First some Quick Hits
-The Coyotes are at home against the Sharks tonight and we are hopefully going to see Gormley for the first time in a while, after recalling him yesterday.
-The word on the street is that Joe Vitale will be back tomorrow (who cares?) and that Connor Murphy will be back in the lineup tonight after missing last game with an illness (I care about him).
-Kind of a weird schedule for the Coyotes as they play back-to-backs for the second time this week. Were the Playoffs a serious consideration, this may be an outrage, but as things are, I doubt anyone cares.
-Hanzal is indeed out for the season with his second career back surgery. He had the first in 2008 and is expected to make as full a recover as possible for him.
Honestly this is a double shot of good news because the team picks higher without Hanzal in the lineup and hopefully this helps his career going forward. He rehabbed it last year to no apparent avail and I guess he really had no choice at this point.
-With Boedker and Hanzal out though, this team barely registers as an NHL team - more like an AHL team with a few ancient veterans. Although the Defense is still top notch and worth tuning in for alone.
Vermette
As to the headline, Old Dreger is reporting the Coyotes haven't liked the offers they have received for Vermette and so they might keep him.
Sure they will. And Dreger is in no way fed information by dissembling GMs.
For instance, If I were the Coytoes GM and was not happy with the offers I was getting, I too might "leak" a story to hockey's main "insider" so that everyone would know that I might re-sign him instead of trading him. And I assume everyone believes this?
Really, they might keep him.
Sure.
Because the NHL's poorest team and one in an obvious rebuilding phase is going to sign a 32 year old grinder to a six million dollar contact taking him through his age 37 season instead of picking up an asset or two that would actually help the team.
Yeah, I, along with, I am sure, all 29 other GMs totally see that happening.
Thanks for reading.