Injury Report: Schmaltz Placed on IR, (UPD: Out for remainder of season).

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

Our new goal song

 

[Mosby]

There better be Jack Hughes at the end of this long, shitty road.

 

[rt]

There better be Jack Hughes at the end of this long, ****ty road.

He’ll look great on our IR.

 

[CNYCrunchfan1]

What do you mean eggshell bodies? The ONLY one is Raanta, and we don't even know if his injury was a recurring injury. "Built to break"?

Ok Mr expert, everyone else is wrong and your always right...ok got it. Expect the same injury problems next year without changes. This team as built can't withstand a full season. I dont want to even think about playoff physicality.

 

[Muppet]

Next season we'll get Raanta, Schmaltz, Demers, Dvo and Grabner back, but we'll lose OEL, Keller and Galchenyuk. That's just the way it is.

 

[RemoAZ]

That's why I didn't want us to squeak into the playoffs. We'll get murdered when the skill and physicality are at playoff level. We started the season even softer than last year and the butter keeps getting warmer.

 

[CNYCrunchfan1]

I think he means that the "new" NHL encourages small, lithe players rather than big, bruising, thick-bodied players who can hit and take hits. And he wouldn't be too wrong, to be fair. The speed and skill game that Tocchet and his ilk employ doesn't work with guys sporting grinder bodies.

More or less yes. Only add is Ive seen teams out speed (or work) us with bigger guys plenty of times. Im not talking bruisers but more physically sturdy slightly less fast guys who can still play fast enough. Speed is useless without enough skill to do something with it.

 

[BigMac1212]

And Chicago is laughing for the trade. Typical.

 

[johnchayka89]

And Chicago is laughing for the trade. Typical.

The Chicago fans turned on Schmaltz pretty quick... They think Strome is their savior.

 

[BigMac1212]

The Chicago fans turned on Schmaltz pretty quick... They think Strome is their savior.

Being a Phoenix-area sports fan is rarely fun.

 

[Jakey53]

That's why I didn't want us to squeak into the playoffs. We'll get murdered when the skill and physicality are at playoff level. We started the season even softer than last year and the butter keeps getting warmer.

If we "squeak" into the playoffs, that would be fine with me. Once a team gets in you never know what happens, but I would love to find out.

 

[cobra427]

If we "squeak" into the playoffs, that would be fine with me. Once a team gets in you never know what happens, but I would love to find out.

Exactly just get in first. The playoff experience will do more to develop players than almost anything else. Any team can sneak in and have a hot goalie and win a round or two.

 

[Mosby]

Yet again a player is week to week then out for the year all of a sudden. Our team doctors are either negligent or incompetent.

 

[MIGs Dog]

Yet again a player is week to week then out for the year all of a sudden. Our team doctors are either negligent or incompetent.

I think it has more to do with trying to get a player back in action and not end their season prematurely. What happens is a player experiences an injury that's borderline between requiring surgery and/or 100% rest, or responding to treatment that will return them to action. Doesn't mean that surgery will not be required eventually; there are numerous players in the league right now playing with injuries that will require post-season surgery.

The team doctors evaluate the player and try doing treatments for a number of days. If the injury responds enough they return to action, if not they end their season.

If you or I had the same injury the prognosis would be more immediate, but for pro athletes they try all options before accepting the unavoidable solution.

 

[RemoAZ]

If we "squeak" into the playoffs, that would be fine with me. Once a team gets in you never know what happens, but I would love to find out.

I'd much rather have a shot at a better draft pick. Not that we will actually pick the right player and develop him but at least a shot to get lucky is better than getting destroyed in the first round. This team doesn't have the talent or make up to even be interesting in the playoffs.

 

[MIGs Dog]

I'd much rather have a shot at a better draft pick. Not that we will actually pick the right player and develop him but at least a shot to get lucky is better than getting destroyed in the first round. This team doesn't have the talent or make up to even be interesting in the playoffs.

I vote playoffs over draft pick. Playoffs also mean more revenue and might spur a potential new owner to make the leap.

But being realistic...we are much closer to 31 than 16.

 

[Name Nameless]

The season of ‘what could have been!’ Maybe it’s for the best. See where we end up at the end of the year. Send hill back to Tucson and split time between pickard and Darcy. Best one is the backup to raanta next season.

Hill needs to go back is quickly as possible before his agent gets clever ideas about a really expensive extension.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I'd much rather have a shot at a better draft pick. Not that we will actually pick the right player and develop him but at least a shot to get lucky is better than getting destroyed in the first round. This team doesn't have the talent or make up to even be interesting in the playoffs.

I'd personally prefer playoffs. We need to get this franchise back into the Valley conversation for something other than ownership drama. Right now, the value of a draft pick for us is pretty low, unless it's a lottery pick - and I don't think we're quite bad enough to be in the lottery this year (and if we were, I doubt our luck will allow us to win one). Our biggest need in the draft is organizational depth rather than a star player - we have a buttload of D prospects, but we need another decent goalie prospect in the pipeline and we only have three unsigned forward prospects in our pool (Jenik, Kirk, Walli Walterholm), and of those only Jenik has a realistic shot at getting a contract. So my vote would be to make the playoffs, get some good buzz, and then use our draft picks on forward quantity to repopulate our prospect stock.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

We're literally missing our #1 C, our arguably #2 C, #2 Dman, #1 Goalie, and #1 PK guy

It would be something if this team actually made it into a playoff spot...I just don't see it happening.

Also, we need 1 more really good prospect and finishing low will give us the ability to pick one of:
Hughes, Kakko, Cozens, Dach, Podkolsin, Turcotte, Krebs, Zegras, Newhook

If we get into the playoffs then we're looking at:
Kaliev, Suzuki, Caufield, Lavoie, Pelletier, Tomasino, McMichael, Brink, Leason, Legare

I'd rather have 1 guy from the first set.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Also, we need 1 more really good prospect and finishing low will give us the ability to pick one of:
Hughes, Kakko, Cozens, Dach, Podkolsin, Turcotte, Krebs, Zegras, Newhook

[snip]

I'd rather have 1 guy from the first set.

This is getting a bit off topic, but I have to ask - what on earth in the Coyotes' karma/luck situation makes you think we'll finish in a position to get one of those nine guys, and even if we do, what if Chayka has someone else entirely in mind a la Hayton?

I mean, forgive my cynicism, but it's been a long decade-and-a-half...

 

[RemoAZ]

If and it's a big if we do get a new owner, I won't be surprised if it's not Chayka picking the next draft pick and if it is him, I'd hope he has a new boss in an experienced NHL guy as team president or some position of that nature. I think this team needs solid leadership at the top even more than a new owner with money. We need a plan to actually stick with it to build a winner. I have no f***ing idea what they are doing right now, only that it's not working.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

This is getting a bit off topic, but I have to ask - what on earth in the Coyotes' karma/luck situation makes you think we'll finish in a position to get one of those nine guys, and even if we do, what if Chayka has someone else entirely in mind a la Hayton?

I mean, forgive my cynicism, but it's been a long decade-and-a-half...

I think they picked the #2 Center on the board...and in that top group I listed, Hughes, Cozens, Dach, Krebs, Turcotte, Zegras are all C's, so we couldn't swing and miss that badly. (crosses fingers)

 

[Summer Rose]

 

[Jakey53]

This team isnt exactly made up of tough physical kind of guys. Not really surprising.

Imagine if it was the more physical playoffs we would end up having to use all the AHL guys by the end of a series or two. Only semi joking.

This team isnt built for a full season.

How did Schmaltz get hurt? Did he slip in the shower? Did he hurt himself doing FO drills? He has 0 hits in 17 games. He avoids contact like the plague.

 

[SniperHF]

He has 0 hits in 17 games.

That's almost impressive
You'd think he'd get one by accident when the hit counter got a little click happy on the button.