Follow @james_tanner123 The Coyotes lost last night. It was 4-2 San Jose. Mark Arcobello opened the scoring with his first ever goal in a Coyotes uniform and then the team (who outshot the Sharks quite heavily) blew a 2-0 lead. Mike Smith - who has played much better recently - let in 3 goals on 24 shots, but at least one of them was a total fluke and so you can't pin this loss on him.
Its not like Smith played badly, but I still don't know why the team isn't giving more ice-time to their other goalies: this is a team that still plays Vermette as their top centre, and picks up Arcobello off waivers even though they'e out of it and could just give the ice-time to kids.
Seriously, why pick up the veteren Arcobello when you could just bring up Justin Hodgman or Tyler Gaudet or give more ice time to Gagner? All of which would at least give you better information about players going into next season. Obviously Arcobello is better than those guys, but why do you want to be better?
It just seems like Arcobello isn't exactly a long-term solution. I do find it cool, however, that he became the second player in NHL history last night to score a point with four teams in one season.
Oh well, the Coyotes don't seem capable of committing fully to a rebuild. They continue to make too many moves that suggest they are afraid to give up. Why is Vermette still on the team? Yandle? Why is Smith the starter? It goes on and on. Boedker is out, Hanzal is out. I think anyone could forgive them for being a bit more obvious in the tanking.
I mean, the team is playing much better the last three or so weeks and that should be unacceptable.
I would really appreciate it if they would more fully embrace the concept of losing to win.
---
Martin Hanzal is out for the year, but he is one of my favorite players and I wrote this up in the comment section of yesterdays blog, but I thought it would be worth revising and revisiting it here since he is not well known or appreciated outside of Arizona.
People don't seem to understand that he is a fully legit #1 centre if he could remain healthy. This is a guy who is 6'7, still only 27 and one of the best players in the league once he gets anywhere near the front of the net.
He also plays defense and is a solid possession player. For whatever its worth (I don't think anything, really) he's excellent on faceoffs.
Check this: This year, his points per game at 5v5 averages out to 38 points for the season. His most common line-mates are Erat and Gagner. Not exactly first-line offensive powerhouses.
Let's assume that if he got first-unit PP points that he would - at the very least - match the point totals Vermette has put up this year on the PP. Since Hanzal is much more offensively talented and is younger and bigger, I think its fair and probably an under-estimation. It works out to about 29 points.
Meaning that if healthy and playing his current second-line minutes but with first-line PP he would get roughly 68 points. Adjusted for getting first-line ice time and you're looking at a 70 point player who is a 52% possession player.
That is extremely good.
Now imagine Hanzal with two NHL average scoring wingers and a season where he is healthy. Were talking 70 points minimum. Potentially he could put up a point per game - 82 points - while giving you solid defense. There just aren't many guys as hard to contain as Hanzal when he's on his game.
Basically only two things prevent Martin Hanzal from being a near elite star player and one of the best centres in hockey: health and people not knowing him because he plays in Arizona.
This is Hanzal's second back-surgery and I feel bad for the guy, but I am happy that this means he probably won't get traded. If everything works out nicely Hanzal can still become a star in the NHL.