I don’t need to be reminded that I have been covering the Coyotes for a long while. It happens all the time. A player or coach from another era will text me. I’ll find a media guide or another piece of paraphernalia from the early 2000s. A fan will recount some almost forgotten moment. Or I’ll have another birthday like I did on Sunday.

I used to like birthdays; really looked forward to them. I don’t anymore. I think a lot of people go through the same progression. I know that my colleague Steve Peters has. It happens when you reach middle age. You either don’t want to be reminded of the fact that you have reached middle age or you no longer care about the forced pageantry. 

The progression looks something like this:

1-3 years old: I have no idea what’s going on. I just want to eat this cake.

4-22: I am the center of the universe.

23-29: I am still the center of the universe. Why don’t others realize it?

30-39: Wow, it’s actually cool to focus on my relationships with others instead of focusing on myself on my birthday.

40-49: Wow, it’s actually cool to focus on myself one day out of the year instead of focusing on my kids, my job, my kids, my wife, my kids, my parents, my kids, my house, my kids, my bills, my kids and my slowing metabolism.

50-69: Can we focus on something — anything — other than my birthday?

70-90: Fine, I know what you all are thinking. We can focus on me today, just in case…

90-plus: Screw it. Do whatever you want. Just prop me up some place warm and comfortable and be sure to talk loudly.

So enjoy your birthday while you can.

Let’s get to your questions in this record-setting January edition of the monthly mailbag. I received 28 questions via Discord, 68 via Twitter and one via text message from an old colleague for a grand total of 97.

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Coyotes/ASU questions via Discord

He had surgery at the end of last season and he had to rehab all summer. That impacted his development and normal training, but the Coyotes like the progress he has made of late. I think that he is a strong candidate for a recall. Not sure when, but I think it will happen.

No.

I don’t think that was part of the reasoning. I think André Tourigny was hired because he had a reputation for building strong relationships with young players, he had a reputation as a teacher, and he had a whole lot of people who worked with him at Hockey Canada that spoke highly of him.

It’s a fair question. Let’s be honest. The Coyotes aren’t getting many endorsement deals. They need a bigger following locally and to earn that, they need to win more often. Right now, they are the fourth most popular pro team in town and ASU also has a bigger following.

On the Keller front, he is still a bit shy and reserved in media interviews and that may be part of it. That’s not a criticism; it’s just his personality.  That may be changing, however. I had a terrific interview with him on Friday for an upcoming piece as he heads to his third NHL All-Star Game. 

Poo-teen. That other pronunciation sounds like the Appalachian pronunciation.

1. I think they are still in evaluation mode on Ingram and Prosvetov for next season’s NHL roster.  2. Mark Messier, who embodied leadership, and Peter Forsberg because I loved his all-around game and I think he invented the Blue Steel look.

Lipkin was fine in the limited role that he played at the World Junior Championship and he is playing well at Quinnipiac (24 points in 23 games). Director of player development Lee Stempniak really likes Lipkin, but there is plenty of development ahead of him before he can talk about the NHL. Stay tuned.

I had extensive thoughts in my Neutral Zone on Saturday. Here’s the full note from that piece.

A few of you have asked me for my thoughts on the Canucks’ decision to hire Rick Tocchet as their next coach after firing Bruce Boudreau. I do find it amusing that the same media and fans who were torching Boudreau’s performance in Vancouver are now clutching their pearls over his drawn-out and emotional dismissal. 

I agree that it’s not a good look for the organization, but nobody knows what sort of negotiations were going on behind the scenes with Tocchet, and how those talks might have drawn out the process and contributed to Boudreau’s flapping-in-the-wind final weeks. 

It was hard to watch Boudreau’s final days, but getting fired always sucks, whether you know it’s coming or not. That has nothing to do with the greatest issue in Vancouver; one that neither the franchise nor Tocchet seems ready to acknowledge. The Canucks are not a good team. Further, there isn’t enough talent on the roster to make them a good team.

The 2020 postseason run (two series wins) was an anomaly in more ways than its unique nature in the playoff bubble in Edmonton. Elias Pettersson is a stud and Andrei Kuzmenko looks like a promising young player, but Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat could be traded and Quinn Hughes, for all his otherworldly offensive talents, can’t defend well in his own zone, which is kind of what is required in the playoffs when the games get gritty, direct and physical.

What’s more, the Canucks’ cap situation — remember they have Oliver Ekman-Larsson under contract through 2026-27 at a cap hit of $7.26 million — won’t make it easy to dig out anytime soon. 

So why did Tocchet take his third head coaching job in a third location with major issues (albeit, of a different type in Vancouver). Why didn’t he learn from his past two experiences in Tampa and Arizona? Why would he leave a job that was paying him in the neighborhood of $1 million for one day of work per week for the pressure cooker of NHL coaching — in one of the hottest pressure cooker markets in the league? Why would he want to coach OEL again after their relationship fractured more than he was apparently willing to admit at his introductory news conference?

Here’s why. Because it’s in his blood. He has the ego that he needs to have as a competitor to succeed; a self-confidence that makes him believe that he can fix this mess. He also loves coaching more than sitting in a broadcast booth because he is that competitor; an alpha male who wants to win.

Coaching is in his DNA, just as it was in Dave Tippett’s DNA to leave an influential executive role with the Seattle Kraken to coach the deeply flawed Edmonton Oilers. You can’t ask Tocchet to change what is in his very nature. The entire time he was at Turner, he was considering other offers. He missed the juice. 

I genuinely enjoyed covering Tocchet. He’s personable, he’s insightful, he’s funny, he’d do anything for his friends, and he studies the game more than anyone realizes; down to the microscopic minutiae. 

I wish him luck in Vancouver. He’s going to need it in yet another situation that is miles from ideal.

A lot. We brainstorm all of the time in our beat meetings and staff meetings, and the writers get together once a month to share ideas. On a personal note, I have a network of writers and editors off of whom I bounce ideas as well; all of them former colleagues.

1. I expected big things from Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse, Shayne Gostisbehere, etc. I would have to say Matias Maccelli. I didn’t even think he was ready for a regular NHL role this season. He has been one of the NHL’s best rookies.

2. No idea, but I would team up with Leah “Nothing But Net” Merrall.

Those are protected via broadcast rights. Not sure how the folks at Bally would feel about that. 

1. I don’t think I can limit that to one player. This question is a reminder  that I need to compile an all-time, all-interview team for the Coyotes. There has been a host of characters in this franchise’s history.

2. Derek Morris never liked talking to media. On break-up day of his last season here, he told Sarah McLellan and me that we’d never hear from him again. Ha!

1. Why do you feel the need to answer my mailbag questions for me?

2. As for more dogs, I am always game for that awesome experience. 

1. We hope to have Bill Armstrong back on the show after the trade deadline.

2.Yes, I have seen Alex a lot recently.

I fully expect them to implement the things that they have learned from the Mullett Arena experience. A lot of NHL players have suggested that Mullett may have the best ice in the NHL. Why wouldn’t you copy as much of that formula as possible?

I don’t think so. When Bill took the job, he hoped to have four to five solid drafts before the cupboard felt stocked. You can throw out the 2020 draft because they didn’t have picks in the first three rounds and they took Mitchell Miller in the fourth round — a mistake despite the reams of incomplete and sometimes inaccurate reporting on that story.

That makes 2023 the third draft in which they have ample picks. If they land Connor Bedard, that could accelerate the process a little bit, but I don’t think that a large infusion of youth is going to produce wins right away. Those players will still need to learn how to win at the NHL level so I expect the Coyotes to be a high lottery team ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft and we will see what happens after that.

I have not heard, Mike, but there is an obvious family tie and if he can play the style that his dad played, that would certainly fit the character of the teams that Bill Armstrong is trying to build.

1. Our past four dogs have either been pure bred or some combination of Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu. We’re big fans of those breeds because they are mellow, people friendly, they don’t shed, they are hypoallergenic and smaller dogs live longer lives on average (some designer breeds do not due to overbreeding). Beau was 17 when he passed this summer. Sophie is 16 and going strong. 

I used to be wary of Pit Bulls until I worked at the shelter and realized that it’s not the breed that makes them dangerous, it’s the idiots who own or train them. Most of the dogs available at the county shelter have some percentage of Pit Bull in them. When I have interacted with them, they have all been sweethearts. You’d be hard-pressed to find a dog breed that I don’t like, although high-strung breeds can get on my nerves. I have had dogs all of my life and that won’t change. They make life better.

2. Anything with their guacamole. Just inject it into my veins.

1. I wrote about this Gostisbehere angle in my Neutral Zone on Saturday. To keep it simple, it won’t impact his trade value at all. Here’s why: The Coyotes are not concerned about the severity of Gostisbehere’s injury. They are certain that he is going to be fine and that he will be healthy by the trade deadline. The injury will sideline him for four to six weeks, and it occurred 5½ weeks before the March 3 trade deadline.

Beyond that important fact, other teams know exactly who Shayne Gostisbehere is as a player. They have scouted him enough to understand his strengths and flaws. A dozen more games before the trade deadline for a guy who has an established track record aren’t going to matter.

2. I think so, especially the past two seasons. Schmaltz has not played with Patrick Kane or Alex Ovechkin but he has outproduced Dylan Strome.

That is an impossible choice. I am a huge fan of both. I refuse to choose. Instead, I will give you a 10-song list to consider for each band. I have separate playlists for both groups on my phone. These are not necessarily their top songs; just ones that I really like. There are obviously many more that I could include.

Rolling Stones:

1. Waiting on a Friend
2. Paint It Black
3. Shine a Light
4. Street Fighting Man
5. Tumbling Dice
6. Sympathy for the Devil
7. Gimme Shelter
8. She’s a Rainbow
9. Monkey Man
10. The Last Time

Beatles:

1. A Day in the Life
2. Lovely Rita
3. And I Love Here
4. I’m Looking Through You
5. Glass Onion
6. You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away
7. Norwegian Wood
8. Eleanor Rigby
9. The Fool on the Hill
10. The amazing medley on the second half of Abbey Road

1. Bangers & Mash, corned beef and brown bread. Irish ales, too, although I think that Guinness is vastly overrated. I prefer Beamish or Murphy’s.

2. Another question that would be great to open up to the PHNX Coyotes community. 

1. It would be tough but they could talk to other people in his life on the sly. That said, if a team is interested in a player, they’re going to call the GM of said team. Keeping it secret doesn’t really help the process.

2. Nick Bjugtad because he is beloved and has such a positive impact on that room.

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Coyotes/ASU questions via Twitter

Answer: Saturday night. Hope you watched and hope all is well, Slinderella.

I don’t think he is at the top of the list. I think Victor Söderström, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Ronald Knot are the next guys in line for a look, but what if they also trade Josh Brown and Troy Stecher? Dysin Mayo and Cam Dineen have NHL experience that could be valuable. 

Yes, per Christian Fischer: “We were on a losing streak. Had to change it up. We did it first in the Detroit game and won so had to follow up with Washington, obviously.” 

I don’t know. Farinacci has missed a lot of time so he is a hard player to evaluate. I wrote about him in my last prospect report. Here is that text.

After missing most of Harvard’s season with an injury, Coyotes prospect John Farinacci returned to the lineup the weekend of Jan. 13 and registered four assists in two games. Between Covid, the cancellation of an entire Ivy League season and injury, Farinacci has missed a lot of time.

Unlike other schools and conferences, the Ivy League did not grant an additional year of eligibility due to Covid but Farinacci still has a year of NCAA eligibility remaining so he could transfer to another school.

Those thoughts are for another day, though. Harvard coach (and Farinacci’s uncle) Ted Donato said he is simply focusing on getting his legs back under him. The Coyotes selected Farinacci in the third round (No. 6) of the 2019 NHL Draft. Their rights to him expire on Aug. 16.

1. I don’t get the sense that Vili Saarijärvi is going to get an NHL opportunity.

2. Rather than me picking those songs, that sounds like a competition that we should hold for PHNX subscribers. Agree?

1. Based on recent encounters, Flyers fans! Ha! Honestly, that’s probably a better question for Coyotes fans who sit among them.

2. I’d look at Logan Cooley if he decides to leave Minnesota after this season. maybe Victor Söderström, maybe Jan Jeník. Maybe Ivan Prosvetov. Maybe Nathan Smith. Lots of time between now and then.

PHNX Sports’ Steve Peters, a former coach, says there are several reasons:

1. The center is not lined up properly; feet and stick. He needs to have his feet square and behind the line with his stick on the ice.

2. The center attacks before the puck is dropped. In an attempt to cheat, the center will try to time the puck drop. If his stick crosses the dot too early, it’s a violation.

3. Wingers encroach in the circle. If any of the center’s teammates encroach into the circle prior to the puck drop, the center may be removed.

If a team has two consecutive violations on the same faceoff, a minor penalty may be assessed.

1. I have it on good authority that Lawson Crouse is quite the landscaper. Loves his lawn and grounds. Loves his cedar bushes. I am also told that the front lawn is more of a museum than a functional lawn. Not sure if it has red velvet ropes around it.

2. Three separate propositions. Three votes.

I’ll take it further and look at the rest of this season. They would really like to win 20 games to have something to hang their hat on. That means finishing strong and re-establishing the culture that has gotten sidetracked a bit these past few seasons.

They have faced plenty of obstacles between tough calls and losses on the road, and injuries.  This is a young team so simply getting healthy and maturing will help, but they need to get more top-end talent in this program to compete consistently with the big boys. Finally having an arena to use as a recruiting tool should help.

Rostislav “Rasty” Saglo is their Russian scout, so they do have eyes there, but they have also had to rely on a lot of video scouting and they use a service called InStat because things are so unstable right now.

The question is: How will the uncertainty about those players’ situations impact their draft status? “I think it may just move the Russian players back to the fifth through seventh rounds unless it’s an elite talent,” Armstrong said. “Nobody knows what’s gonna happen over there so they’re gonna get pushed back and then you just take a flier on them where normally those guys would be going in the second and third rounds.”

Two previous internal polls showed more than 60 percent support for the proposal among citizens. Local business leaders are largely in favor of it, the Tempe Chamber of Commerce supports it, and the city council voted 7-0 in its favor. The Coyotes are feeling very optimistic.

1. Sure, some can, particularly in prep schools in New England and the upper Midwest, but the glut of North American players are still filtering through the junior level, whether it’s the CHL or the USHL.

2. Not that I am aware of.

Wrong Sarah. That was Sarah Merrifield from Bally Sports Southwest.

That’s a tough life to maintain with a family. I would love the travel and the camaraderie. I would not love the hours, the travel challenges or the time away from my family.

I am all over the map. I like many genres of rock and roll, blues, reggae, folk, some classical, some jazz. Not really a pop music fan. It’s too formulaic and too money-driven (the two are linked), but there have been some good pop musicians and the music can be fun, even if it generally lacks creativity and complexity.  Pink Floyd is a yes. Not so much on the other two, although I am big Peter Gabriel fan. Phil Collins is cheesy.

Yes, Troy Stecher was holding the end of his stick as a mic when he asked Karel Vejmelka: “What did you think of my first goal?” He asked because Phil Kessel’s shot deflected off his stick and into the net. Veggie replied, “It sucked.”

I haven’t talked with Lee Stempniak about Alexandr Daryin. I wrote about Duda recently and I wrote about Fedotov in a previous prospect report. They are happy with the progress of both; really excited about Duda’s potential.

They already have, as of the last game and Shayne Gostisbehere’s injury. 

Not a chance, buddy. I’ll be slipping away in secrecy.

Nope. It happens often. I also think that he is going to get a recall soon.

1. Interesting question. If you read Chychrun’s comments in the last piece on which Petey and I collaborated, it makes you wonder. Chychrun is having fun again and he is playing in the types of situations in which he loves to play.

2. I don’t think he or his camp is going to force the Coyotes’ hand. We’ll see how it plays out at the trade deadline… or the draft… or beyond.

Yes, they will probably need to do so to remain cap compliant if they trade multiple players.

That’s a tough question to answer, Sheryl. On the one hand, they are very happy with the progress that he’s made in some of the less scrutinized details of the game like his wall work, his battles, his decision making, his reads, his added strength, etc.

On the flip side, at his size, he is going to have a hard time in a lot of those areas in the NHL. He is not as strong a skater as I imagined when they first drafted him and while he can make plays with the puck, his greatest strength comes on the power play.

Is that enough? I don’t know and I’m not sure they know either. I think he’s going to get another look at the NHL level soon, but I do wonder about Bill Armstrong‘s love of size, particularly on the back end.

Victor has another year left on his contract and he will only turn 22 in February so there is still time for development, particularly at that very difficult position, but I have to think that a lot of people expected more dynamic play from him than we have seen to this point.

I don’t think so. When you consider all of the momentum that they lost during Covid by having to play an entire season on the road, and then throw in the fact that they were playing at Oceanside Ice Arena which was an impossible facility to use in recruiting the type of players that they need, it feels like you have to give them more time.

Next season‘s recruiting class is the first that will be impacted by the new arena, but I think the one after that will be far more telling because those recruits will have seen the actual arena and the atmosphere and all that ASU has to offer.

I do think that this season‘s team has underachieved a little bit, partially due to bad breaks early in the season on the road, partially due to a recent rash of injuries, and partially due to underwhelming play on some players‘ parts, but this is a long game with ASU. I don’t think that we will know what Greg Powers and his staff are capable of accomplishing for a couple more seasons at least.

I know that there are many external doubters of this coaching staff. In fact, I wrote about it recently. We’ll see if their criticisms are on point or off base.

1. Yes, and the other team would run him through a physical as well. If he failed that physical, the originating team would be in deep doo-doo. 

2. I keep waiting for the gambling industry to apply more pressure in this regard; like it does in the NFL. NHL injury reports are useless right now. If they want the revenue from sports gambling, they should be willing to take this concession.

I wrote about Josh recently. This should give you a better sense.

1. lol. My wife has far greater culinary skills than me and has a variety of go-to dishes, but honestly, if it’s a date night, we’re probably going out to eat.

2. Not next season; not the season after that. I do wonder about 2025-26; their last likely season at that venue. 

I am not sure I would get an honest answer from people on that front because coaches tend to have each other’s backs, but my own sense is that he has done a remarkable job getting players to buy in to his systems and his way of doing things in spite of this season’s obvious challenges. That says a lot about his relationship-building ability.

I also think that this team has been far more competitive than analysts thought it would be, so credit the entire coaching staff for implementing strategies that have produced a modicum of success. When Andre’ arrived, there were a lot of people at Hockey Canada who praised him up and down, including Shane Doan. He was also on multiple media short lists of the next possible coaches in the NHL

.

Ha! I wish it were.

Boston and Colorado, once the Avs acquire their second-line center at the trade deadline.

He is injured. It is considered short term. 

Running a no-kill dog farm with on-site vets, groomers, dog walkers, and fields for the dogs to run. I have even more details in place. Yes, I have thought about this a lot.

If you’re looking at potential recall candidates on the back end, start with Victor Söderström, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Ronald Knot. The organization is happy with the way they are playing and would like to give them a look at the NHL level.

Up front, Nathan Smith and Ben McCartney are a couple of candidates. Michael Carcone is always an option, but in the recent six-game stint when he was with the Coyotes from Jan. 3-22, the Roadrunners managed two goals or fewer in four of eight games. 

No, I don’t think they will ever kill a past logo. There’s always a chance for a retro return.

It’s not you, it’s me.

Bill Armstrong is a big Jack McBain fan because of the size and grit he has brought, so I think that is a strong probability. I don’t expect any more extensions during the season like Juuso Välimäki got. Look for that in the offseason.

1. I asked former Coyotes strength and conditioning coach JP Major. Here’s what he said: “Ideally none, but five pounds up or down, depending on the player and their role on the team (high minutes guy vs. a bubble/low minutes guy). No matter the player, he still has to fuel the same way to prepare but he might end up not playing so the weight can creep up over time if not managed properly.”

2. Actually, they have used football stadiums as well. I attended the game at Notre Dame Stadium. They don’t use soccer facilities because they are typically too small in North America. 

I haven’t zeroed in on that particular aspect of his game, but keep in mind that Keller is going to have the puck on his stick through the neutral zone a lot more than most players because he is one of a handful of playmakers on the team. More puck carrying means more opportunities for turnovers.  Do I think he could manage the puck better at times? Yes, I do.

I need to write a story on Kassian to dive into all of these details. Thanks for the idea.

1. I think it would either be Gillies or Prosvetov. It could depend partially on what’s happening with Tucson’s season, but the Coyotes also need to figure out what they are doing with Prosvetov. He will be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights. 

2. I don’t think that Josh Doan will be signing a pro contract this summer. He has plenty to work on with his development and he loves the college life.

I wrote this in my last prospect report on Tuesday.

Coyotes 2021 second-round pick (No. 43) Julian Lutz suffered an injury in an exhibition game leading up to the World Junior Championship. He kept it quiet and played through it, but he did not return to play for Munich EHC in the DEL after the tournament.

He was expected to be back in the lineup this week. Development coach Kurtis Foster is in Munich now and will spend some time with Lutz while he is also working with prospect Maksymilian Szuber.

Logan Cooley has not decided what he is doing next season. As for playing a few games late this season, I doubt that will happen unless Minnesota gets upset early in the NCAA Tournament. The Frozen Four is set for April 6 & 8 in Tampa. The Coyotes’ season ends April 13 with only two games after the NCAA championship (April 10 & 13).

There’s no backup plan. There is only the plan, and that was always a four-to-five year focus on acquiring lots of draft assets before attempting to emerge with a talent pool that could sustain success. This will be the third year of that process. Maybe, for a change, they will have a little lottery luck.

I don’t recall reacting at all. 

Start by looking away from the puck. Most fans just watch the puck. Watch players away from the puck. Watch their positioning. Are they always on top of their opponents; in more advantages  defensive positions? Watch their reads of plays as they anticipate what’s going to happen next. Watch centers’ faceoff tricks. Watch players’ ability in board battles and their ability to make plays out of those battles; not just win them. Watch their discipline within team structure. Watch their ability to find open ice and make themselves available for passes.

I am not surprised at all. I expected it. And as long as the seats are full, I don’t care. It’s going to be a little while before this team can really generate a legitimate home-ice advantage with Coyotes-only fans. You have to win to do that, and they don’t have the track record or history of other markets. It takes a long time to build it. 

Both IR and LTIR are matters of need and the Coyotes are not in need. Putting as player on IR opens up a roster spot which they didn’t need to open up. LTIR allows you to exceed the salary cap if needed which they did not need to do with all of their current cap space.

Sorry, I don’t have an answer to that one. I’ll have to investigate.

I think you are right, especially if they move several players. Fortunately for the Coyotes, a lot of teams need to move salaries out to make these deals. A lot of teams are cap-strapped so it won’t complicate the process that much. 

Nobody is trading away the No. 1 pick. Nobody is passing on the chance to draft Connor Bedard. Nobody.

I asked a marketing/brand exec (David Eichler with Decibel Blue) and he said it would be a “huge mistake. The people who care about the team the most would hate it. Why offend them? There’s only two reasons to change names: When a team moves to a new city or it has a mascot situation like Cleveland (MLB) and Washington (NFL) had.”

I have reported the same thing multiple times. I honestly don’t care where he goes. I still think a trade is unlikely, but the key would be the return. I’m not going to get into speculating on what that return might be. I’m not a fan of that brand of journalism.

I addressed this above so I will give you the same response. Farinacci has missed a lot of time so he is a hard player to evaluate. I wrote about him in my last prospect report. Here is that text.

After missing most of Harvard’s season with an injury, Coyotes prospect John Farinacci returned to the lineup the weekend of Jan. 13 and registered four assists in two games. Between Covid, the cancellation of an entire Ivy League season and injury, Farinacci has missed a lot of time.

Unlike other schools and conferences, the Ivy League did not grant an additional year of eligibility due to Covid but Farinacci still has a year of NCAA eligibility remaining so he could transfer to another school.

Those thoughts are for another day, though. Harvard coach (and Farinacci’s uncle) Ted Donato said he is simply focusing on getting his legs back under him. The Coyotes selected Farinacci in the third round (No. 6) of the 2019 NHL Draft. Their rights to him expire on Aug. 16.

Honestly, that is my dream development scenario: Let Cooley and Guenther start the season in the AHL, rip it up, gain confidence, play in all situations, play away from pressure, and then come up when they are good and ready, rather than rushing them. I’m not sure that anyone agrees with me.

As for Bedard, he would clearly make a major impact on the franchise and maybe accelerate the rebuild, but with a large infusion of youth into the lineup, I don’t think that this team is going to win a lot immediately. Those players will need to learn how to win at the NHL level so while they may not be tanking, they probably won’t be winning a lot and they will still get a high draft pick.

They are happy with his progress, but they are also happy to let him continue to develop in Russia. Obviously, the war in Ukraine and the increased tensions between the United States and Russia complicate matters further. I would not expect to see him in North America next season.

Coyotes/ASU questions via text message

One last question from my old colleague, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir, who can’t follow directions when submitting a question.

Here’s how I have consistently answered this question: I don’t believe that there is one specific asking price; I believe it is fluid, as all negotiations must be.

I know that there have been a lot of reports that have tried to depict it as otherwise. If you ask me what the starting point is, I would say that has been pretty consistent: two first-round picks and a second-round pick or the equivalent of that in a prospect.

Lots of things could change that, however. Other teams may need to move other problematic contracts off their roster to make a deal work, so could Bill Armstrong extract something else in exchange for taking on those bad contracts? That has been his MO in the past.

The Coyotes also may need to take on some salary in order to remain cap compliant so that muddies the picture even more.

Finally, if Jakob Chychrun is not traded at the deadline, his price could change at the draft because Bill Armstrong would have an exact idea of the draft pick coming his way, rather than a guess as to where a playoff team will fall in the first round when all the dust has settled three months after the trade deadline.

Example: If a team comes to Armstrong with the No. 10 overall pick at the draft in Nashville, that might be enough for him to waive his desire for two first-round picks that would likely come late in the first round from playoff teams.

Top photo via Getty Images

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