Editorial Comment On The Phoenix Situation
The Phoenix Coyotes built the Jobing.com arena in Glendale, Arizona in 2003. It cost $180 million, all of it paid for by Glendale. Its tenants are the Phoenix Coyotes and an indoor lacrosse team. The NHL may overestimate the viability of hockey in Glendale, Arizona - the team may just be a huge money loser regardless of what happens. It would certainly be no tragedy to the citizens of Phoenix if the Coyotes skipped town. However, the NHL is trying to enforce two things here - A: that owners of a team cannot just move their teams without due process and B: that teams adhere to the promises made to communities. If the Coyotes leave, Glendale is out an enormous chunk of cash as the possessor of a near-useless arena. This will endanger publicly financed arena projects in the future.
It's entirely possible that the Phoenix Coyotes are not viable in Phoenix and this is just an enormous boondoggle that will play out over the course of several seasons, leaving a welfare team constantly rebuilding while they wait to bolt town. However, the NHL's other owners most certainly have a vested interest in leaving the team in Phoenix, if it is at all possible - they wish to have their cities continue to fund as much of their operations as possible.
It's entirely possible that the Phoenix Coyotes are not viable in Phoenix and this is just an enormous boondoggle that will play out over the course of several seasons, leaving a welfare team constantly rebuilding while they wait to bolt town. However, the NHL's other owners most certainly have a vested interest in leaving the team in Phoenix, if it is at all possible - they wish to have their cities continue to fund as much of their operations as possible.
Climbing All The Way To The Floor: The Coyotes owe almost $4 million in bonus payments, which should keep them right at the salary floor.
Projected Lines In 2009-10
Hanzal-Mueller-Doan
Upshall-Lombardi-Turris
Boedker-Lindstrom-Prucha
Dawes-Prust-Tikhonov
Jovanovski-Yandle
Michalek-Sauer
Hale-?
Bryzgalov
Montoya
Hanzal-Mueller-Doan
Upshall-Lombardi-Turris
Boedker-Lindstrom-Prucha
Dawes-Prust-Tikhonov
Jovanovski-Yandle
Michalek-Sauer
Hale-?
Bryzgalov
Montoya
Future Watch: The Coyotes pick 6th overall, and that pick will likely be forced right into the NHL.
Trades
The Phoenix Coyotes may want to make a trade. Good for them!
Free Agent Discussion
A player who played in the NHL last season doesn't realize it yet, but he will end up on the Phoenix Coyotes. The Grand Canyon is only a few short hours away!
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Phoenix Coyotes have an abundance of young players. A plethora. Unfortunately, they do not know what a plethora is - their team will be gutted once it gets any good and its best players sent out past Pillars of Hercules or Calgary or somewhere else. It will be interesting to see just where these young phenoms star; Phoenix isn't likely to be that place.
Outlook
Phoenix will not make the playoffs any time soon. They are a Mickey Mouse franchise.
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