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Antoine Vermette is a good player. He plays in all situations, he's a bargain at a cap hit of $3.75 million and he's probably the Coyotes best all-round forward.

But he needs to be immediately traded.

The problem with Vermette is that he's being played as the team #1 C and he is not a top line centre, and probably isn't even a very good #2 on a competitive team. In his career, Vermette has topped the 50 point mark just three times, and the last time he did so was 2010.

He is known for his defense and for being a smart player. I like him, he's a good player that's easy to cheer for because he works so hard and is likable. He is, however, woefully miscast.

Vermette leads the Coyotes in ice time for forwards. This in and of itself isn't a bad thing as he is likely their best forward all-around. It is, however, a problem because since the Coyotes can't possibly hope to win the Cup with their current roster it would only seem logical that winning shouldn't exactly be their priority. Furthermore, by playing him so much in what should be a re-building season they subsequently are not giving his ice-time to younger players whose development should be the Coyotes' sole priority at this time.

The team knows exactly what it has in Vermette, but it might be wise for them to get an idea of what Reider - for example - could do with a ton of power-play time. Or what the 25 year-old Gagner looks like playing 20 minutes/night.

Besides leading in overall ice-time, Vermette also is First in PP ice-time and second in PK time to Vitale. There are several more talented players than Vermette on the roster and whether you want to win or develop, he should not be getting that much PP ice-time. Frankly, it's an awful decision by the management.

I understand that Tippett's job is to win as many games as possible, so I don't blame him for over-relying on Vermette, but the organization as a whole should really look at the stats.

Like, actually look at them.

Yes, the Coyotes are within spitting distance of a playoff spot a quarter of the way through the schedule. But that's were the fun stops. Here are some indicators the Coyotes are actually lucky to be where they are today in the standings.

1. Their current goals per game is inflated by 3 of their games featuring 5 or more goals scored. In reality, adjusted for the anomalies, they are, outside of Buffalo, the worst offensive team in hockey.

2. They are one of the worst possession teams in hockey.

3. Their winning % when they are outshot is .500 which is almost sure to be unsustainable.

4. They have 7 regulation wins, which puts them in a tie for third least.

5. They are 26th in the NHL in shots per game

6. Their back-up goalie has a 5-0-1 record.

Given these six facts, it should be considered crazy for the Coyotes to continue their quest to be the 8th playoff seed. Not to mention what an embarrassingly low bar that is for a team to shoot for. The goal for an NHL franchise should be to win the Cup. Making the playoffs should be expected.

With the teams current roster, it's not logical to expect anything but a lucky playoff appearance. But, that shouldn't be acceptable and the team should be actively trying to fail in order improve. Since everyone always brings up the low attendance, it's worth noting that there are hockey towns - like Pittsburgh and Chicago - that do not support their team when they lose. This means that the Coyotes, if they want to survive, need to ice a team that is annually competitive. The best way to do that? Have a generational super-star on your roster.

If the Coyotes -as I believe they are - are 100% staying in Arizona, then a punted season where attendance was always going to be lousy anyways isn't going to make much of a difference. The team is getting a new owner anyways, so its virtually a free pass to do so.

And, the Coyotes already have a ton of young prospects. OEL is as high-end as they come. Domi is an A level prospect, so is Gormley and so is Stone. Murphy, Samuelsson, Reider, Gaudett, Lessio, Perlini these guys are all pretty good too.....the list goes on, and it's a good list, but outside of OEL, there isn't a potential super-star in the bunch. This team is set up well going forward. but winning requires that elite player they are missing.

Where the Coyotes currently sit, if they decided to blow it up today, they would still stand a great chance of finishing low enough to get a top 5 pick. Hell, its only 3 wins separating them and the Oilers right now.

Since everything to do with this team is so business driven, people should think of tanking as an investment that is almost guaranteed to pay off.

The first step in doing what is right for the long-term future of the Coyotes is to lose as many games as possible between now and the end of the year. The NHL's version of purgatory, i.e finishing between 14 and 24th overall, is not somewhere they should be happy to be.

It's also exactly where they are headed if they keep Vermette and Yandle.

Let's get back to Vermette for a second. He is on an expiring contract and he's playing pretty well right now. If they wait to the deadline, as they most likely will, he could injured, he could stop playing well and there will be less teams that want him.

The time to trade him is now. His value to the team is in what he'll bring back, not what he does on the ice, which will only lead the team to an 8th place finish and get them two home gates. Hardly worth it when such a finish will exponentially effect all the forthcoming seasons in a negative way.

I hate to say it, but it's time to throw in the towel, play the kids and exchange Vermette, Doan, Yandle and Smith for prospects and picks.

There has never been a better time to tank.

Thanks for reading.

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