In all seriousness though, I belong to a 'club' of sorts, where I often here the saying, 'if nothing changes, nothing changes'. Totally apropos here. The whole construct of this team is flawed, top to bottom. You don't have revenue to sign big players, because your attendance and fan support fiscally won't buy it. You don't have fan support, because really, there isn't much to watch, or cheer for- a 2/1 defense first game with little to none explosive action, at best. If someones wishes to grow hockey in a non-traditional market, the 'safe play' isn't going to get it done, better to bet the house and see if it works. In short, if YOU ARE going to lose, do it will a full frontal attack that is fun to watch. Create a buzz, fill some seats. Say what you will about Downie, (who I don't like) but if they had two real snipers, and three more Downies, boy would the failing business model improve. Fisticuffs and tricky shots- things for the casual fan to bite on.
As an AZ resident, I have already done the post-mortem, and accepted...in 2 years I think they'll be gone. We could muse 'well, we tried it, and it didn't work', but they only tried what they tried: to conservatively scrape by, and use a non-entertaining brand in hopes of a windfall. I agree with your assessments JT, yawn. Nothing to see here.
- jeffgouldonfire

I agree. I've long advocated a riskier approach. Fun With Rookies: Who Cares if We Bomb That would have been my advertising pitch for the upcoming season.

Vermette, Michalek, Doan, Gordon, even Downie I guess to some extent do nothing but make the team better than it needs to be but not good enough that its worth it.

Can't overpay free agents if you plan on flipping them at the deadline ( not sure if quote button is working ) as the teams who will be adding won't have much cap room. Also lots of players would rather know they have more then a year to figure out their next endeavour and if the one year contract doesn't work they might never find work again it's a risk for players to sign for one year or at least some players.
- blizzzard

If you enter the threads by clicking on the response number, rather than through the main article you can use the Quote function.

They are boring. They have no creativity. Mid-tempo rock is super lame and if I felt like hearing some, there's only 5672 better and more interesting bands.

I like the Foo Fighters the same amount as I like the return of Antoinne Vermette, whose return is about as warranted as the sequel to the move Paul Blart.
- James_Tanner

I agree 100% about Foo Fighters. The only way they could be more generic is if their record label was Presidents Choice. The constant air play they get on 102 has made the station as unlistenable as 107, AKA the all Tragically Hip and Rush all the time station

The tank race for Matthews has 3 strong candidates so far. TOR, ARI, NJ fans are in an interesting position where every game counts, just not for the traditional reasons.

Meanwhile the Blues keep down grading to try and get bette. First Miller now Brouwer

They were saying on TSN last night, re: Mike Smith, his SV was actually in the 9.30% range, which I found surprising.

I agree 100% about Foo Fighters. The only way they could be more generic is if their record label was Presidents Choice. The constant air play they get on 102 has made the station as unlistenable as 107, AKA the all Tragically Hip and Rush all the time station

The tank race for Matthews has 3 strong candidates so far. TOR, ARI, NJ fans are in an interesting position where every game counts, just not for the traditional reasons.

Meanwhile the Blues keep down grading to try and get bette. First Miller now Brouwer

- BlueBallz

I don't think the Coyotes are bad enough for last place, that's why I'm so annoyed.

That sure looks like a DFL lineup to me.

Icing a team of 20-year-old prospects may sound good in theory, but the reality is such a team would have the snot beat out of it by the Kings, Ducks and Sharks night after night. Guys like Vermette, Michalek, Downie and Grossman don't tantalize with their upside but they do make the team a little harder to play against and provide some protection for the younger players that will be on the team.

James.

I don't think it has anything to do with Arizona trying to show fans they want to make the playoffs. It's about lying the proper ground work & culture for players to learn to be proper NHL players.

Nothing is gained by finishing dead last. The way the lottery is waited now that doesn't guarantee you of the 1st pick. Just ask Buffalo.

Arizona will compete, they will work hard, they try to win games & with a little luck they don't finish dead last. Carolina will be right there with Arizona for the worst team in the NHL. That said the gap from last 17th in the league to 30th won't be as significant as past years as teams now see that there is no benefit to being brutal in the new draft lottery system.

Boy are you hard on the team you log for. Hahahaha.

Thoughts from the bench.

That sure looks like a DFL lineup to me.

Icing a team of 20-year-old prospects may sound good in theory, but the reality is such a team would have the snot beat out of it by the Kings, Ducks and Sharks night after night. Guys like Vermette, Michalek, Downie and Grossman don't tantalize with their upside but they do make the team a little harder to play against and provide some protection for the younger players that will be on the team.
- Snowblind

I agree. But there needs to be more balance - and if the team let's rookies beat out vets in camp then maybe this is all moot - but as it stands, it's too bad to win, too good to win by losing situation.

James.

I don't think it has anything to do with Arizona trying to show fans they want to make the playoffs. It's about lying the proper ground work & culture for players to learn to be proper NHL players.

Nothing is gained by finishing dead last. The way the lottery is waited now that doesn't guarantee you of the 1st pick. Just ask Buffalo.

Arizona will compete, they will work hard, they try to win games & with a little luck they don't finish dead last. Carolina will be right there with Arizona for the worst team in the NHL. That said the gap from last 17th in the league to 30th won't be as significant as past years as teams now see that there is no benefit to being brutal in the new draft lottery system.

Boy are you hard on the team you log for. Hahahaha.

Thoughts from the bench.
- striker777

I'm usually pretty positive. I just felt like they didn't follow through with what I bought into/ was excited about.

The Oilers aren't even good anecdotal evidence. Had they thought fit to acquire a goalie or a top pairing defenseman in the last several years they wouldn't have Connor McDavid and I wouldn't have to hear non-sense about how they rushed kids.

Not for nothing, but RNH was flat-out awesome last year. Hall is a superstar held back only by injury. Eberle is consistently excellent. Yakupov wasn't too young, he was likely set-back by horrible treatment at the hands of coaches who misused him horribly.

Nurse is in the Minors. So is Draisaitl. Who exactly did they rush?

Anyways, that's an easily destroyed clearly incorrect narrative.

As for the Coyotes with their defense and goalies, if they can score at all, I think they'll finish higher in the standings than anyone thinks. Which is unfortunate because they should bomb one more year.
- James_Tanner

Wow...snark much?

The Oilers were tanking for years...like the Coyotes are clearly now doing...that's precisely why it was a mistake to have their 18 years olds in the lineup. You're literally the only person who watches hockey who doesn't feel this way at this point.

Eberle didn't play in the NHL until he was 20. RNH was skilled enough, but not physically ready, hence the shoulder issues. Hall is the best of the group, but even his maturity issues have caused tons of problems. Yak was a lazy POS, like a LOT of 18 years olds. He's exactly the type of guy who shouldn't have been rewarded with an NHL spot until he had earned it. Drasaitl played almost 40 games until they finally realized he was not ready. Nurse is the only guy they let develop properly...maybe because he's a defenseman. But then again they let Schultz stay in the league when he wasn't ready and they may have ruined him because of it.

It'll be a 3 team race for 30th this year, IMO. NJ, Toronto and Arizona are clearly the least talented teams in the NHL. NJ might be saved (or ruined) by Schneider's excellence, Toronto might be coached to a better result, but Arizona is very very bad and Mike Smith (lol) ain't changing that.

I don't think the Coyotes are bad enough for last place, that's why I'm so annoyed.
- James_Tanner

Maybe not. CAR, NJ or PHI could finish below them and TOR is looking like the odds on favourite for 30th.

But maybe fortune will smile upon the Coyotes with the new lottery rule after they got jammed this year

I'm sorry but that's a nice line up is it not. I get you have prospects coming up; see Panthers, Florida... but Arizona much like us needs a strong showing even if it means being swept in the first round of the playoffs. Now we're riding a high here. We didn't make the playoffs by 7 pts even after losing our top two guys and both goaltenders on the same night... but our prospects are poised to break out because they were simmered for juuuuuust the right amount of time. You have a good little mix of vet and youth in there and you'll get younger. BUT, the fan in Arizona deserve a team that competes every night and has a chance to win. If it means you pick 7th next season and not 1st... then so be it.

Maybe not. CAR, NJ or PHI could finish below them and TOR is looking like the odds on favourite for 30th.

But maybe fortune will smile upon the Coyotes with the new lottery rule after they got jammed this year
- BlueBallz

The new rules make it tougher for the 30th place team to get the first pick.

The problem is that we need at least 3 of the rookies to step in this season...and every season after that so we can build a program that will be "cup worthy"

Last season the only rookie making a dent was Rieder.

This season, it should be Domi/Duclair/Samuelsson

Next season, it should be Strome/Perlini/Dvorak

Season after that, it should be (top 5 from 2016 draft/Merkley/(one of Bunting/Dauphin/Letunov)

We've got to begin introducing more than 1 young guy on the roster each year, it's pathetic watching the likes of Moss last year and Chipchura skate around the ice, when there are more exciting prospects being buried because they're not veterans which is what Tippett wants.

Time to move on from Tippett and find a coach that embraces playing and coaching the youngsters with skill.
- Sindiggy

This I understand. We started with Gudbranson. Introduced Huberdeau. Then Bjugstad. Barkov came in, Pirri (tho Florida didn't draft him), Ekblad of course. This season you'll see a lot of Trocheck and Grimaldi. The prospects we STILL have is nuts. Teams like Arizona and Florida need an extra line!

The new rules make it tougher for the 30th place team to get the first pick.
- djamon

Only if the lottery gets fixed and that never happ..... never mind.

The new rules make it tougher for the 30th place team to get the first pick.
- djamon

Also the second and third pick... Finishing last only guarantees you a top 4 pick now.

The new rules make it tougher for the 30th place team to get the first pick.
- djamon

I don't know the exact particulars. The only thing I've heard is that all non playoff teams get a shot at 1st-3rd.

I don't know what the odds/percentages are by position in the standings. Do you have that?

The Western Conf is so deep, I'm not sure who we can pass along the way to improve

I can't realistically see this team outplaying the following teams:
Anaheim
Chicago
Nashville
St.Louis
Minnesota
Winnipeg
Calgary
Los Angeles
Colorado

so that basically leaves us fighting with San Jose, Edmonton, Dallas & Vancouver for the bottom of the WC. Edmonton, because they're Edmonton might finish below us and we could possible be in front of Vancouver but that is about it. We're bottom 3 in Western Conf for sure.

On the other side of the Mississippi, only Carolina, Toronto and NJ look to be worse. I say we finish bottom 7. Which is still in a good enough spot to be gifted one of the top 3 picks which will then give us either Matthews/Chychrun/Puljujarvi.

I don't know the exact particulars. The only thing I've heard is that all non playoff teams get a shot at 1st-3rd.

I don't know what the odds/percentages are by position in the standings. Do you have that?
- BlueBallz

Same odds as this year, they'll just do it 3 times.

I don't know the exact particulars. The only thing I've heard is that all non playoff teams get a shot at 1st-3rd.

I don't know what the odds/percentages are by position in the standings. Do you have that?
- BlueBallz

2016 NHL Draft Lottery

Beginning in 2016, the Draft Lottery will be utilized to assign the top three drafting slots in the NHL Draft, an expansion over previous years when the Draft Lottery was used to determine the winner of the first overall selection only.

Three draws will be held: the 1st Lottery draw will determine the Club selecting first overall, the 2nd Lottery draw will determine the Club selecting second overall and the 3rd Lottery draw will determine the club selecting third overall.

As a result of this change, the team earning the fewest points during the regular season will no longer be guaranteed, at worst, the second overall pick. That club could fall as low as fourth overall.

The allocation of odds for the 1st Lottery draw will be the same as outlined above for the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery. The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the 2nd Lottery draw, based on which Club wins the 1st Lottery draw, and again for the 3rd Lottery draw, based on which Club wins the 2nd Lottery draw.

The 11 Clubs not selected in the Draft Lottery will be assigned NHL Draft selections 4 through 14, in inverse order of regular-season points.

So, I guess the actual odds to get 1st overall remain the same, but you can drop 3 spots instead of one.

That team is flat-out horrible. But is it this horrible? Keep in mind, this may actually resemble the Leafs opening night roster, assuming they trade Bozak (a virtual guarantee, now that his bestie is gone) and Lupul (I still think he'll get moved. Great player when he's healthy. Someone will roll the dice on him...):

JVR - Kadri - Leivo
Parenteau - Holland - Panik
Winnik - Arcobello - Komarov
Carrick - Spaling - Sill

Phaneuf - Rielly
Robidas - Polak
Hunwick - Percy

Bernier
Reimer

The Western Conf is so deep, I'm not sure who we can pass along the way to improve

I can't realistically see this team outplaying the following teams:
Anaheim
Chicago
Nashville
St.Louis
Minnesota
Winnipeg
Calgary
Los Angeles
Colorado

so that basically leaves us fighting with San Jose, Edmonton, Dallas & Vancouver for the bottom of the WC. Edmonton, because they're Edmonton might finish below us and we could possible be in front of Vancouver but that is about it. We're bottom 3 in Western Conf for sure.

On the other side of the Mississippi, only Carolina, Toronto and NJ look to be worse. I say we finish bottom 7. Which is still in a good enough spot to be gifted one of the top 3 picks which will then give us either Matthews/Chychrun/Puljujarvi.
- Sindiggy

I can't imagine a scenario where Edmonton isn't challenging for the top of the conference next year.

McDavid is already one of the best hockey players in the entire world.

RNH is instantly - outside of Malkin - the best second line C in hockey.

The defense is getting better and now they have a goalie.

They will still likely add more players before the season starts.

I love their team and predict their going to explode up the standings. It's not even going to be fair in three years if they keep the team together.

I can't imagine a scenario where Edmonton isn't challenging for the top of the conference next year.

McDavid is already one of the best hockey players in the entire world.

RNH is instantly - outside of Malkin - the best second line C in hockey.

The defense is getting better and now they have a goalie.

They will still likely add more players before the season starts.

I love their team and predict their going to explode up the standings. It's not even going to be fair in three years if they keep the team together.
- James_Tanner

Malkins only excuse for being a second line center is Crosby.
possibly RNH could be demoted to second line duties because of McDavid but for a first overall pick to not at least have a 60 point season is abysmal.

Edit* Tyler Johnson is already better than RNH

James.

How can you not like what they have done? The system is over flowing with stud prospects both at forward & D. There are more coming as Maloney isn't looking at this year or even next. At least 4 solid draft picks are coming in the next 2 years; potentially 1st overall, & he will flip assets for more picks & prospects as the older players are moved out over the next 2 seasons at the deadline.

In the meantime the right culture is being laid to teach these players to be the right NHL players. This is how you build a contender. Patience, slow development paths to the NHL which seriously helps you to control your salary, cap space their waver eligibility & UFA time line.

Arizona is just entering year 3 of the rebuild. If I were an Arizona fan I would be very happy & excited with where they are at & where they are going. This team will be a power house in 5 years & a playoff contender again in 3.

You're stoned.
No chance this team even makes a run at a playoff spot in the West.
The draft pick will be near the top again