Coyotes monthly mailbag: You asked, I tried to answer

When I wrote this linked story for The Athletic three years ago, I figured that I was safe from the wildlife dangers that plagued the Coyotes’ north Scottsdale-dwelling players. Turns out that I was wrong.

I don’t know how scorpions made their way into my neighborhood after 15 years of safe living. Maybe it was our new neighbors who brought them in their moving boxes. Maybe it was some enterprising company that released a colony and then advertised for scorpion removal (my conspiracy theories are small in scale). Maybe the scorpions just discovered, like many others, how family friendly Gilbert is.

Whatever the genesis, I have become just like former Coyote Derek Stepan. I am a scorpion hunter.

It was Stepan who educated me about the shovel and blacklight method of hunting.

“I go hunting them each night when I’m grilling,” he told me. “Throw the meat on, pull out the blacklight and just go do my sweep.”

For the uninitiated, a blacklight is the key to finding scorpions in your yard (or, gasp, house). They glow bright green under such light; their natural camouflage betrayed by technology.

As for the shovel, it’s the perfect implement for keeping your distance from that painful tail while exacting maximum damage. I like to use a digging shovel because the point allows me to be precise with my aim.

First, I sever the tail to remove their only real defense and then I dissect the scorpion with a few more quick blows to ease its suffering with a quick death. In bad weeks, a quick scan of my yard can look like a firefly burial ground, given all of the small glowing parts.

If you are Buddhist, I apologize and I am ready to face the karmic consequences of my wanton arachnicide. I have two dogs and a cat, however, and despite a popular urban myth, cats are not immune to scorpion stings. This is about protecting my family.

Scorpions and spiders do not scare me so they are my responsibility. My wife holds the light at a safe distance and my kids want no part of the hunt.

Before you admire my manliness, however, I do have a confession. Moths scare the hell out of me. I think it’s their erratic flight, or maybe it’s those hideous faces. When they make their way into the house, they are my wife’s responsibility. Or my kids’. Or whomever is staying with us. I can usually be found cowering in the water closet with the door locked.

Let’s get to your questions in the May edition of the monthly mailbag.

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Via Discord

I’m not sure yet. I think the Coyotes will wait on some of their other free agents until they have a clearer picture of the players they will sign and contracts that they will acquire (with the added bonus of other assets) before looking to that next level of their own free agents.

As you likely know, they already signed Ivan Prosvetov to a one-year extension on Tuesday. Let’s wait and see on the others.

As for the Roadrunners, the guy I look at most is Jan Jeník. If he has a good camp, I think he could make this team. I still think that Victor Söderström needs more development time. We’ll see about Matias Maccelli, but I’d like to see the Coyotes overbake him for a full season in the AHL and get him brimming with confidence and a more complete pro game.

I have no idea how to answer that question, but he has had a terrific season and a terrific postseason. If his Edmonton Oil Kings win Game 4 against Winnipeg in the Eastern Conference finals, I think they are going to win the WHL title and go to the Memorial Cup.

It’s an excellent question that I have wondered about for months. I think it will have to start with Bill Armstrong. They are going to have to have long talks and they are going to have to figure why he hasn’t meshed with coach André Tourigny. It’s in stark contrast to the progress that Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Nick Schmaltz made under Tourigny.

I haven’t heard any discussion about captains yet. They may wait until their roster takes shape.

Gary Bettman: The story is the quarter-century Coyotes odyssey as viewed through his eyes.

I don’t think journalistic integrity is dead. I know a lot of honorable journalists. I know what you’re getting at but the journalists you are alluding to have done great work in the past. I don’t know why that one story was inadequately reported but I believe that industry accountability must start from within and I hope that my fellow journalists will call me on my mistakes when I make them, too (hint: I will make them).

Nobody understands the inner workings and challenges of this industry better than those inside of it. We need to police one another, and we need to be big enough to admit our mistakes without taking offense.

It’s a good question and I can’t say that I have insight on this just yet (it’s on my to-do list). I would imagine that both possibilities are on the table depending on the numbers.

I think Barrett Hayton is going to be a good NHL center. He has already proven that he can excel in many of the less-noticed details away from the puck, although he still needs to work on his faceoffs. If he is going to be a top-six center, he has to produce more, and that may come in time.

Late in the season, I saw glimpses of that. That’s why I’m picking Hayton as my breakout Coyotes player for 2022-23 with a caveat: He needs the chance to play with some skilled players.

There have been no talks with Saarijärvi or his agent, Jay Grossman, but Saarijärvi is interested in coming to the NHL. Grossman said that Saarijärvi’s plan is to play in Switzerland next season.

I’ll let you in on a secret. It’s the distilled vinegar, high-fructose corn syrup and regular corn syrup that make ketchup an abomination.

Via email from Robert Lee

Lars Hepso is their skating coach. I have interviewed him for stories in the past. If I get the chance, I may write a feature on him.

Via Twitter

I think some of their scouts in Europe can, but clearly it is tougher to forge relationships with players living half a world away; particularly in the COVID era.

We’ll see. Chychrun was pretty pointed in his remarks on breakup day.

Regardless of what Chychrun wants, Bill Armstrong will not trade him if he does not get what he considers (not what others consider) requisite value. Chychrun is under contract for three more years so the Coyotes do not have to do anything.

Chychrun doesn’t strike me as the sort to make the type of public waves that could damage his reputation, but his agent, Andrew Scott, could always fill that role to further his client’s wishes.

Ha! No. I can tell you first, Michael. I will (naturally) be on vacation when the meeting is held but we will have others covering the story and if WiFi permits in my remote location, I will probably jump on an emergency podcast that evening after the meeting.

Chef Mario, the Coyotes team chef. The players rave about his cooking and guys who have come from other teams insist it’s the best in the league. I have tried to get a dinner reservation but the restaurant always seems to be booked.

I will refer you to the prospect report that I wrote in late February that included Prosvetov. Goaltending development coach Charlie McTavish had some good insights.

I don’t think that the one-year deal signals that he will be the backup next season. In fact, I think the one-year deal is actually putting Prosvetov on notice that he needs to bring it next year in the AHL or he could be moving on.

Goaltenders can take a long time to develop and the past two seasons have thrown a lot of hurdles into the development path, but I think Prosvetov’s stock has fallen within the organization. I really think they want to see him take a major step forward next season in the AHL.

I have no guesses on the top five, but it is instructive to know that, per sources, Shea Weber was on their radar.

If Shane Wright and Logan Cooley are gone, I have to believe they will select Juraj Slafkovský, but I can’t be certain which players top their draft board. Maybe they do like Šimon Nemec or David Jiříček better, or even Cutter Gauthier.

I don’t think that’s in the cards. I do wonder if Europe will become a more viable option in the future, but there are factors working against that option for Guenther including his physical maturity (he needs more strength) and the ability to scout him regularly in the COVID age.

That’s one heck of a hypothetical. McDavid would have raised the value of this franchise considerably so I don’t think it’s out of the question to think that the Ice Arizona guys would have tried to hold onto the team.

I still think that offer sheets are the exception rather than the rule. I also don’t think that the Coyotes are at a point in their rebuild where such a move makes sense.

No. If New Jersey wants to trade down they will have opportunities.

Just remember: A lot of what you hear from GMs at this time of year is bluffing or misinformation to throw other GMs off the scent of their real intentions. I’m not saying that’s what the Devils are doing, but it is worth considering.

By the way, the Coyotes could theoretically be a team interested in acquiring that pick. Jakob Chychrun needs a home. If the Devils offer the right package, maybe they can make a deal.

I have never written such a piece and it would be difficult to do, given the general lack of media access to game officials.

I discussed him above. I’m picking Hayton as my breakout player of 2022-23, provided he gets the opportunity to play with some offensively skilled players. I don’t think that Hayton will be a No. 1 center, but he could be a No. 2 if he can produce at a higher rate.

As I said above, if Shane Wright and Logan Cooley are gone, I have to believe they will select Juraj Slafkovský, but I can’t be certain which players top their draft board. Maybe they like Šimon Nemec or David Jiříček better, or even Cutter Gauthier.

I think Armstrong is open to all options. He said so after the draft lottery. It would depend on the deal.

Tough call on the best storyline. I am really enjoying watching Connor McDavid elevate his game to another level (I didn’t know that was possible). I am enjoying Tampa’s quest to become the first three-peat champion since the Islanders in the early 80s. On personal notes, I am enjoying seeing Oilers goalie Mike Smith, Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta and Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper excel. Imagine a final four with three former Coyotes goalies.

Conor Timmins is skating again and is on track in his recovery. Clayton Keller had hoped to be skating three weeks after break-up day. That has not happened yet, but he is close to getting back on the ice and his doctors believe he is way ahead of schedule in his rehab. It helped that he suffered a clean break in the leg and there was no tendon or ligament damage.

The Coyotes are planning to relocate their corporate and hockey operations offices to Scottsdale in June. They must be completely out of Gila River Arena by June 30. It should be noted that they will be hosting their annual paint-the-ice event on June 3. It’s an amazing event.

Yes. They love what Christian Fischer brings to the team in terms of energy and positive vibes. Coach André Tourigny is a big fan.

If you mean teams, my money is on Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle, but you never know when a surprise team like Montréal will sneak in and steal the show.

I addressed Prosvetov elsewhere in this mailbag. I will refer you to the prospect report that I wrote in late February. Goaltending development coach Charlie McTavish offered some good insight. Suffice to say that Prosvetov had a disappointing season and the Coyotes need to see significant improvement with this one-year contract extension.

Not yet. I need to look into this but I have been busy and so have the Coyotes management and coaching staffs. I don’t know if André Tourigny’s good bud, Benoît Groulx would leave the Tampa organization where he coaches the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) to join Tourigny’s staff. I would think that the choice would be someone with whom Tourigny has a relationship, however.

It’s a fair question. There has been some speculation about the Coyotes’ management of their goaltenders’ workload in the past.

It’s worth mentioning that Antti Raanta only had to play 28 games this season. Workload was always an issue with him here so that probably played a major role in him staying healthy.

As for Darcy Kuemper, maybe he got lucky to avoid the injury bug this season. Maybe Colorado did a better job of managing him. It’s all speculation.

I dunno. I’d rather go see him on one of his European stops.

That is an interesting question that I have never heard before, but they generally use more than one puck in a game so that could easily be solved. Each players collects the puck with which he scored his first goal.

I think the Chychrun-Tourigny relationship was impacted by Chychrun’s role early in the season when he was starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone and he was not on the top power play unit. As far as salvaging the relationship, I discussed this above. It will have to start with Bill Armstrong. They are going to have to have long talks and they are going to have to figure why he hasn’t meshed with coach André Tourigny. It’s in stark contrast to the progress that Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Nick Schmaltz made under Tourigny.

TBD, George. This could be like the Shane Doan text message that he was being “corporately fired” while I was driving through rural (and cell service-less) Missouri. I hope to be able to monitor this important event.

I think he would be open to it, depending on the package that Montréal offered, but I really don’t think that Montréal is going to trade the No. 1 pick.

Most likely to return: Lawson Crouse, Christian Fischer, Barrett Hayton, Anton Strålman.

Least likely to return: Dmitrij Jaškin, Kyle Capobianco, Loui Eriksson, Josef Kořenář.

Barrett Hayton, Jan Jeník, Nick Richie, Conor Timmins and Matias Maccelli all come to mind.

They will wait to see how McBain and Smith fare at camp before making that decision. Personally, I think a full year in the AHL would serve both players well.

I don’t think so. They are not close to being a playoff team. They need several more pieces

Timmins is skating again and his recovery is going well. As far as I know, Söderström will be ready.

Yes. I wrote an entire story about it recently. You can peruse those names from almost every NHL team right here.

Not primary uniforms. The Kachina is an immensely popular brand, and for good reason.

It has been a weird World Championship. A lot of players didn’t want to play in it this year, which is part of the reason why the United States and Canada finished fourth and third in their respective pools.

That said, good for Vejmelkja. He has played well and is among the statistical leaders for goalies.

Well, I’m in good hands. My wife teaches there, I help out at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and ASU assistant AD Doug Tammaro has promised me a premium parking spot right next to the arena.

Actually, he has made no such promise but I’m putting it out there in the universe to apply pressure. It will likely have the opposite effect and I’ll be parking by Memorial Union.

Top photo via Getty Images

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