One Fan's Perspective

The NHL draft is starting very soon.

I’ll post up what the Coyotes do as I see it.

The Coyotes have their first round pick at the number eight position and word has it that the club is looking for top flight defensemen to compliment our younger offensive players.

Hockey = Good…

Edit: 04:19 Arizona Time

The Phoenix Coyotes and the Florida Panthers make a trade sending D Keith Ballard and D Nick Boynton to Florida for Forward Olli Jokinen.

As much as I loathe losing a great young defensemen, General Manager Don Maloney needed a tough forward with the ability to score clutch goals (read: Vrbata is good as gone). Jokinen is that player. He has been a great asset as a Florida Panther, so he should do well here.

I’m sorry to see Ballard go though. It definitely appears that Maloney wants defensemen – hopefully, they will have the checking and scoring ability that Ballad has.

Darren Pang, TV guru, got an interview with Brad Treliving.

5:30 Arizona Time

The Phoenix Coyotes select winger Mikkel Boedker from the Kitchner Rangers. This kid has speed and plays larger than his size represents. He most likely will have one of the few roster spots remaining on the Coyotes team. Boedker becomes the second danish player and now becomes highest drafted danish player in NHL history.

It is still very cool that the Coyotes’ head coach gets a rousing ovation for what he has brought to the NHL.

Another interview from Darren Pang, this time with Boedker:

6:02 Arizona Time

Defense is the high demand position in this year’s draft…six of the first 13 were went to defensemen.

8:00 Arizona Time

Through a convoluted succession of trades that meadered through Dallas to Los Angeles to Anaheim, and finally to Phoenix, the Coyotes trade their two second round picks to Anaheim for forward Viktor Tikhonov, grandson of the Russian hockey legend with the same name.

Tags: Hockey, NHL, NHL Draft, Phoenix Coyotes by pbcoyotes
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There are some stories that are bigger than just one team, reminding us all that these players we evaluate, we analyze, and maybe criticize have life stories that transcend sports.

The story is about Maxim Gratchev and his father Igor. Maxim has the dream that most North American teenagers have when they first pick up a hockey stick and skate on the ice – to make it to the NHL.

For the most part, that has been Maxim’s tale, save for a very significant
difference that began the day he was born in a Siberian hospital — the same day
his mother died.

You can read more of the article here.

Maxim Gratchev was drafted by the New York Islanders over the weekend.

Tags: Hockey, Maxim Gratchev, NHL, NHL Draft, New York Islanders by pbcoyotes
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Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney had plenty of decisions to make. Knowing that a potential need was a top tier goaltender, should he sacrifice a future asset or concentrate on the current prospects to build the franchise deeper in terms of offense and defensive players?

According to Maloney, the price for a goaltender during this year’s draft was too high to consider, therefore he took the route of building the franchise other prospects.

In recent days, the chatter focused on goaltending, and I struggled with the aspect of what would help the Coyotes evolve into the team they wish to be. Will Tellqvist be able to be the goaltender of record if there is a solid team in front of him utilizing puck possession, speed, and scoring ability? Will the Coyotes chase an Unrestricted Free Agent?

Looking on the issues now, I am glad that Don Maloney focused on acquiring assets and future players versus the wheeling and dealing that could have happened at the NHL Entry Draft.

When the future is sacrificed for short term luck, it usually becomes a disaster. One could say that the Coyotes have been suffering from the disastrous decisions of the past, and now they are trying to right the ship in a better direction.

Tags: Hockey, NHL, NHL Draft, Phoenix Coyotes, Prospects by pbcoyotes
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