Coyotes monthly mailbag: You asked, I tried to answer

Right off the bat, an apology to all the Coyotes fans for the absence of a June mailbag. I was in Europe (mild flex) for the first two and a half weeks of that month and when I got back, it was time to preview the NHL Draft and then cover it in Nashville.

The family vacation was spectacular. Thanks for asking. The highlights of the trip were dinner with Coyotes central European scout Teal Fowler in Heidelberg, Germany; the Alpinhotel Bort in Switzerland with its spectacular views of the snow-covered Alps; the commune of Èze along the French Riviera; cocktails in a swanky bar above Monaco; and the Dublin pub pictured above in which you can feel its centuries of history.

Now that free agency has mostly died down, we have hit the slow part of the NHL calendar; one that seems to shrink with each passing season. In spite of that, and in spite of a limit of one question per person (five people cheated), you still managed 71 questions this month. And for the first time since I started this mailbag for PHNX, the questions from Discord outnumbered the questions from Twitter, or X, or whatever the hell Elon wants us to call it now.

That fact is a testament to how much the Diehard community has grown since PHNX launched almost two years ago. I really don’t believe there is another independent media outlet that supplies anything close to the volume and quality of Coyotes content that you can find here. So tell a friend or family member. We have bigger plans for Diehards in Year 3, both from a content standpoint and from a perks standpoint. It will be worth your while to become a Diehard, and to subscribe to our YouTube channel while you’re at it.

Let’s get to your questions.

Coyotes questions via Discord

Buddy, that’s a tough question when you cover the Coyotes. Some of those rumors cannot even be reported for a variety of reasons. I’ll have to go with a relocation rumor. I had a legitimate source tell me that the Coyotes were relocating to Vegas after it became clear that Vegas was going to be an expansion franchise. I tried to convince him how ridiculous it sounded. He wouldn’t relent. People like to believe that they are in the know. Often, they are not.

I think if the term is short (one or two years), he’s a guy who could help them bridge the gap to when the glut of their top prospects make their NHL debuts. He was very good defensively in last season’s second half after a brutal start to season. He’s a very competitive guy who likes to go for open-ice hits; a true energy guy on and off the ice.

He’s not the same offensive force that he was before he tore his pec in 2018, but I would think he would still quarterback the second power play.

That’s a tough question to answer because it’s so broad in scope, but I’ll offer a few thoughts. First, get thee to a game at Mullett Arena. It’s an experience. Second, zero in on the core forwards (Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, Barrett Hayton) and third, get to know the prospect pipeline. Much of the future can be found in the latter two groups.

I have not heard anything about reverse retros yet. There is nothing further to report on an arena beyond what I have reported already, but I still sense that the Coyotes would like to be able to announce further information this fall — well ahead of commissioner Gary Bettman’s recently stated timeline after the first of the year.

From their perspective, a step forward from last season; maybe a team that is pushing to crack the 80-point barrier.

Acquiring Sean Durzi was one step. Signing Matt Dumba would be another, although I still think that’s a long shot. I don’t know that the Coyotes will try to do too much on that front, however, with Simashev, Maveric Lamoureux, Artyom Duda and Maksymilian Szuber in the pipeline. Unless a young and talented defenseman becomes available on the market, I don’t expect them to add anybody with much term on their contract. They won’t want to block the way for their young prospects.

The Coyotes issued this statement recently: “We are fully aware of the developments regarding Bally Sports Arizona. The Arizona Coyotes remain under contract with Bally Sports Arizona, and remain hopeful that the network will continue to broadcast our games this season. Nonetheless, we will continue to evaluate all of our options, as needed, and will ensure that our great fans across the Valley are able to watch our games this fall. We will have no further comment until we have news to announce.”

My own take: I doubt that the Coyotes will be on Bally’s next year because I doubt that Bally’s will exist. That said, I’m pretty certain that their games will be available somewhere, whether it’s on free TV or via another option. I’m sure they are exploring all of those options right now. I would expect some sort of resolution by September.

I don’t think that the development staff impacts which players the Coyotes draft. They draft the players whom they think are best in those slots, but having a strong development staff in place absolutely impacts what those draft picks do once they enter the system.

We have not seen the fruits of that staff’s labor because the staff is relatively new so judgment has not been rendered, but having covered this team for the past 23 years, I can tell you that they have never devoted the type of resources to that area of the player experience that they are now devoting. And when you talk to their development staff, headed by Lee Stempniak, you come away impressed.

New Jersey, mostly because I wonder if they can build off of last season’s major step forward. Progress isn’t always linear, but the Devils have a lot of young talent.

Extending Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier while shedding Damon Severson’s rights and trading for Tyler Toffoli addressed the team’s biggest needs.

I Googled it and actually found a ton of songs, many of them not well known, however.

I’m not sure if others have already noted this, but you missed one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs: “She’s A Rainbow.”

There’s also a deep cut Bob Marley song called “Rainbow Country” that starts off with the same lyrics as “Roots, Rock, Reggae.”

And how about this classic Ella Fitzgerald song: “Make Me Rainbows.”

As for “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” I like Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version better than Judy Garland’s.

I don’t play, Shawn has never played, Petey says he sucks and Leah says she has “only gotten the whole thing like twice,” so Leah by default?

A better offer. I think it’s pretty clear that he is waiting to see if other teams are able to clear the requisite cap space to sign him. If all else fails, he could end up in Arizona where he often trains in the summer, but I do not think that the Coyotes are at the front of the line.

“Barbie” gets cut. The starter is where I am struggling. “The Bear” is my favorite TV show, but “Oppenheimer” is one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. I’ll start “Oppenheimer” and “The Bear” can come on in long relief.

I am honestly not so versed in that area any more. When I travel with the Coyotes, I generally stay downtown so I am more familiar with recent restaurants in that area and along West Randolph. I have heard good things, however, about Steingold’s of Chicago (a Jewish deli).

It’s never wrong to dream, Jack.

I don’t think any of his other movies can hold a candle to “Tommy Boy.”

I talked to Petey about this one. I think it played a greater role in the drafting of Henrik Samuelsson than maybe it should have.

From Petey: First, the player has to be good and draft worthy. Having an NHL pedigree can help give scouts and management a rare glimpse into the future. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It should probably factor into the decision less than it does, but I think that’s human nature.

The only ECHL team without an affiliate is Lake Tahoe, which will begin play in the 2024-25 season. That team expects to name an NHL affiliate in February.

The Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets are the only NHL teams without ECHL affiliates. GM Bill Armstrong is not a big believer in the need for one. The only thing that teams generally get out of it is a place to play an extra goalie who may not be able to get ice time at the AHL level. If you look at the Coyotes system right now, they don’t have a guy who has that need. Tucson has two goalies. The Coyotes’ other goaltending prospects are either headed back to juniors, Europe or college.

That said, the Coyotes are still discussing a couple of approaches on this front. My guess is that they will loan players to ECHL teams if the need arises.

No. I don’t see this as a playoff team, but the improved roster could allow them to challenge the 80-point barrier, especially if they add one more piece to their blue line, or if Logan Cooley has a change of heart.

The KHL is not a good league for developing young players for the same reason that the NHL is not viewed as a good league for developing players: It’s not a developmental league. It’s a help-now-or-get-lost league.

If Simashev and But get ice time in Yaroslavl, they’ll be fine. If they get buried on the bench for making mistakes, that’s a problem. You’re right about access, too. It’s going to be difficult to keep tabs on these players with anything more than video viewings and Zoom calls, unless the Coyotes find another way…

I don’t think it’s a matter of the relationship souring as much as it’s a matter of ASU students not being as interested in attending games as the Coyotes may have imagined. That may be good news for ticket revenue in that section.

I’ll say this about the Tempe vote: ASU was very much in favor of that arena but they were not permitted to voice support. That could have been the home for Sun Devil basketball had it been built. Now they’ll have to figure out how to raise funds for an arena on their own. That was a big loss for ASU. Tempe 1st didn’t put its most important tenant first.

I would want it to be their crescent moon logo and I would call it Keith for the late drummer for The Who, Keith Moon. 🤨

I mean, Keith Tkachuk, Keith Yandle, there’s some merit there… OK, maybe not.

Yes. I think it’s a nod to Keller, too. He really likes playing with Schmaltz. If they were to trade him, I don’t think Clayton would be very happy.

I don’t have answers for you; just glorious fantasies.

Well, they never seem to have lottery luck anyway, and there are plenty of people who think that Cooley is the best player from the 2022 draft, but I do still think they need more top-end prospects. This past season’s surprising finish stung, but they do have 12 picks in the first two rounds over the next three drafts. It obviously would help to get a top-two pick sometime in their history, but they may have to make do with Cooley and finding gems beyond the top two. They are there. The percentages of finding them are just lower.

The difference between these offseason moves and the Taylor Hall move is that they didn’t give up major assets to acquire them. When you consider that they are all on short-term deals, these players won’t impact what the Coyotes are able to do in three seasons.

By the way, I put these two questions together because they are similar.

I think they were all factors, although it should be noted that the Coyotes approached Jakob Chychrun first; not the other way around. I also think that the timing was closer to right for taking this step. They have stacked three good drafts together and they have a lot of draft assets over the next three drafts. Put all of that together and you get what you see now.

Not at all when it comes to player evaluation.

I can tell you with certainty that there have been no conversations between the league and Mat Ishbia, or the Coyotes and Mat Ishbia. Quite simply, the league is not interested in forcing a sale because it still believes the current ownership has options when it comes to an arena.

As I stated above, there is nothing new to report on an arena beyond what I reported from the draft floor.

I had several mentors and colleague early on who taught me various things about the industry. I would cite former East Valley Tribune colleagues Scott Bordow, Bob Moran, Dave Lumia, Jerry Brown and Mark Emmons among my greatest early mentors. I would add my former Arizona Republic colleague Paul Coro to the mix.

Among the things I took from them: the importance of developing a wide range of sources and relationships at every level of the organization or league that you cover; the importance of in-depth reporting; the importance of not pretending to be something that you are not, or not pretending to know something that you do not know; and the spirit of collaboration among peers.

I touched on this above. I don’t think the student demand was as great as was anticipated, which opens up other possibilities for those seats. I have not heard of plans for that section for the 2023-24 season, however. The Coyotes obviously have bigger fish to fry.

No, unless somebody offers a massive incentive in the form of assets. It would take much more than a second-round pick. The Coyotes have largely moved past that phase of the rebuild.

Andrew Barroway remains a minority owner (5 percent), but Alex Meruelo has been in serious ongoing negotiations with him to buy him out ever since Barroway was suspended by the NHL. From what I have heard, that became contractually possible this month.

It would be hard not to look at the Blues, his former team. He was their head of scouting for a decade. His, ahem, blueprint for the Coyotes is similar to the way the Blues were built.

There are several. Chicken marsala, grape-leaf dolma, paella, cream cheese and chicken enchiladas, rosemary and garlic rubbed lamb chops or macadamia nut-crusted halibut.

Questions via Twitter

Not completely, but it would take a spectacular offer for them to take on another bad contract. A second-round draft pick would not rise to that level.

I mean, who doesn’t like to “Walk Like an Egyptian,” but for my money, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “Head Over Heels” put The Go-Gos over the top.

I have confirmed that it will be the same approach as last season: a leadership group rather than a single C. Coach André Tourigny is a big believer in the former over the latter.

I have no idea what the percentage chance is, but they feel confident that it will happen.

They are always willing to listen, but that does not mean that Karel Vejmelka is on the trade block. At present, he is not.

I am just starting to, but Threads has its own laundry list of issues.

I can relate. Sometimes I walk into the next room with a task in mind and by the time I reach said room I have forgotten the task.

I don’t think there is much of an appetite for the ECHL to look at Prescott Valley. If hockey were to return, that arena would need a lot of work. It’s not in the best of shape.

I’ll give you the same answer that I posted above.

The only ECHL team without an affiliate is Lake Tahoe, which will begin play in the 2024-25 season. That team expects to name an NHL affiliate in February.

The Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets are the only NHL teams without ECHL affiliates. GM Bill Armstrong is not a big believer in the need for one. The only thing that teams generally get out of it is a place to play an extra goalie who may not be able to get ice time at the AHL level. If you look at the Coyotes system right now, they don’t have a guy who has that need. Tucson has two goalies. The Coyotes’ other goaltending prospects are either headed back to juniors, Europe or college.

That said, the Coyotes are still discussing a couple of approaches on this front. My guess is that they will loan players to ECHL teams if the need arises.

Not really, but it was really an indoctrination into Arizona living. They got to spend some time here to see the sights and familiarize themselves with the city and its offerings.

I have been trying, but Luke and Jaime are divas. Honestly, I reached out to them after this question and we may put something together in August.

That’s an interesting question, Michael. I’d have to look more deeply into that to find out. Success at lower levels is certainly one piece of the puzzle that GMs look for, but I’m not sure how to compare Armstrong’s philosophy to those of John Chayka, Don Maloney, Mike Barnett, Cliff Fletcher, Bobby Smith or John Paddock.

I don’t think softening the blow after the Tempe vote plays into it, but keeping his core happy and keeping fans happy matter. So does the timing of the rebuild. They have stacked three good drafts together. There is some sense in trying to take a step forward.

Past: Pavel Datsyuk
Present: Shea Weber (2011-2012). 😃

The latter. That is still the most important part of this phase of the rebuild.

I’ll give you the same answer I posted above.

The Coyotes issued this statement recently: “We are fully aware of the developments regarding Bally Sports Arizona. The Arizona Coyotes remain under contract with Bally Sports Arizona, and remain hopeful that the network will continue to broadcast our games this season. Nonetheless, we will continue to evaluate all of our options, as needed, and will ensure that our great fans across the Valley are able to watch our games this fall. We will have no further comment until we have news to announce.”

My own take: I doubt that the Coyotes will be on Bally’s next year because I doubt that Bally’s will exist. That said, I’m pretty certain that their games will be available somewhere, whether it’s on free TV or via another option. I’m sure they are exploring all of those options right now. I would expect some sort of resolution by September.

I think that’s a safe assumption.

I hate speculation because a lot of things could happen between now and then, but let’s go with Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dmitri Simashev, Artyom Duda and Michael Hrabal.

Highly doubtful. While the arena does have suites, I’m not sure the revenue opportunities are greater there than in Tucson, the second largest city in Arizona.

It’s something that I can look into, but you’re right, a mailbag is not the right format for that sort of content.

Read the last three paragraphs of this story I wrote on July 5.

No. It will probably take at least two more seasons before they have a chance to become a legitimate playoff contender.

He will definitely get time on the power play. He’ll have to earn top-nine minutes, although I’m sure he’ll at least get some looks there..

It’s far too early to say what his goal-scoring ceiling might be, but he has been touted as a pure goal scorer. He has a terrific shot, a deceptive release and he seems to find ways to get that shot off in traffic by finding holes, seams or space. We’ll see.

As I noted above, there is nothing further to report beyond what I have reported already, but I still sense that the Coyotes would like to be able to announce further information this fall — well ahead of commissioner Gary Bettman’s recently stated timeline after the first of the year.

It’s an excellent question; one into which I will delve in a story once training camp begins.

The free beer and drugs. The people are OK, too.

No. They are not eligible to play in the AHL, per the CHL-NHL agreement.

No. Signing Patrick Kane would have no impact on their ability to get an area. It would also be a waste of money at this point in his career.

I’m not sure he overvalues size. He did draft Logan Cooley, Artyom Duda, JJ Moser and sign Matias Maccelli to a three-year extension.

As for the term “higher-profile draft prospects,” I don’t put much stock in it because of the speculative nature of the draft. Go back through his three legitimate drafts and tell me when he “consistently passed on higher profile prospects” for size.

I think you are suffering from recency bias and when you read the analysis of Corey Pronman or other scouting agencies on Simashev, you don’t come away convinced that there were consensus better prospects available, especially when you know that Matvei Michkov would not play here.

I still think it’s a long shot, but if other teams are not able to clear the requisite cap space to sign him, Arizona could be his fallback option.

I’m still not sure I understand your phrasing because icing is always waved off for shorthanded teams. I’d like to see icing called for shorthanded teams, resulting in a faceoff for the power-play team in the offensive zone. Icing on power plays is boring. By eliminating it, I think you would see more scoring and excitement in games.

Top photo via my swanky new iPhone. Mailbag illustration courtesy of Bea Wyatt

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