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Coyotes: Recent Play, Free Agents, News and Notes

February 20, 2017, 12:07 PM ET [53 Comments]
James Tanner
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The Coyotes are the worst Corsi Team in the NHL. They control just 45.71 % of the shots at 5v5.

They allow 33.68 shots/ per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice time. They have the seventh-worst goals against, and the fifth worst goals-for.

But there's this narrative that they're starting to improve - they are 4-4 in February. They won 3 of their final 4 in January. Meaning they're 7-4 in their last 11.

Let's be clear: A lot of the coverage of the Coyotes is desperate for positives and the Coyotes recent improvement is based on about 90% Mike Smith. They still haven't won consecutive games in regulation all season. They are still playing Luke Schenn on the top pairing.

That being said, it does seem they've been playing better.

They played a great game Saturday, despite losing 4-1 to the Sharks. The Sharks are, perhaps, the best team in the West. In a game that featured 57 minutes of 5v5 hockey, the Coyotes held their own, despite the score.



At this point any positives are worth grasping at. Brendan Perlini was the Coyotes second-most used forward on Saturday night, skating almost 17 minutes of 55% 5v5 hockey.

Unfortunately, the most used player was local Benjamin Button impersonator Radim Vrbata. Why Dave Tippett - who has zero chance of making the playoffs - gives the most ice-time to a player who will soon be traded is beyond the comprehension of most sane people.

Some interesting notes:

-Burmastrov, who people keep saying is this great acquisition is a team worst -5% relative Corsi-For.

- Martinook, Connauton and Max Domi have the best relative possession stats on the team.

- Duclair and DeAngelo, two AHL Exiles, both have positive relative Corsi.

- The Coyotes finish off their season against the Ducks tonight. They are 0-3 so far, and the earliest they will be able to win two regulation games in a row is now February 23rd, and if they can't beat the Blackhawks, then that will become February 26. There is a real possibility they'll enter March without doing it.

- Jordan Martinook is only 24, he has 10 goals and 11 assists. He's the only one of nine pending free-agents the Coyotes should consider re-signing.

Here is my favorite Lord of the Rings themed song:



- They could also consider re-signing Hanzal, but he is almost certainly going to be traded away, so I don't count him.

- Burmastrov, Holland, Stone, Doan, White, Vbrata and Jooris should all be traded and/or let go.

- Of these players, only Vbrata has any real trade value. 100% of them are taking roster spots that could go to better, younger players. This list is part of what makes the Coyotes so tough to watch. If the ice time of these players was going to players like DeAngleo, Crouse, Strome, Fischer, Duclair etc. it'd be a lot more fun to watch, that's for sure.





I thought the above was interesting. Personally, I'd put Yandle in for Tempo, but other than that.........
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