Follow @james_tanner123 The Coyotes are a frustrating team to follow lately, even ignoring the off-ice issues, because one never seems to have any clear idea what the team's management is thinking.
Two seasons back, the Coyotes missed the Playoffs by three points. Leading up to that season's trade deadline, I advocated selling off pieces of the team and going for a rebuild.
The reasoning was clear: the team probably wouldn't be making the Playoffs, and they had a lot of pieces they could reasonably expect a good return on. Instead, they stood pat, missed the Playoffs and in the summer let Radim Vrbata walk for nothing.
It was then (and continued to be all that summer) that was the perfect time to dismantle the Smith, Doan, Yandle, Vermette, Michalek core, but the team did not heed the obvious signs and they entered the season with the same group.
In the past I have excused this because I figured, what the hell?, they have to act this way in order to attract casual fans to their building under the guise of Playoff contention. But recently I've come to believe something different.
The Leafs are going full-on rebuild even though they have made the Playoffs just once in ten seasons. Kudos to them for being able to print money, but I bring it up because I think the Coyotes should act like that.
Now, maybe this is the first time someone has seriously recommended a team look to the Leafs for inspiration in properly running a franchise, but my point is this: The Leafs act however they want to independent of how those moves will affect their attendance.
If the Coyotes ever want to have a successful franchise, they need to stop making bad moves that they know are bad because they want to appear to be more competitive than they are, in order to sell tickets short-term. Long term, it's just not worth it.
Last year the Coyotes looked like they got it. They moved Yandle, Michalek and Vermette, and all for great returns. It looked like we were getting the rebuild we wanted.
So what's with that? Well, on a "Pro" side, they are making sure that they don't rush their kids, that they don't ice a team with 15 20-year-olds and lose 70 games. And of course, there are only four forwards with contracts for next season (Vermette, Hanzal, Richardson and Vitale) and two defensemen (OEL and Michalek).
But on the "Con" side, they've again shown they are making decisions to appease a temperamental and small fanbase. Bringing back Vermette is just placating a certain kind of fan. Michalek I don't mind so much because he's actually really good still. Clogging up the lineup with bottom six players is dangerous because it's going to impede the development of some players who probably should be in the NHL and finally, they still might be near the bottom of the league anyway.
Now, to me, there is still hope here. The Coyotes have an amazing compliment of young forwards and defensemen and they have 14 million in cap space and if they are willing to sit players they are paying, then who cares?
Every time this team attempts to move on from its core group, they end up right back where they started. A clean break would have been better, but here's how they can have a good season:
1. Open jobs in training camp. Let young players have a shot. This means Strome, Domi, Perlini, Dvorak, Duclair, Lessio and Samuelsson.
2. Be willing to cut players - be they veterans, or players they just signed - if these rookies earn jobs. Lessio is 22 and Samuelsson is 21, so they should both get a fair shot, even though with the signings and the assumption Domi and maybe Duclair are both in the NHL next year it seems like they'd have no where to play.
3. Sign Cody Franson. It's such a painfully obvious move because its a perfect fit. If they want to be a real team, to show a commitment to winning and impress their fans, what better way than to outbid everyone else and get OEL a perfect partner?
4. Refuse, under any circumstances, to give Vermette power-play time or to play him higher than the third line.
5. Realize that the bias against young players is ridiculous and that with a solid defense and good cast of vets, this team could be very good very soon. Let Strome play in the NHL this year. It'll just make him better next year.
Thanks for reading.