Well, Don Maloney is out.
Some interesting things have emerged in the last 24 hours, such as:
- Tippett and Maloney being at odds and facilitating relationships with different factions of the ownership.
- The rumour that assistant GM John Chayka will be getting a bigger say in the organization.
- The rumour that Tippett will be involved in personnel decisions.
- The rumour that many in the organization were baffled at some of the same things I've been complaining about all season (bringing back Vermette, signing Scott, trading Scott, moving Gormley, then moving Elliott, moving Gagner, bringing in Grossmann etc.)
- The rumour that they were interested in Toronto A-GM Kyle Dubas (shot down by Elliott Friedman who said Dubas would rather stay in T.O).
What I find most interesting is that the schism in management seems to stem from the use and application of advanced stats/ analytics.
If the Coyotes are going to try and become one of the more proactive analytic using teams in the NHL, then that is great news. I couldn't be happier with this decision, no matter who the new GM is.
I have also heard - and I have no clue as to the veracity of this, so take it with a grain of salt - that Tippett wanted to keep Strome in the NHL and Maloney sent him back, causing a huge problem. I believe that this could be true because the Coyotes started the season (and ended it, for that matter) with the NHL's most injury prone player, Martin Hanzal, as their #1 centre. Then, behind him they had a who's-who of the worst centres in the NHL.
On top of that, Strome dominated the OHL the year before and had nothing to learn there and was ineligible for the AHL, so bringing him up made sense in every single way.
As team president and CEO Anthony Leblanc said yesterday "collaboration, communication and the modernization of our entire process,… is something he was looking for. Anyone following the Coyotes knows these are the exact opposite of the traits Maloney has.
While those are all good reasons to can Maloney, the main reason he was fired probably has to do with the worst blue-line in the NHL and a system devoid of prospects to play there.
But after that, it's insane how bad the team's defense is. Klas Dahlbeck is potentially the worst player in the NHL. Nick Grossmann isn't much better. Michalek has declined so noticeably that it's hard to watch.
Also, a notable hockey website, hockeysfuture.com has Jared Tinordi rated as the Coyote's top defensive prospect. That is unforgivable.
Some people are concerned that Dave Tippett is going to fast-track the rebuild and move into a 'win-now' setting. I don't think these concerns are legitimate because team building is far more fluid than people would have you believe.
The Coyotes are in their fourth straight year out of the Playoffs. They have one of the best defensemen in the NHL and they have potentially five elite forward prospects/young players and two first round picks this year. The fact is, you can't be patient forever.
Another fact is that you need players of all ages to compete. The Coyotes aren't going to turn it around overnight, but making moves that aren't four years from paying off isn't the worst thing they could do.
No, the worst thing they could do is continue to let Maloney make decisions. This is a guy who hired Darcy Reiger and Claude Loiselle as advisers. He seemed to be one losing streak away from hiring Randy Freaking Carlyle, so it's good he's gone.
If the Coyotes embrace a smarter way to do business and they find away to balance their assets so that they aren't stocked in forwards and bereft at defense, then I think they have a chance to be one of the NHL's most exciting teams going foward.
Stome, Duclair, Domi, Dvorak, OEL + whoever they draft. It's a good time to be a fan, and it feels a lot better today knowing the team isn't operating anymore like its 1996.
Thanks for reading.