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Stars and Coyotes..Trading Vermette...Other Thoughts |
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Tonight the Stars come into Phoenix for a Classic Four Point Game. The Stars sit three points behind the Coyotes for 9th and the Coyotes in turns sit a single point behind the Canucks who visit the Bruins.
Look for Mike Smith to get the call in goal against the Stars. Smith was - according to people whose DVR didn't screw them out of the best game of the season- great against the Penguins on Saturday.
My opinion on Smith is that he gets a bad rap from fans expecting him to be the second coming of Dominick Hasek. Yes, he signed a great big contract which rewarded him mostly playing at a level that anyone could have guessed was unsustainable, but he is still an above average goalie. His contract also is more than reasonable for what he provides, as it is about the going rate for starting goalies. OK, so he isn't going to win the Vezina any time soon, but he generally provides the team with a chance to win and that's all you can ask.
People just have unrealistic expectations for goalies. Look at the goalies on the top teams: Halek, Niemi, Crawford, Quick, Hiller, Fleury. Are any of those guys on the Hasek-Roy Level? Not even close. I would guess Quick is the best of the bunch, but his ascension was not ever supposed to happen, he was just supposed to be a place-holder for Johnathan Bernier.
It is my contention that the team makes the goalie and not the other way around, except in rare and unpredictable situations. To that end, I think Mike Smith is a perfect goalie for the Coyotes. He's young enough to keep around for a while. His contract is alright and will look better with each passing year, as the cap goes up and the average price of a starting rises with it.
To me the litmus test is this: If you put Smith on any of the top teams in the league would they still be contenders? Absolutely and without question. So with that in mind, let's maybe let up on the guy a bit? Calls to make Greiss the starter are beyond ridiculous. So what if he has more shutouts? Teams tend to compensate for the drop in talent when the back-up is in with better back-checking and defense.
Anyhow, tonight's game looks to be great if for no other reason than it should carry a playoff atmosphere.
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Lots of talk on the play recently of Antoine Vermette. Usually he's the kind of player you don't appreciate unless he's on your team, but he's been the hottest player in the league for the last two weeks (or close to it).
Vermette has 20 goals and most of them have come recently. The guy has been on fire. At one point in the last couple weeks, he scored every single short-handed goal the Coyotes, as a team, have scored this year. (Three in four games).
Lately it seems he is scoring every game. That's because he has: picking up points in eight of his last ten. He has goals in six of those games, with eight in total. In fact, almost a third of his total points on the season have come in the last nine games: 11 out of 34.
Clearly he can't keep this up. And he's going to be 32 this year. And he provides some of the greatest defense, face-off skills, and penalty killing ability in the league. He is the consummate third liner.
It might be wise to trade him. Right now, you might be able to get an overpayment. To certain teams looking to go far in the playoffs, Vermette could be the perfect addition.
Yes, he leads the Coyotes in ice time, but you can still trade him and compete for the playoffs while setting yourself up with a great asset or two for the future. Vermette leaving would only force Tippet to give more ice time to the likes of Boedker and Hanzal. I submit also that the PK hasn't been exactly great even with Vermette.
Yes he brings a lot to the table, but the Coyotes are not winning the Cup this year, barring a Carolina-esque run of insanity, so why not bite the bullet and trade an asset at the absolute peak of his value?
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A new segment. I will cover recent hot topics quickly and with scorn, hopefully reflecting the value I think these topics have.
On the return of Ray Whitney: You know you're hard up for hockey news when. Give me a break. If you think Ray Whitney is the difference between making the playoffs and not, its time to just throw in the towel.
On Woman's hockey changing their format: I know its PC to pretend to think woman playing hockey is fun to watch, but it's not. Sorry. I'd probably dig it live, but there is no way I am watching it on TV. It's not sexist. I have the same opinion about junior hockey. Although their new format just seems to make the Silver medal into the Gold medal, unless I am missing something. Prediction: the Canadian woman will beat a country I didn't even know had woman 168 to 1 in the gold medal game. Everyone in Canada will act like this is a huge accomplishment.
On Outdoor games in Phoenix: Don't care. Outdoor games are over for me. The hockey is worse and once you get past the novelty, why do you want to watch something that is intentionally worse in quality? I get they'll help raise hockey awareness in the desert, but I still don't give a flying........um........cactus.
On "Developmental Coach" Dave King going to the KHL: I don't know what a developmental coach is or does and I think Dave King is a hilariously generic name. I don't think this has any relevancy unless you personally know him, but I feel like I should mention it since every other Coyotes media outlet is. They should make a reality show about who will be the next Coyotes Developmental Coach.
On the Diaz for Weisse trade: Hey, I thought Blockbuster went bankrupt? ZING!
On Tim Kennedy clearing waivers: How did no one want an 8 point fourth liner who is under six feet? That's not exactly fair, Kennedy brings more to the table than you'd think. I actually would way rather him play in the lineup than Halpern.
This blog brought to you by Jason Isbelle and the Drive By Truckers.
Thanks for reading.
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