Follow @james_tanner123 Let's kick this off with the big news. According to Eklund, the Coyotes are entertaining offers to trade Mikkel Boedker.
Now, I do believe that it has been discussed. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they did it, as I am not exactly what you would call enamored with the team's management.
But here's the thing: It is asinine and insane to sell your best offensive player at his lowest possible value in a season in which you are the worst non-intentionally tanking offensive team in the NHL.
If it were part of a package - say with Yandle or a few prospects - and the return was a potentially elite centre, then I could get behind it.
However, let's just assume for the sake of our analysis that teams are looking at the potential star winger as a good buy-low option. For the Coyotes to do this would be idiotic.
Yes, Boedker probably should be doing more by now. He was drafted 6 years ago and has a career high of 19 goals and 51 points. However, let's not evaluate that in a vacuum. He may have been rushed to the NHL as an 18 year old. He has also played mostly for Dave Tippett, a coach who doesn't tend to trust young players and who has created a defensive minded offensively conservative team. Then, there has been the dearth of quality line-mates - the Coyotes have never paired him with a centre who has his skill level.
So, for those three reasons, I think it makes the "change of scenery" narrative a little too convenient. He could easily stay in Arizona and have a change of scenery just by getting a new coach and a new centre.
To me, it is just not the right move - barring a ridiculously fortuitous deal - I don't see why a team with terrible offensive skills would trade their most talented offensive player. Better to work to get him a legit centreman who can feed him the puck.
I would be looking at moving Vermette, Yandle, Smith, Erat, Korpikoski, Michalek, and Doan.
I'd be building this team around OEL and Boedker.
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Brendan Shinnimin Called Up
The Coyotes have made a surprise call up. Brendan Shinnimin was not even on my prospect radar, and he will perhaps make his NHL debut tonight against the Flames.
Shinnimin, is a 23 year old left shooting centre. who is 5'10 185 lbs and undrafted. He is in his third year playing in the AHL for the Pirates and was acquired by the Coyotes in 2012 when he signed a free agent entry level contract with them.
He scored 33 points in his AHL rookie season, followed it up last year with five less points in 20 less games and seems to have come into his own this year with 14 points in 19 games. He is second on the Pirates in scoring.
An interesting selection, but I think it's good that they call guys up based on play and not pedigree. Shinnimin is a small but speedy playmaker who is a little chippy - according to his scouting report, as I have, obviously, never seen him play.
I look forward to seeing how he does.
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Tonight's Game
Calgary (14-8-2) visits Arizona (9-11-3) and while this, on paper, looks like a superior team visiting a bad one, I still don't buy into the Flames hot start and consider the Coyotes at the very least to be their equal and I consider this a very winnable game for them.
Spurred on by luck and a high shooting percentage, the Flames are more-than-likely due for a terrible losing streak that sets the world back to it's normal order.
That being said, they are an intriguing young team with lots of talent and are certainly enjoyable to watch.
The first thing people mention when talking about the Flames - be it people in the media or their coach Bob Hartley - is "character" which is a word roughly anomalous to B.S.
When a team has a record that defies their level of talent and the peripheral stats suggest a huge amount of luck is involved, you can bet your last Schrute-Buck that the world Character will be thrown around like mad.
The world of sports is full of villains who lack character and who have, despite being totally sub-par examples of human beings, gone on to win scoring titles, championships and individual awards, because, in reality, utilizing the talent you were born with has very little to do with what kind of guy you are.
In hockey, we don't even care about true character. What we mean is "hard-worker," "Canadian" and "plays while hurt." Don't get me wrong. These things help, a little. What is annoying is how the idea of "character" develops into this all-encompassing thing that is supposedly the difference between winning and losing. What it really is, is confirmation bias at work.
You see what you want to see.
I have nothing against the Flames, but their success being attributed to hard work and character and leadership is annoying to modern hockey fans who have been working hard to elevate the level of discourse surrounding their favorite game.
That's my take anyways.
Happy National Lawn Bowling Day, and thanks for reading.