Two Weeks: The Barroway & Chayka Era

[ck26]

I don't like trading away 1st round picks, so I initial reaction to Stepan was negative. But I take a deep breath and see a 1C, 1RD, 1-2G and I think the roster is definitely better. We also lost a waiver claim in the expansion draft, so it's been a good summer.

 

[Jakey53]

Ice Arizona Buyout:
I appreciate what they tried to do but it was time to move on. They were an instrumental stopgap that helped in keeping the Coyotes here when it was looking like a sure bet they were gone and for that I will always be thankful. They made plenty of mistakes since then though, most notably the screw up of the lease with Glendale and the ASU arena debacle. I don't necessarily think they had bad intentions, I just think they've always been punching waaaaay above their weight class and it simply was not sustainable. Unfortunately Barroway is only a medium sized fish but that's still a lot more than Ice Arizona and hopefully he'll be more effective. I'm still wary of his intentions regarding commitment to the valley but the draft day trades were a very encouraging sign.

Doan:
I hate how they handled it. I don't feel like I know enough of the details to offer up how I think it should've gone down but I hate how it looked from my end. They should've been out in front of this from the get go but instead it was a bit of a boondoggle. I'm optimistic they'll make up for it though, he will almost certainly take a job within the organization and I hope they retire #19 (not honor...retire) and give him the epic level retirement ceremony he deserves for being extraordinarily loyal to a franchise that has been a gigantic **** show and for constantly sticking up for a fan base that gets bashed regularly!!

Smith:
I liked his fire and competitiveness, you could tell that dude seriously hated losing! Also loved that he would turn it up when the pressure was on. I wish like hell they had him for the playoffs in 2010 and 2011 when Bryz would play great in the regular season but couldn't stop a beach ball in the playoffs. Smith excelled under that kind of pressure, unfortunately the Coyotes were only in that situation once with him so they were never really able to take advantage of his strength. I hated his diva like attitude though. The two things I hate the most was how he would stare down his own teammates for making a mistake and the constant flopping on the ice. I cannot stand ****ing diving, I think it's the pinnacle of poor sportsmanship and Smith was a regular offender. If they had kept him I'd have been ok with it but it's probably best for all involved that he was traded.

Tippett:
I don't have much to say here. I didn't hate him like so many around here. I don't like how he handled Duclair but other then that I was ok with his approach in regards to the youngsters. He got handed **** rosters most year in and year out and then got blamed for the predictable results. I think he's a really good coach and I firmly believe if you hand Tippet a talented roster, he'll go far with it but unfortunately that wasn't happening here. All coaches get fired after awhile and things had definitely grown stagnant. I suspect the moment he declares himself available some team will snatch him up but I'm ok with him not being the coach of the Yotes anymore. His style of hockey is great to watch when they're winning but it's pretty boring when they're losing.

Trades:
I really liked the trades. In hindsight I'd probably rather have DeAngelo and Vilardi be Coyotes but still it was a solid trade. Stepan is the least 1C ever but should go a long way in helping Dvorak and Strome continue to develop while still being the best center the Yotes have had since pre-meltdown Ribeiro. Hjalmarsson is good on his own merits but I think the net effect he can have on OEL makes that trade very exciting. We'll see how it goes long term but no doubt in my mind the trades made the Coyotes a better team in the short term. Heck I'd go as far as saying they have a good chance at being respectable next season. Lastly I'd be remiss if I didn't point out again that these trades went a long way in making me feel less skeptical of Barroway's intentions.

Draft:
Meh.

UFA:
A offensive RHD would be ideal but really any 3-4 RHD will work.

Overall:
I'm cautiously optimistic the on ice product will be decent. I'm still pretty nervous about relocation but I'm hoping one owner makes finding a dance partner a lot easier. I like the prospect pool but I still think this franchises next 10 years depends almost entirely on Strome's ability to become a true, legit, bonafide 1C. I expect them to repair whatever damage that was caused in regards to handling Doan and everyone will be better for it. Overall I'd say I'm happy with the direction they seem to be headed but until the arena situation is settled it's always going to feel like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Good post man. I agree with all of it.

 

[rt]

Good post man. I agree with all of it.

It was a good post, I'd like to nitpick the Vilardi point, though. I don't think we'd take him at seven after seeing how the draft unfolded. Dallas, Colorado, Vancouver, Las Vegas, New York, Buffalo, Detroit, and Florida all said no thanks due to skating. I can't see us being the team that looks past it. Not with the new emphasis we are putting on skating. Not with what we've endured with the Dylan Strome saga and watching all of the kids taken behind him start to make NHL impacts because they're able to keep up with the pace. I can't imagine we'd have sign right back up for the same thing. I think Mittelstadt, Rasmussen or Tippett is more likely.

 

[Matias Maccete]

I'm somewhat torn. I still wish Doan had been offered a contract, but I completely understand and can't really argue against moving on from the old leadership groups/coaching staff.

I like every other move we've made a lot though. If Barroway somehow secures some long term stability he'll become a God as far as I'm concerned. Until then I'm still kind of in the same boat as the last few years, either stay or go but just freaking pick one! I am much more excited for the season than I've been for a good 4 seasons. This should be a pretty good team. Depending on Raanta, how quickly Strome and Keller adapt, how Dvorak and Chychrun improve, and if Domi stays healthy and Duke bounces back this could be a very dangerous and entertaining team.

 

[BUX7PHX]

I am okay with how things were handled regarding Doan. Not the greatest situation, but lines have to be drawn in the sand somewhere.

Loved the trades. A little mixed on Smith, b/c I do think that he was our best player for a while, even though it was plagued by injuries and inconsistency on defense. Liked, but did not love the draft.

I would have preferred that Playfair been given the axe before Tippett. All of the moves that were made scream for a team that Tippett would be poised to go forward with. But we also have to remember that he has been here for 8 years. Our abilities to deal with talk of moving, ownership, free agents won and free agents lost are exponentially less than his abilities to deal with that pressure. As someone who had to live with the team for 8 years, Tippett may be a little less willing to budge now since he may have had to budge on certain things for far too long. I don't know if he lost patience with the players or the youth, but I think he lost patience with the constraints that were constantly put on either him or the team.

Overall, we now have the strength of some additional skilled players. We are starting to look a little like the Oilers second rebuild - not just relying on kids, but shoring up the defense and adding the right mix of skilled veterans as guidance. At this rate, it really does fall on the coaching. That is the only reason I wanted one more year for Tippett, because this was what he has been clamoring for, and if he failed, then we have some existing proof that it wasn't necessarily going to work. If our new coach doesn't make the product exciting/better/a winner, then we might have screwed the pooch. Even if successful, b/c these were the vets that Tippett had wanted, one could just as easily say that the team could have been just as, and possibly more successful under Tippett, since he has done the exact thing before with teams that have true veteran talent.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

"two weeks"

Hey, I thought that opening sentence or two was a great lead. Like TFP had been giving him lessons. (my roommate in college was a journalism major, I picked up a thing or two)

 

[PerpetualTankYear]

I love everything that's happened, except how the Doan thing was handled. I feel like Doan has earned the right to go out when he wants, not when the team wants. He could have left this dumpster fire so many times, but each time he came back and was nothing short of incredible for the hockey community in Arizona.

Next year we'll have some loser playing 4th line RW, why not make that Shane Doan? Doan for $1m would be a better leader and player than the next BJ Crombeen type we sign.

I just feel that Doan was disrespected. To end a 22 year relationship over one breakfast and simply say "Thanks for your services" is ridiculous.

BUT besides that situations, everything else was great. Sucks they had to lose Tony D, but you have to give to get. Love the Smith trade, and when Tippett was let go I literally cried tears of joy. No joke.

 

[BlazingBlueAnt]

I love everything that's happened, except how the Doan thing was handled. I feel like Doan has earned the right to go out when he wants, not when the team wants. He could have left this dumpster fire so many times, but each time he came back and was nothing short of incredible for the hockey community in Arizona.

Next year we'll have some loser playing 4th line RW, why not make that Shane Doan? Doan for $1m would be a better leader and player than the next BJ Crombeen type we sign.

I just feel that Doan was disrespected. To end a 22 year relationship over one breakfast and simply say "Thanks for your services" is ridiculous.

BUT besides that situations, everything else was great. Sucks they had to lose Tony D, but you have to give to get. Love the Smith trade, and when Tippett was let go I literally cried tears of joy. No joke.

Doan should have retired last year when it was obvious there was nothing left in the tank. Then we could have had the lovey farewell tour and he could have ridden off into the sunset.

Instead, he didn't say anything, and was indecisive all summer as well until the announcement. He's always been someone who wants icetime do i don't think he would want to play on the fourth line.

He's admitted to being disengaged multiple times over the last few years, it was time to move on.

 

[Jakey53]

I'm somewhat torn. I still wish Doan had been offered a contract, but I completely understand and can't really argue against moving on from the old leadership groups/coaching staff.

I like every other move we've made a lot though. If Barroway somehow secures some long term stability he'll become a God as far as I'm concerned. Until then I'm still kind of in the same boat as the last few years, either stay or go but just freaking pick one! I am much more excited for the season than I've been for a good 4 seasons. This should be a pretty good team. Depending on Raanta, how quickly Strome and Keller adapt, how Dvorak and Chychrun improve, and if Domi stays healthy and Duke bounces back this could be a very dangerous and entertaining team.

You have a lot of if's there Ultra. I believe next year will be another tough year, but we will see growth in the team, same as this past year.

 

[Jakey53]

I am okay with how things were handled regarding Doan. Not the greatest situation, but lines have to be drawn in the sand somewhere.

Loved the trades. A little mixed on Smith, b/c I do think that he was our best player for a while, even though it was plagued by injuries and inconsistency on defense. Liked, but did not love the draft.

I would have preferred that Playfair been given the axe before Tippett. All of the moves that were made scream for a team that Tippett would be poised to go forward with. But we also have to remember that he has been here for 8 years. Our abilities to deal with talk of moving, ownership, free agents won and free agents lost are exponentially less than his abilities to deal with that pressure. As someone who had to live with the team for 8 years, Tippett may be a little less willing to budge now since he may have had to budge on certain things for far too long. I don't know if he lost patience with the players or the youth, but I think he lost patience with the constraints that were constantly put on either him or the team.

Overall, we now have the strength of some additional skilled players. We are starting to look a little like the Oilers second rebuild - not just relying on kids, but shoring up the defense and adding the right mix of skilled veterans as guidance. At this rate, it really does fall on the coaching. That is the only reason I wanted one more year for Tippett, because this was what he has been clamoring for, and if he failed, then we have some existing proof that it wasn't necessarily going to work. If our new coach doesn't make the product exciting/better/a winner, then we might have screwed the pooch. Even if successful, b/c these were the vets that Tippett had wanted, one could just as easily say that the team could have been just as, and possibly more successful under Tippett, since he has done the exact thing before with teams that have true veteran talent.

Good post. If the kids can improve like they did last year we should see movement in the standings. This is year three of the rebuild, and the kids are a bit older and wiser, and OEL can finally do what he does best without worrying about his partner.

 

[cobra427]

I am okay with how things were handled regarding Doan. Not the greatest situation, but lines have to be drawn in the sand somewhere.

Loved the trades. A little mixed on Smith, b/c I do think that he was our best player for a while, even though it was plagued by injuries and inconsistency on defense. Liked, but did not love the draft.

I would have preferred that Playfair been given the axe before Tippett. All of the moves that were made scream for a team that Tippett would be poised to go forward with. But we also have to remember that he has been here for 8 years. Our abilities to deal with talk of moving, ownership, free agents won and free agents lost are exponentially less than his abilities to deal with that pressure. As someone who had to live with the team for 8 years, Tippett may be a little less willing to budge now since he may have had to budge on certain things for far too long. I don't know if he lost patience with the players or the youth, but I think he lost patience with the constraints that were constantly put on either him or the team.

Overall, we now have the strength of some additional skilled players. We are starting to look a little like the Oilers second rebuild - not just relying on kids, but shoring up the defense and adding the right mix of skilled veterans as guidance. At this rate, it really does fall on the coaching. That is the only reason I wanted one more year for Tippett, because this was what he has been clamoring for, and if he failed, then we have some existing proof that it wasn't necessarily going to work. If our new coach doesn't make the product exciting/better/a winner, then we might have screwed the pooch. Even if successful, b/c these were the vets that Tippett had wanted, one could just as easily say that the team could have been just as, and possibly more successful under Tippett, since he has done the exact thing before with teams that have true veteran talent.

Good post, agree with most of it. I think Tip wanted out in a way, I don't think Barroway necessarily shot him. Over time, we will find out the real story. I think because it was sudden, they have hung onto Playfair for now to have a vet coach around. If it was Barroway purging the staff straight up, I think he would have shot Playfair too. Once they hire a new coach, he will likely bring in his own staff and let Playfair go.

My concern about a new coach is who hires him? Chayka understand advanced stats but that doesn't really work for evaluating coaches and finding the right fit. I know the DT haters think anyone will be better, maybe, maybe not. Chayka has had sound reasoning on player trades, just not sure how he gets there with a head coach. The team should be better with Chalmers/Stepan. Hoepfully Stome/DVO take another step and maybe Domi and Duclair too. Some of these young guys can regress like Ducalir last year, be prepared for that.

Many Colorado fans hates Roy and they got a new coach last year. That team had way too much talent to be as bad as they were. That tells me the coach was a mistake. I hope we don't make a mistake with the wrong coach, we could easily, because we will go the cheap route and not hire a proven coach.

 

[rt]

So happy to see the housecleaning continue. So long Playfair! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out!

 

[Sinurgy]

It was a good post, I'd like to nitpick the Vilardi point, though. I don't think we'd take him at seven after seeing how the draft unfolded. Dallas, Colorado, Vancouver, Las Vegas, New York, Buffalo, Detroit, and Florida all said no thanks due to skating. I can't see us being the team that looks past it. Not with the new emphasis we are putting on skating. Not with what we've endured with the Dylan Strome saga and watching all of the kids taken behind him start to make NHL impacts because they're able to keep up with the pace. I can't imagine we'd have sign right back up for the same thing. I think Mittelstadt, Rasmussen or Tippett is more likely.

I actually would've been fine with Mittelstadt or Tippet as well, I just mentioned Vilardi because he seemed to be the board 40 consensus (I use the term loosely, I know it was more divided than ever) pick if he was available. I was pretty shocked to see him drop so much, most sources had him top 5 but clearly actual NHL scouts did not. Reminds me of Gormley and we know how that turned out.

 

[Matias Maccete]

You have a lot of if's there Ultra. I believe next year will be another tough year, but we will see growth in the team, same as this past year.

Us competing for the playoffs is an absolute best case scenario, so yeah lots of course lots of ifs.

 

[RABBIT]

 

[Matias Maccete]

That's pretty amazing RABBIT.

 

[RABBIT]

That's pretty amazing RABBIT.

I do it for tha posse

 

[Spirit of Lindgren]

My thoughts on the first weeks of Barroway/Chayka are with an expectation that the ending will be much like the first group of hedge fund guys that took over until the 2nd shift of hedge fund guy came on.
I read these twitter comments about how people are thanking Leblanc for keeping the team here.
Im uneasy about that.
I remember in a radio interview where he the hedge fund guy said that he had always wanted to own a hockey team but in the end he ended up being just a hedge fund guy, doing what hedge fund guys do best.
As Craig Morgan pointed out he made his profit and split.
When the going got tough, the previous owners got gone.
Meanwhile for the last at least 5 home games there were stalls in the bathroom in the arena over by Section 112 that had no toilet paper.
I personally experienced it as I pulled the end of the roll down to the ground so the guy next door could use the paper from my dispenser...
All of the hand towel dispensers except two were bone dry empty.
That was before the game even started.
Talk about bare bones financing and exiting with a profit.
Thats what they do.
Barroway is nowhere to be found is not saying a thing so we don't know but one thing we do know, he's a hedge fund guy.
We don't know whether or not he always wanted to be a hockey team owner but that docent seem to matter to these type business people does it?

 

[KG]

tell us how you really feel about hedge fund guys

 

[RemoAZ]

The one difference is this guy ate some serious cash to get rid of the coaching staff. He's not going status quo with scrap heap players and the same boring style of play (at least I'm going to assume the next coach will be one that tries to get the most out of youth). The last group came in and didn't do much different except talk a whole lot more. Barroway may not accomplish anything and flip the team again. But so far he at least looks like he wants to build a winner. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Summer Rose]

I'm no business expert but as far as I know, owning a professional sports team these days is rarely profitable unless you own a team like the Cowboys, Yankees, or Real Madrid. They're often loss leaders for a larger investment or get resold at an overall profit since they grow in value (kind of like investing in real estate).

 

[_Del_]

Easiest thing in the world would've been to coast into another boring season with Tipp at the helm and Smith in net and Doan on the roster. I have never understood anyone who said the moves were a prep to leave. Doesn't make any sense to me. If anything it shows he cared enough about the product this year to try to shake it up.
The decision to move is happening on a completely independent level from these moves. They are a nonfactor on relocation. If it's the last hurrah (and that's still entirely possible), at least you don't have to spend all season listening to me ***** about Tippett and watching him bore everyone to death. The team is 10X the entertainment product with a real 1C, 2D and a promising goalie and a good coach. Just be thankful we've cleaned it out.

 

[RABBIT]

Barroway is nowhere to be found is not saying a thing so we don't know but one thing we do know, he's a hedge fund guy.
We don't know whether or not he always wanted to be a hockey team owner but that docent seem to matter to these type business people does it?

According to a close source, he wants to say something, he just can't at the moment.

 

[Summer Rose]

According to a close source, he wants to say something, he just can't at the moment.

Non-disclosure agreement until it's official I'd imagine. When does the deal officially close?

 

[XX]

Non-disclosure agreement until it's official I'd imagine. When does the deal officially close?

July 1st I'd imagine.