This afternoon the Coyotes have trade Rob Klinkhammer - best known as a punchline to many of my best jokes - and a conditional fifth rounder to the Penguins for Philip Samuelsson.
Samulesson is a defensmen, who is 23. He is 6'2", 200lbs and a former second rounder. While he lacks an offensive dimension to his game, he considered a mobile defensive defensmen.
Mobile defender with size? Yes Please.
The Coyotes have some large bodied offensive defensemen in the system, but their main guys - OEL, Stone, Murphy, Gormley - are more offensive minded, so this a nice add to the group.
To be honest, getting anything for Klinkhammer - who is I'm sure a decent enough guy but not much of an NHL beyond spot 4th line duty - is a bonus.
Seriously, nothing against the guy, but anytime you trade a fourth liner for even a medium ceiling defenseman, that's a win.
Samuelsson is the brother of Coyotes' prospect Henrik Samuelsson, the son of Ulf and fits Maloney's long range plan of filling out the entire roster with the sons of former NHLers.
For a fairly minor trade, I like this a lot. And hey, trading Klinkhammer will show the team that five shutouts less than a third through the schedule are unacceptable and that anyone can be traded.
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The Coyotes have lost five of six games, and six in a row at home. In fact, it's been over a month since they won a game at the old Gilla Monster Arena.
According to TSN's Bob Mackenzie, the GM, Don Maloney, came in the room after the team's loss to the Flames on Saturday and threatened to trade everyone, and even apparently went to far as to ask agents of players to submit teams they would block trades to with their limited NTCs.
Why would he do that?
Maybe because the team has played 27 games and has scored 1 goal or less in 1/3 of those games. They have been shutout five times.
FIVE!!!!!!!!!!
If you subtract the games in which they beat the Oilers, they are pretty much the worst team in hockey and if you take away the four games in which they scored 5 or more, they are - besides the Sabres - the lowest scoring team in hockey.
Last night's game was a joke. Hated rival Dustin Brown destroyed the Coyotes, almost by himself. The game was tough to watch and once the Kings scored it felt like it was over (although that might just be a personal reaction on my part).
So, to follow up the GMs outburst, the team held a 20 minute meeting after the game - players only. Which, who cares? I don't know why everyone makes a big deal about these meetings.
The Oilers - who have lost 11 games in a row and have not beat a team from the West all year - sit just three wins back of the Coyotes.
That's how bad it is.
And if you were waiting around hoping that the new owners would be approved by the league, inject some cash and maybe get the ball rolling on personnel changes, that is out too, since the NHL announced they will not vote to approve at the winter meetings, which means it could still be a while.
Good times.