PHOENIX, Ariz – The 2008 NHL Entry Draft provided coach Wayne Gretzky with an opportunity to remake his club and build on an inspiring second half of the 2007-2008 season in the Valley of the Sun.
Much of the draft’s thunder was born when Gretzky traded two defensemen, Nick Boynton and Keith Ballard, to the Florida Panthers for exiled Olli Jokinen.
The draft also delivered Mikkel Boedker and Viktor Tikhonov, who by all
Photo courtesy of the NHL
Reports from the desert also suggest that the Coyotes’ defense may consist of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. And that’s it. Lots of luck Ilya.
A run-and-shoot offense and then hope someone gets back in time to prevent a 3-0 rush may be the show in the arena in Glendale . It won’t be boring and the scoring output may put fannies in the seats in the Phoenix area where the Suns command the press.
The unrestricted free agent list in Phoenix is long including David Aebischer, Ryan Caldwell, Jon Disalvatore, Bryan Helmer, Niko Kapanen, Yannick Lehoux, Matt Murley, Travis Roche, Joey Tenute, Mathias Tjarnqvist, Craig Weller, and Michael York.
Radim Vrbata is also on the UFA list but local reports have suggested he will re-sign with the club and add his talents back to the mix as Jokinen joins the offensive push for the coming season.
Phoenix played excellent hockey in the second half of the season and faded at the end only when the postseason was clearly out of reach. The trick for Gretzky is to get the offense punched up quickly, make it effective and feared and then worry about the blueline later. All that and hope the abilities of Bryzgalov are not exhausted by the end of December.
Contact the author at lou.lafrado@prohockenews.com.
