The Value of Radim Vrbata
Radim Vrbata’s status as a Phoenix Coyote is still uncertain. Management is still assessing his value and Vrbata’s team probably has an assessment of his worth to the team.
Vrabata had the best numbers of his NHL career with 27 goals, and 29 assists with a plus-6 rating. However, he was a streaky player who went consecutive games without a goal or a point, only to get red hot again where everything he shot went past the goaltender.
The tough part of this particular deal with Vrbata was how he closed the year. He did not score a goal in 22 games, right when the Coyotes were still in the playoff hunt. He scored seven assists during the stretch with a minus-5 rating. As the NHL veteran on the squad, he needed to help Shane Doan carry the load and could not finish the deal.
Therefore, in my mind, the value of Vrbata goes down for me. We expected Peter Mueller to learn the game and just try to contribute only to have him score three goals and ten assists during that same stretch of 22 games.
The young prospects did all they could to help the Coyotes win and with the potential of adding Blake Wheeler to the mix, along with the signing of Hobey Baker award winner Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik, there may not be a solid spot for Vrbata.
It is up to him though and how much he is willing to do to stay. If his agent and his team focus solely on the numbers, then I would speculate that the contract discussions could linger further. I would recommend, not that Vrabata’s team reads the blog or not, to come in slightly under value if he truly wants to stay here. To me, he didn’t prove himself when the team needed him the most. Many times in the last few games he would give up the pass instead of shoot the puck.
If the recent performance of the young players on the hockey team are any future indication (i.e. Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal, Dan Carcillo, Dan Winnik, and Kyle Turris), I would go with the young prospects first if the deal didn’t make sense for the franchise.
General Manager Don Maloney is a smart executive – he’s proven that over and over again. He has the clear vision of where this hockey club needs to be and he wants the right players in the right spots to get there.
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment