He was terrible last year. A 50% retained Vermette still should have been worth something worthwhile in trade.

This preseason would be a 10 if 1RD was addressed.

 

[Guest]

The things that push it over a 5 (average) for me would be that we are 1) a better team today than the end of the season, 2) we specifically addressed a hole with Gogs. If the moves projected us to be a playoff team or filled additional holes I would have given an 8.

I'm the type of person that doesn't believe a perfect 10 exists, silly I know. So that really puts my realistic scale at a max of 9. If they had turned around and somehow turned this team into a contender (unrealistic I know), then I would have given a 9.

 

[_Del_]

I went seven. We made a lot of moves I don't particularly like, but that were definitely defensible. I didn't like the Goligoski trade, but we didn't give up much, and we convinced him to sign. Hate the Letunov trade. Wanted Logan Brown over Keller. Didn't like the Datsyuk move, but we did get a good prospect out of it. Not a fan or believer in DeAngelo and would not have picked him up, but the cost wasn't terrible. Not as high on Crouse as some, but that was a good move anyway you slice it unless Bolland decides he's healthy enough to play next year. Cutting Vermette still baffles me. For a team that says it wants to be a playoff team and said they were going to spend more money, I'm not overly impressed, but even the deals I don't like aren't clearly bad moves. So that's oddly comforting.

The good is that we added some good young guys who may pan out. We added Goligoski which was great. McGinn and Schenn add some weight. Vrbata is a plug, but we needed a rw. Feel better with him than without. Most importantly is what we didn't do. We didn't do anything stupid. We didn't strip the cupboards of youth to make a meaningless stab at the playoffs. Haven't brought back any of the Tippett crutches. That's positive enough to get a seven from me.

 

[Grvmnd]

I went 9. Pretty impressed really. We should be a better team with mcginn, gogo, white, vrbata (his shootout move alone is worth 1 mil), and schenn. If the steady infusion of youth doesn't bomb we could definitely compete for a spot.

 

[ck26]

Only two things I don't like about this off-season is Rieder's situation and the drafting of Keller at 7, with the caveat that I'm thrilled walking away from the draft with Keller + Chychrun + DeAngelo + Dineen.

Goligoski will polarize, same as Yandle, but he'll score and he won't break down. All the contracts are good term and good price and generally good deals. Murphy's deal might be amazing.

9/10

 

[hbk]

Keller'sand DeAngelo's skill make it an A selection in draft. Creativity to get a top 4D prospect in Chychrun and stud power forward in Crouse and they signed the top blueline UFA out there in Goligoski. It's about as good of an off season as we could have expected.

 

[SniperHF]

Personally I'm not considering the actual picks in the draft in my rating. I think that's a different thing. I'm looking at the horse trading, signings, and who wasn't retained.

 

[PhoPhan]

I went with a 7. Chayka has improved this team in the present and future despite some difficult circumstances, but he was fairly conservative in doing so.

 

[hbk]

Personally I'm not considering the actual picks in the draft in my rating. I think that's a different thing. I'm looking at the horse trading, signings, and who wasn't retained.

I get not factoring in Keller selection although some would say we went slightly off the board. I had Brown circled on my list but Keller was a statement pick by the organization.

That being said the creativity in the Chychrun selection should be factored in as well as the buy low strategy on DeAngelo.

 

[airbus220]

Only thing holding it back from a 10 would be adding another top 4 D or a center to take some pressure off of strome and dvo. Both of those are hard to acquire though, and we did get one very good dman.

Always have to keep the expansion draft in mind, wouldn't be good to add guys who might be lost in the draft. But adding top 4 D could be possible after the expansion draft, Vegas might have to trade 6 D, they can't keep all. Then it's the time to get an top 4 D, even from a division rival, need to offer a good forward.

 

[Grvmnd]

I went with a 7. Chayka has improved this team in the present and future despite some difficult circumstances, but he was fairly conservative in doing so.

Trading for goligoski rights and getting him signed before free agency is the opposite of conservative. Moving up to get chychrun and trading for deangelo were both aggressive moves.

 

[Kaibur]

9, but I also included the draft maneuvers in my consideration.

Last offseason, I wondered aloud if we should maybe "switch horses midstream" in the rebuild and go with a "gunslinger", since we weren't being that aggressive in acquiring prospects and picks. I was genuinely concerned when they fired Maloney that they would abandon the rebuild altogether. Instead, they've done an excellent job maximizing our cap space to acquire young talent that fits with the other core prospects in our pool and adding quality veteran support.

I'm not sure that this is the year we get over the hump, but the future certainly looks very promising.

 

[Jakey53]

Keller'sand DeAngelo's skill make it an A selection in draft. Creativity to get a top 4D prospect in Chychrun and stud power forward in Crouse and they signed the top blueline UFA out there in Goligoski. It's about as good of an off season as we could have expected.

If any poster proposed that this would happen this off season, I think we would have rolled our eyes. Call me crazy, but the Crouse trade really excites me as this is the type of player this team needed very badly. If he can develop a little mean strike, he could be one scary player.

 

[Mosby]

8/10. RHD still needs addressing, particularly if not acquiring Dougie Hamilton was a key reason for Maloney's firing. Not sure we're done yet either. I'd keep an eye on Shattenkirk and Trouba.

 

[Jakey53]

I went seven. We made a lot of moves I don't particularly like, but that were definitely defensible. I didn't like the Goligoski trade, but we didn't give up much, and we convinced him to sign. Hate the Letunov trade. Wanted Logan Brown over Keller. Didn't like the Datsyuk move, but we did get a good prospect out of it. Not a fan or believer in DeAngelo and would not have picked him up, but the cost wasn't terrible. Not as high on Crouse as some, but that was a good move anyway you slice it unless Bolland decides he's healthy enough to play next year. Cutting Vermette still baffles me. For a team that says it wants to be a playoff team and said they were going to spend more money, I'm not overly impressed, but even the deals I don't like aren't clearly bad moves. So that's oddly comforting.

The good is that we added some good young guys who may pan out. We added Goligoski which was great. McGinn and Schenn add some weight. Vrbata is a plug, but we needed a rw. Feel better with him than without. Most importantly is what we didn't do. We didn't do anything stupid. We didn't strip the cupboards of youth to make a meaningless stab at the playoffs. Haven't brought back any of the Tippett crutches. That's positive enough to get a seven from me.

How do you know they were DT's crutches? Just read that Calgary invited Grossman to camp, so maybe DM is more to blame than DT.

 

[Jakey53]

8/10. RHD still needs addressing, particularly if not acquiring Dougie Hamilton was a key reason for Maloney's firing. Not sure we're done yet either. I'd keep an eye on Shattenkirk and Trouba.

Rome wasn't build in a day.

 

[rt]

8/10. RHD still needs addressing, particularly if not acquiring Dougie Hamilton was a key reason for Maloney's firing. Not sure we're done yet either. I'd keep an eye on Shattenkirk and Trouba.

Yes. I'm reserving judgement until I see how Rieder is handled and how well Chayka/Tippett fare in their firs blockbuster (if we do trade for a 1RD this summer). If Rieder is quietly signed and no huge trade for a top D occurs, than I'm comfortable eating serious crow and admitting me that they've done a great job. If they don't fix the Rieder problem and he ends up in Russia, and then they blow way too many assets in a losing trade for Shattenkirk or Trouba, I'll say they've done a very poor job this summer. Too much remains to be seen. If we hit open ending night, and Rieder is settled and we haven't lost a big trade, im. happy.

 

[PhoPhan]

I think the RHD situation will be addressed during the season.

 

[cobra427]

How do you know they were DT's crutches? Just read that Calgary invited Grossman to camp, so maybe DM is more to blame than DT.

The DT crutch narrative. Can we all realize the old crusty vet signings/trades of Chip/Moss/Grossman etc... were DM's decisions. Tip didn't have much say so in those decisions according to the way DM made decisions and the new group think. This year, Tip obviously has tons of say so, maybe final say so on signings and trades. It seems to me like the youth movement is continuing. Maybe Verby is a Tip crutch but we were desperate for an RW. You have to give Tip/Chayka credit or blame for every decision so far this year. So far so good to me.

To land a 1RHD, we will have to trade assets that will sting, so be ready if that happens.

 

[_Del_]

The DT crutch narrative. Can we all realize the old crusty vet signings/trades of Chip/Moss/Grossman etc... were DM's decisions. Tip didn't have much say so in those decisions according to the way DM made decisions and the new group think.

I can provide actual quotes saying that Tippett approached DM about resigning Dave Moss after he went overseas. Are you suggesting that everyone lied at the time? Your post sounds like post hoc speculation.