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Coyotes play best game yet; still lose

October 24, 2016, 3:46 PM ET [108 Comments]
James Tanner
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In the summer prior to the one in which just passed, Don Maloney signed Antoine Vermette (his decline apparent already to anyone who'd been watching) after previously trading him to Chicago at the trade deadline; Nick Grossmann (despite this style of defenseman clearly being uneffective); Zbynek Michalek (previously traded to the Blues) and moved Sam Gagner (inexplicable).

He also added Boyd Gordon, Steve Downie, Joe Vitale, Brad Richardson and brought back Kyle Chipchura and Shane doan, basically clogging up the roster with bad players and preventing youth from moving up faster.



It was a weird set of moves because it didn't advance the youth initiative, didn't signal that the team was going for a rebuild, as much it looked like a desperate attempt to make the team plausibly able to sell the Playoffs as a goal with the old core of Vermette, Doan, Smith, Hanzal, Michalek, OEL, Murphy and Stone.

It was the condescending "our fans will never accept a rebuild and we have to trick them in order to sell as many tickets as possible" strategy. A short-term strategy. A frustrating one.

With the team seemingly stuck in no-man's land between being too bad to draft first (a huge mistake, as Auston Matthews will haunt them forever) and not good enough to actual win anything, it was easy to revel in their misery last year.

At one point, I was kicked out of all three Coyotes Facebook pages where I had previously been asked to post my articles for my, quote, "unrelenting negativity."

Hey, I just work here.

I don't see my job as being a cheerleader, nor do I feel like being a huge fan of the team makes for very interesting reading. And Maloney was awful and seemed to be floundering with no plan.

A washed up Vermette? Nick Grossmann? Are you kidding me?

So it was easy to criticize. Hell, blasting Maloney became hilariously fun.



On July 3rd 2015 (after they made all the moves mentioned above) I wrote this:


The reason I am disappointed is because they've taken the rebuild and made it boring. I can stomach a losing season or three while the team develops it's kids, but I can't lie and say I have any desire to watch the roster they'll be icing next season outside of the fact that OEL and Domi will be there to make it worth while.


Then I played a Foo Fighters video. Ironically, just to make my disgust clear (because the Foo Fighters are super-lame).

Then I said this:


The main problem with the roster is that it won't actually be that bad. They should be able to grind their way to a lot of 2-1 games and in the process take themselves out of the running for the top pick next season.


The Coyotes won 5 games too many with their veteran laden roster and Auston Matthews plays in Toronto.


I would happily watch a young inexperienced team grow together. The current roster looks like an expansion draft. I'd fire Don Maloney based on his performance this week. I rate it a zero out of ten. BRUTAL.



Which brings me to last night. What a supreme game. I only have one complaint and that's that Dylan Strome should be in the lineup.

Otherwise, the Coyotes came out flying and did not let up. Yeah, they lost, but whatever.

This team is doing what it should have done last year: play the kids and try to get them comfortable. If they win: bonus. If they lose: who cares?

They are exciting to watch. Chychrun is making a mockery of the GMs who passed him over (53% Corsi-for, and a goal and two assists in his first hour of 5v5 play + over 2 mins of PK action per game so far) , Duclair is still slumping but he'll come around, OEL is money and......well, it'd be easier just to list the players who aren't fun to watch.



And Tippett? Well he's making bad lines and favoring his vets. (But why complain? People love the guy, he can do no wrong).

Last night they were 60% at even strength, attempting 17 more shot attempts (Corisca.hockey) than the Rangers. As he is wont to do, Old Lunqvist won the game nearly single-handedly.

No shame in that.

Domi Duclair and Dvorak look like a line that is going to terrorize defenses for years to come. (So they'll put Rieder there and stick Duclair with players he can't hope to score with) A lucky bounce or two last night and they get a couple and the Coyotes win.

A bad goal against to win and that's all she wrote. Gotta figure the goalies normally saving that, so no big deal.

So the times are good and, for this season, victories don't need to be measured literally. the Coyotes are a fun team to watch and eventually they're going to out-skate a lot of teams.

They continue their road trip tomorrow night in New Jersey.
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