James Tanner: Top Five Reasons to Be Excited About the Coytoes - #4 John Chayka

they should be contenders in the Western Conference this season

... doubt they can competite with Sharks, Kings, Flames, and maybe VGK or Oil in their own division. They will be ahead of the Canucks, i agree!

The Cure - "Friday i'm in love" (or "Pictures of you").

... doubt they can competite with Sharks, Kings, Flames, and maybe VGK or Oil in their own division. They will be ahead of the Canucks, i agree!
- VeryModernMan

Why do you doubt that? None of those teams has a better blue line. None of those teams has a better goalie. The Flames and the Oilers are good teams, VGK is way overrated after a super-fluke season, the Sharks are ancient, the Kings are nothing close to what they used to be. I do agree the Canucks are garbage though.

Coyotes should be competing with the Oilers for the division title.

Why do you doubt that? None of those teams has a better blue line. None of those teams has a better goalie. The Flames and the Oilers are good teams, VGK is way overrated after a super-fluke season, the Sharks are ancient, the Kings are nothing close to what they used to be. I do agree the Canucks are garbage though.

Coyotes should be competing with the Oilers for the division title.
- james_tanner1

I agree that VGK will most likely lose steam and Oil will jump in the standings.. though predicting a divison title basically means ~+30 points compared to last campaign (=pulling an Avalanche), and that all with nearly none roster-improvement? Unlikely.

Coyotes have a good defense, and a solid goaltending (don't oversee that the numbers in Pacific seem to be a little better than rest of the league - even Fleury had a career-year), but their offense is not that impressive... don't get me wrong, but some teams have a better 2nd-line than their first, same with 3rd and their second... statistical abnomalies here and there, but there was also a good [player-]reason they didn't score last year - don't expect that to change too much in this one, at least i don't.

I think they make the playoffs this season

Rinse and repeat. Same prediction every year. Gonna be right eventually.

Ducks missing from the conversation, which is fine. I know Tanner hates Carlyle, but then again, so do I.

Latest "Hotstove" topic regarding top 5 D in the Western Conf., noticed 2 Ducks were mentioned (Manson by Tanner). When there's a discussion of top G, Gibson often mentioned. Ducks D will no longer have Bieksa and Beauch dragging them down (yet with those 2 Ducks still had the 3rd best GAA in the league). With Lindholm, Manson, Montour, and Fowler top 4 (and all 26 or younger once the season starts), Ducks will be in the Pacific picture. Offense will be an issue, but the D is too strong imo to write this team off.

Dont' you mean Radem Vrbata?

Rinse and repeat. Same prediction every year. Gonna be right eventually.

Ducks missing from the conversation, which is fine. I know Tanner hates Carlyle, but then again, so do I.

Latest "Hotstove" topic regarding top 5 D in the Western Conf., noticed 2 Ducks were mentioned (Manson by Tanner). When there's a discussion of top G, Gibson often mentioned. Ducks D will no longer have Bieksa and Beauch dragging them down (yet with those 2 Ducks still had the 3rd best GAA in the league). With Lindholm, Manson, Montour, and Fowler top 4 (and all 26 or younger once the season starts), Ducks will be in the Pacific picture. Offense will be an issue, but the D is too strong imo to write this team off.
- quackup

Offense is important in this day in age...can’t get by with just really good D. The Canes are a perfect example.

HE hasn’t proven squat jimmy. If by proven u mean no playoffs under his watch Then I agree.

Easy making trades when ur a bottom feeder. Let’s see what he does when the pressure is on; if it ever gets turned on that is.

You overrate event player on Arizona it makes it a good read.

Ducks missing from the conversation, which is fine.
- quackup

With the state of Kesler and Perry, the vintage third jersey might be one of the biggest highlights this year.

Rinse and repeat. Same prediction every year. Gonna be right eventually.

Ducks missing from the conversation, which is fine. I know Tanner hates Carlyle, but then again, so do I.

Latest "Hotstove" topic regarding top 5 D in the Western Conf., noticed 2 Ducks were mentioned (Manson by Tanner). When there's a discussion of top G, Gibson often mentioned. Ducks D will no longer have Bieksa and Beauch dragging them down (yet with those 2 Ducks still had the 3rd best GAA in the league). With Lindholm, Manson, Montour, and Fowler top 4 (and all 26 or younger once the season starts), Ducks will be in the Pacific picture. Offense will be an issue, but the D is too strong imo to write this team off.
- quackup

I agree the Ducks could be good. But they might also be awful. Their forwards no longer inspire much confidence.

Dont' you mean Radem Vrbata?
- Roadhockey

Maybe I did and maybe I didn't!

“None of those teams has a better blue line.”

How can you say this when the Kings were the best defensive team in the NHL last year?

“None of those teams has a better blue line.”

How can you say this when the Kings were the best defensive team in the NHL last year?
- LAkings96

Cause I think that OEL is Doughty's equal, Demers is maybe not as good as Muzzin, but 2-6 I believe the Coyotes are superior.

Ya, Kruger for Hinostroza and Oesterle. Seems like there was another piece or two to that trade.....Just can't put my finger on it!!!

Way to leave out key pieces of info to support your opinions!

Optimism is great! But the Yote's are going nowhere with that forward crew
Keller could regress just as Domi did! You remember him right? You should because you had him pegged as part of a Yote's core that would be together for years fighting it out with Edmonton for western conference champs.... Speaking of Edmonton. You do remember how you predicted them to be in the middle of their dynasty? Winning multiple cups? Stated it as fact, Not even just your opinion!
So spare us your ranting(predicting) how good "this" Yote's team will be!
The best part of this however will be when(if) they actually win(anything) We can just write it off as super-duper "LUCKY"!

Ya, Kruger for Hinostroza and Oesterle. Seems like there was another piece or two to that trade.....Just can't put my finger on it!!!

Way to leave out key pieces of info to support your opinions!

Optimism is great! But the Yote's are going nowhere with that forward crew
Keller could regress just as Domi did! You remember him right? You should because you had him pegged as part of a Yote's core that would be together for years fighting it out with Edmonton for western conference champs.... Speaking of Edmonton. You do remember how you predicted them to be in the middle of their dynasty? Winning multiple cups? Stated it as fact, Not even just your opinion!
So spare us your ranting(predicting) how good "this" Yote's team will be!
The best part of this however will be when(if) they actually win(anything) We can just write it off as super-duper "LUCKY"!
- camfor

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Coyotes also somehow got a 3rd round pick out of this deal!

Radem Dvorak? Who the hell is that?

The irony is that they are known for being the cheapest/poorest team, but under Chayka's watch they've actually spent a ton of money.

James, James, James.. I'll leave your optimistic opinions be because you're entitled to them, and I would be thrilled to see the Yotes put a better product on the ice and butts in the seats. They have to better than the California teams, Vegas, and Edmonton though.. and I'm just not so sure.

Have they spent a ton of money though? Hardly. Having players who are injured and on insured contracts (Bolland, Hossa.. heck even Pronger if we go back far enough) and players carrying cap hits with no salary obligations like Datsyuk is not spending a ton of money. It's selling cap space. These players paycheques are not coming out of the Yotes pockets.

Have they spent more than under Maloney? Just because the cap has gone up. They brought out the chequebook for OEL, but let's not also forget that Maloney era players like Doan, Smith, Michalek, Vrbata, etc weren't playing for peanuts either.

Cause I think that OEL is Doughty's equal, Demers is maybe not as good as Muzzin, but 2-6 I believe the Coyotes are superior.
- james_tanner1

You are the only person on this earth who thinks OEL is equal to Doughty. But you are entitled to your opinion. I’m just saying until after the season and the Yotes are #1 in defense and hold the Jennings trophy, the Kings are the best D in the league.

Also, you said OEL is Doughtys equal, yet you put 2 other defensemen not being Doughty in your “Top 5 Western Conference Dmen” list one including a very laughable Manson. Can elaborate on that please?

Good story!

Also, you said OEL is Doughtys equal, yet you put 2 other defensemen not being Doughty in your “Top 5 Western Conference Dmen” list one including a very laughable Manson. Can elaborate on that please?
- LAkings96

Wake up! You just fell down the rabbit hole!

"Instead, Chayka chose to try and get the Coyotes to competition level must faster than most would probably deem possible/smart/a good idea."

I've been hearing the same story for years, all these prospects and how they are going to compete yet they continue to be near the bottom year after year.

The logic of a Leafs fan, but used to make excuses for the Coyotes. They have not accomplished anything, nothing at all. I guess when they finally make the playoffs one of these years you can start calling them contenders too.

The best player in franchise history is only the third best defenseman in the western conference.

Also

Mattias Ekholm Is better than any other player the coyotes have ever had.


Fun facts from tanners blog world

James, James, James.. I'll leave your optimistic opinions be because you're entitled to them, and I would be thrilled to see the Yotes put a better product on the ice and butts in the seats. They have to better than the California teams, Vegas, and Edmonton though.. and I'm just not so sure.

Have they spent a ton of money though? Hardly. Having players who are injured and on insured contracts (Bolland, Hossa.. heck even Pronger if we go back far enough) and players carrying cap hits with no salary obligations like Datsyuk is not spending a ton of money. It's selling cap space. These players paycheques are not coming out of the Yotes pockets.

Have they spent more than under Maloney? Just because the cap has gone up. They brought out the chequebook for OEL, but let's not also forget that Maloney era players like Doan, Smith, Michalek, Vrbata, etc weren't playing for peanuts either.
- leafsfann

No sense in using logic with Tanner!
He just doesn't seem to grasp that Chayka has had the benefit of selling that cap space. He has done well with it however lets wait and see how he does when the trades are closer to even value. Or he isn't trading from a position of the upper hand. The "Hossa" trade cost less then i thought it would to unload that contract!