When Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere addressed reporters after a 6-2 loss to the Nashville Predators at Mullett Arena on Sunday, he offered an unintentional reminder to fans. While most of us are eagerly awaiting the opening of the floodgates and the asset exchange that follows, the NHL’s trade deadline (Friday at 1 p.m. Arizona time) is far more than a…
Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun was all the rage on Twitter this past weekend. According to amateur sleuths, he had scrubbed all reference of his current team from his social media accounts during the All-Star break. He had recently followed a bunch of Toronto Maple Leafs players. He had recently followed a bunch of Boston Bruins. He had recently followed a…
On Jan. 5, the Coyotes were 11 points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, seven points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, five points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, tied with the San José Sharks, and two points behind the Montréal Canadiens in the NHL standings. The odds of landing Connor Bedard — or even Adam Fantilli or Leo Carlsson —…
Up until the past seven games, the Coyotes had exceeded most external expectations. They were as close to a playoff spot as they were to the NHL basement. Their middle core was showing further signs of progress. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka was among the league leaders in goals saved above expected. They were beating elite teams and they were winning with…
Sometimes, Philly fans throw snowballs at Santa. Sometimes, they throw batteries at baseball players. Sometimes, they throw wristbands at hockey players. Sometimes, they just throw the hockey players away instead. As Shayne Gostisbehere prepares to play his 500th career NHL game against the team that drafted him in the third round in 2012 — in the city where he made his…
I have long believed that the entire period between Christmas Eve Day and New Year’s Day should be a national holiday. Business leaders probably don’t agree. The US is so hyper focused on productivity and work ethic that it fails to consider the benefits that more balance might be create. An entire week off probably sounds like blasphemy. Some smaller…...
Coyotes fans have come to expect alternate ledes from me in these mailbags. Today’s topic is covers of songs that equaled or surpassed the original. What led me down this path? The discovery that perhaps my favorite Amy Winehouse song is a cover, not an original. More on that in a second. Anybody who knows anything about music knows that…...
The Colorado Avalanche, the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs and… the Arizona Coyotes. The first three teams are logical choices when you think of elite power-play units in the NHL. The last one? Not so much, yet 11 games into the season, that is exactly where the rebuilding Coyotes find themselves, ranked fifth in the NHL with 11 power-play...
PITTSBURGH — We’ve told you about TD Garden’s inhospitably, but PPG Paints Arena has been the Coyotes’ true house of horrors. In 10 previous games at Pittsburgh’s 12-year-old arena, the Coyotes were 1-9 and had been outscored 41-11, so when the schedule makers added insult to injury this season by launching the Coyotes’ stretch of 20 road games in their…...
Stanley Cup winning teams look for a way to sustain the previous season’s fire. Playoff teams look for a way to get over the hump in their quest for a championship. Non-playoff teams hope to take the next step in their evolution toward contention. The Coyotes goals for the 2022-23 season are a bit more esoteric. As a team, they’ll…...