The Coyotes will take on the Avalanche tonight amid a bevy of minor roster this week moves.
They recalled Martinhook and Gormley last week, only to inexplicably scratch Gormely on Saturday. Who cares if they win or lose? NHL experience for your top prospect is kind of important. Nothing against Andrew Campbell, but he's 27 and not a long-term part of this team, so Gormley should be playing ahead of him. Just one of the many things that make you scratch your head about this team - specifically the way it is managed.
Joe Vitale will return to the lineup after missing nine games and Shinnimin is returned to the Pirates. I hate this move for a variety of reasons. I like Shinnimin, he's one of the best guys to watch on the whole team and Joe Vitale makes the team better - so it's a double edge sword situation here.
Vitale is - in my opinion - a great fourth liner and a decent third liner. He certainly improves the bottom six of the Coyotes, but they don't need to be improving right now, obviously. Vitale is one guy that they probably move at the deadline and in the meantime, while we have to watch a losing team, it would be nice to get to watch a fan-favorite like Shinnimin during this interminable season.
Tonight's game will feature goalie Mike Mckenna - a guy I'd love to see get more starts down the stretch. Confusingly, Mike Smith played both halves of both back-to-backs last week. Now, statistically, at least, you should always play your back-up in one of those games, but to give Smith the start in all four games last week when it featured two seperate back-to-backs is just stupid. Why let your back-up languish? Why is Smith even starting? The team stinks and can't make the Playoffs, so why not get some more starts for guys like Mckenna?
Also, why the hell did the team play two back-to-backs in a single week? That is outrageous.
I honestly don't understand this team or how/why it makes the decisions it does. By starting Smith in all those games it seems like they are trying to make a playoff-run. They should take a page out of the Leafs book (when was the last time someone said that?) and start ripping their team apart well before the trade deadline.
Oh well.
In other roster news, Brandan McMillan was claimed by the Canucks the other day. I don't love this kid, he's 24 and is probably at best a replacement level player, but he's an asset they lost for nothing. He's young and he grinds it out effectively. I liked watching him.
But again, this is a team who claimed a 26 year old Arcobello off waivers instead of plugging in one of its prospects. I get you want to replace Hanzal, but just move Gagner to centre then.
When the team is competing again, McMillan could play on the fourth line. Mark Arcobello won't be anywhere near the greater Phoenix area.
And hey, speaking of genius roster decisions, what did we get for Dubnyk again?
Thanks for reading.