The Coyotes play tonight in New Jersey, one of only two games on the schedule on a light (and thus boring) Monday in the NHL. The team will play four games this week, against the Devils, Islanders, Rangers and finally on Saturday, the Bruins.
After that, they won't play again until Tuesday March 3rd, the day after the trade deadline. What that means is that the team that goes out on the road today is very likely not the same team that will return next Tuesday to get hammered by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (or whatever their calling themselves these days).
Here's a quick game preview before moving on to more important topics: the Coyotes play the Devils, on a Monday, in February, both teams have a combined zero chance of making the Playoffs and anyone who watches it deserves some free swag from the team of their choice because barring a bench-clearing-brawl, watching the directors cut extended version of the movie It's Pat would likely be preferable.
Me, I'll be tuning in, but mostly due to my unhealthy obsession with Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
The trade Frenzy of the next week is most likely to be overblown and disappoint, but here is a list of players the Coyotes might trade before next week.
Kyle Chipchura
A slightly underrated - or at least under appreciated - player. He's 29, has size, and even though the Coyotes have been terrible, he has a strong CF of 52.3 and scores about a point for every sixty minutes he plays.
One thing about Chipchura: he is fourth in the NHL in DCF Impact - defensive Corsi For Impact - which is a measure of the number of shot attempts for his team above expectation when he's on the ice. This suggests that Chipchura has a much higher impact on games than given credit for.
Chipchura has one more year left on an 800K contract, so he should be retained. He provides great value for where he plays and what he's paid.
Michael Boedker
He's still just 25 and coming off a ruptured spleen, it's doubtful he'd be traded. He is a RFA after this season and his talent and disappointing production make him an ideal candidate to buy out some of his UFA years with a slightly higher than his production warrants contract, in the hope that he breaks out and provides you with great value on his deal for years to come.
Boedker is so talented and yet so streaky that it's a risk every way. I doubt he'd be traded, but he's cheap and maybe offers a huge talent upgrade to a team looking to do some damage in the playoffs. With a tiny cap hit, can you imagine what he could do on Crosby's wing?
I'd trade him for Derrick Pouliot and a first, if they have one.
Shane Doan
They won't trade him and he doesn't want to go. It's a great story if not exactly the best thing for the team. Still, it's not like he's gonna return a ton, so I like the fact they are putting people above business. But I'll go back and forth on this, depending on my mood.
Martin Erat
He's lost his offense, but he's a UFA and still plays really defensively responsible. He'd help a lot of teams. I mean, for a bargain price you could acquire him and use him on the fourth line, on the PK and against tough match-ups late in games.
Obviously, any asset they get for him is smart. They have to get something, so I'll say a third rounder to terrible possession team like the Canadiens, who could use him.
Sam Gagner
Underrated, has one more year at a bargain price, I'd keep him.
Martin Hanzal
After a trip to Winnipeg earlier this month, the reflection of the sun off the snow blinded him, his cane slipped and he fell down and then had to get back surgery. A blessing in disguise because the team will now keep him. If the surgery keeps him healthy, he can be an allstar.
Lauri Korpikoski
He scores less per sixty minutes than Chipchura and has, along with Joe Vitale, the worst CF% on the team among regulars. He stinks and his $2.5 million cap hit is probably an overpayment. He has one even strength goal in 55 games. If a fellow GM offered a dead skunk, you'd think Maloney would take it.
David Moss
He is a UFA after the season, so if they can get back even a 7th pick for him, what the hell. Every pick improves your chances of getting an NHL player.
Antoine Vermette
I think this guy is one of the most over-played, over-rated guys in the NHL. It drives me insane that the Coyotes have played him like a number one centre - even giving him more PP time than obviously superior players - in an attempt to drive up his value and get someone to overpay for him.
Someone probably will. But, if not, he needs to be moved anyways since the team can't afford to let him walk for free - although convincing other clubs that they might is their best chance of getting something for him.
His CF% is under 50 and his dcfImpact is -87 which is the worst in the NHL among centres.
Now, I grant you that these are just some stats and they don't paint the full picture, but by at least one measure, he's among the worst in hockey and that can't be good.
Joe Vitale
He has the worst Corsi on the team. He doesn't score. (He puts up half of Chipchura's totals per sixty). He's overpaid at 3 x $1.1 and could easily be replaced by someone making the league minimum. If you can get anyone to take him for anything, do it.
Keith Yandle
It would be disastrous to not trade Yandle before the deadline. The team that acquires him gets him for two playoffs, but if you wait until the draft, you're offering teams a pending UFA, which, historically, sandbags a guy's value.
They could re-sign him, because he truly is one of the best D in the NHL, but then you're paying a guy in his thirties $8 million while you rebuild and that seems stupid. He should bring back a top top prospect. I'd target a team like Tampa who has a wide open window to win this year in a weak eastern conference and might be willing to trade a guy like Drouin who is currently superfluous to their core for a guy like Yandle who could put them over the top.
A team with Hedman, Yandle and Stralman would rock your socks.
Zbynek Michalek
He's UFA and overrated, but someone will pay for his rep. A second rounder or B prospect would be pretty nice here.
Mike Smith
You could probably flip him for David Clarkson, but other than that, I have a better chance of being the next Coyote's GM than Maloney has of moving this albatross.
Overall, the Coyotes really only have one real chip to play, and that is Yandle. He at least will bring back something exciting. The rest of the team - barring a surprise move to trade Boedker or an old school blockbuster - looks to be worthy of only B prospects and second rounders.
Either way, the next week should be more notable for what happens off the ice than on it.
Thanks for reading.