The Coyotes did not have the best season this year. I am kind of glad it’s over; it was becoming painful to watch. Besides, had we made the playoffs and went up against the Ducks I feel that series would be over so fast. We now have the time to devote to figuring out what went wrong and making the necessary changes to be better next year.
I am not going to go into free agents and who should stay/go because I need time to think and digest. I hope to have that out for you next Monday.
Here is what Shane Doan had to say about the season:
“Once you’re back and playing, you’re back and playing,” Doan said after being asked if the illness affected him following his return. “From the beginning of December until March, I really was useless. It’s disappointing.”
He added, “This summer, unfortunately, is going to be really, really long so I’ll have a lot of time to get back (to full health). I expect to feel great (next season).”
Asked by a reporter if he thinks roster changes need to be made in the off-season, Doan smiled and said: “I’m a player. That’s my job… If they change stuff, they change stuff, but it won’t be because I think they should. I think we’ve got a great group of players that have the opportunity to be better than what we (showed) at the end and where we finished. Hopefully, we get another chance.”
I wouldn’t call Doan completely useless. The rocky mountain fever didn’t help. He came out strong at the start of the season. He showed a spark the last few games; he just struggled after his illness. I am sure he will bring that spark to next season. I would love the Coyotes to win the cup while Doan is still here. That is one thing he hasn’t achieved yet.
Now it is up to Don Maloney to sort out what went wrong and how to fix it. Maloney needs to determine where the problem lies and how to fix it. He has a few weeks to figure it out but he will need to entertain which free agents he wants to keep. It’d be best to resign them before free agency starts. Then the draft comes, will there be trades? And finally, free agency. Whew! I am glad that is not my job…
“Our inability to maintain the lead — whether it’s the first, second or end of the third period — is troubling,” Maloney said. “And we have to figure out why that is. And I don’t have an answer for you today. You can’t say, ‘Oh our goaltending wasn’t as good or we need better defense.’ That’s not it. It’s a team identity issue — our ability to advance pucks out of our zone or the play of our wingers along the boards. So, there’s a lot to it.”
I do know the problem is not Dave Tippett. He will be back behind the bench next season. He will be coaching World’s for Canada. Worlds will take place May 9-25. Tippet has served twice before as associate coach, helping them win a silver in 2009.
“It’s not ideal because the only reason you get the job is because your team misses the playoffs and our team missed the playoffs,” Tippett said. “But on the other side of it, it’s a great opportunity. Any time you can coach for your country on the world stage it’s exciting and I’m looking forward to working with the coaches and the players, and our goal is to go over there and win the gold medal.”
The Coyotes have two players selected for the USA Worlds team: Connor Murphy and Andy Miele. Good luck to all of our coaches and players going to Worlds!
The Coyotes will officially become the Arizona Coyotes during draft weekend. I will probably still call them Phoenix for a long while. I am just stubborn like that. 😉 They are also doing away with the third jersey and having a retro night next year. According to LeBlanc they are having a record year in selling new season tickets for this time of year. He also stated that they reached their goal of 14,000 average ticket sales per game. Next year they will work to reach 15,000 average per game. I would say that number will be easily attainable, especially if they add some key players and start (and continue) winning.
Lastly, the Coyotes have teamed up with Fanatics to manage The Den. I hope this is a sign that I will finally be able to find a zip up woman’s hoodie! Otherwise I need to go back to buying Flyers gear because I desperately need a new one. The Den will re-open in September after going through renovations this summer
“Fanatics is very excited to team-up with the Phoenix Coyotes and expand their brick-and-mortar presence with the largest selection of officially licensed Coyotes gear found anywhere,” stated Brendan McQuillan, Vice President of In Venue Commerce at Fanatics Retail Group. “Men, women and kids will enjoy quality merchandise across multiple departments, as well as industry leading customer service where the fan is always considered first in everything we do.”
I can’t wait to stock up on merchandise. I always see items I want for the Flyers but it is never available in Coyotes. It makes me very sad. I want to give them my money but apparently they never wanted it!
At some point I will post pictures from the last game. I think I got some good ones but I need to look through an edit.
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