Fantasy Coyotes

Last night's tilt between the Red Wings and Senators was exactly as good as the FanHouse hype suggested. We got to see the league's two best teams play the game at the highest level of ability and provide us with a nail-biting thriller. Even those of us with no rooting interest in the game could find a lot of entertainment value in the match, which is the surest mark that the game delivered.

Unfortunately for the Sens, they lost Dany Heatley for the next 4-6 weeks with a separated shoulderr. Win the game, lose the battle of attrition, eh? Here's a quote from the 'What the hell' category.

Heatley left after he fell awkwardly into the boards while checking Detroit's Dallas Drake behind the Senators' net. He did not return. On Saturday, the team said he had an upper body injury and didn't say if he would miss any time.

*sigh* Are teams so afraid of releasing information during the middle of the regular season that they'll resort to this level of secrecy? As for Dallas Drake injuring people ... just like the old days :)

** Remember when Avs' winger Jaroslav Hlinka started the season with a bang, and then went completely in the tank? Well, the former Czech Extraleague scoring champ seems to have finally adjusted to the North American game and has put up nine points in his last 14 games and has developed some nice chemistry with Marek Svatos. With the injuries to Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic, their production is sorely needed.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Only a couple of years removed from being a #1 goalie in the NHL, David Aebischer was banished to the AHL, and is now on his way back home to Switzerland. Unable to find a spot in the NHL, Aebischer wanted to go home, and the Coyotes agreed to 'loan' him to a Swiss League club.

David Aebischer, once considered the heir apparent to Patrick Roy with the Colorado Avalanche, is back where he started his career - in Switzerland.

The Phoenix Coyotes, his current employers, confirmed that Aebischer had been loaned to HC Lugano of Swiss League. The move became necessary after the Coyotes picked up a new No. 1 goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov, from the Anaheim Ducks, bumping ex-Canuck goaltender Alex Auld down to the minors and leaving Aebischer as the No. 4 goalie in the Coyotes' system. The 29-year-old Aebischer signed with the Coyotes as a free agent on July 19 - his contributions to the organization were limited to one-and-only appearance, a loss to Columbus on Oct. 10.

Let's face it, Aebischer may find it so comfortable in his home country that he'll never be back. This was a favour to him, after the Coyotes realized that nobody else seemed to want 'Abby', and that David wouldn't be happy stifled in the AHL.

I am quite amazed at how far Aebischer fell so quickly. Even at his worst, he still put up a 90.0SV%, which isn't too far below the league average. At the very least, Aebischer would have made a fine backup on many clubs.

The Phoenix Coyotes have had some serious goaltending issues since before Britney Spears went from a somewhat cute lip-syncher to a drugged-out bad excuse for a mother.

Since the Anaheim Ducks decided to waive Ilya Bryzgalov bye-bye, in order to let Ilya have his #1 opportunity elsewhere, the Coyotes jumped on that freebie and were rewarded with a nice 1-0 shutout over the LA Kings.

"I will paint Phoenix colors on it for sure," Bryzgalov said of his mask and gear. " . . . I just walked into the locker room and my new teammates were excited and made me feel like I've always been here."

He went out of his way to praise the Ducks organization, in particular General Manager Brian Burke, calling him "a great man." Burke accommodated his wish to be a starter and put him on waivers Friday, knowing he would surely lose a quality goalie and get nothing in return, other than picking up $250,000 in salary-cap room.

So, the waiving was simply Burke upholding a promise? Hmm, that doesn't sound totally right.

In any event, Bryzgalov is a far superior goalie to what the Coyotes have had playing for them this season. Even if Bryzgalov runs off somewhere after the season (given his pending UFA status), the Coyotes will benefit with a nice short term boost to their netminding.

Career SV%'s:
Ilya Bryzgalov 91.1%
Mikael Tellqvist 89.2%
Alex Auld 90.1% (88% the past two seasons)

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL last year (2nd worst with 201 goals for), so they go out and trade a skilled winger in Radim Vrbata for a fourth-line grinder in Kevin Adams.

Make sense to anyone?

"In Kevyn Adams we're getting a veteran player who is extremely versatile, is a good skater and is a very good face-off man," said Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon. "Kevyn has won a Stanley Cup and is a proven leader."

Kevin may very well have heart, but he has very little offensive skill. Adams had just 12 points in 68 games last season, compared to Vrbata's 41 in 77 games.

I realize that Vrbata is a frustrating player that won't carry a team to the higher echelons of the NHL, but how do the Hawks benefit by trading one of the few players on their team that can score a goal for a dime-a-dozen grinder?

The Coyotes are in a similar boat than the Hawks, lacking offense and talent of any sort. They get a pretty good player in return for somebody who wasn't doing much for them.

For fantasy leaguers, expect about the same production out of Vrbata this season. He'll get just as much Power Play time in the desert, with the same (low) quality of line-mates. He remains a good bargain, but needs a good sniping forward to play alongside.

(Post Edited: 3:18PM)

Not many of you will know the name of Tomas Surovy, so it's best that you get acquainted with the Phoenix Coyotes' latest free agent signing.

Surovy, 26 years of age come next season, is an offensive-minded winger who played well in stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but spent last season in the Swedish Elitserien.

SEASON  TEAM   GP  G  A  PTS

03-04   PITT   47  11 12 23

05-06   PITT   53  12 13 25

06-07 LULEA HF 55  23 32 55

Now, you are probably asking yourself "Why the hell should I care about some obscure Slovak?"

Well, my peeps, Surovy just may be a great steal for you fantasy leaguers out there who are looking for bargains.

1. Surovy finished 4th in Swedish Elitserien scoring, a notoriously defensive-minded league. Remember Shawn Horcoff? He also had great success in this league (during the lockout), and then translated that into powerful NHL numbers.

2. Phoenix has so little offensive depth up front: Shane Doan, Mike York, and a bunch of scrap metal. Surovy, who is great on the Power Play, should get an incredible chance for lots of ice time in prime offensive situations.

Given Surovy's development last season, the fact he's in his prime age, and the fact that Phoenix has nobody else to provide offense, Surovy just may be the late-round steal that you are looking for. I'd certainly take the risk. You'd have to figure he's worth at least 40 points, if not more.

The Phoenix Coyotes finally got in on the free agent frenzy by signing the versatile Mike York to a 1-year $1mil contract. This has been their ONLY significant NHL-level signing this off-season, in which their competitors continue to get better while Gretzky continues to vacation.

Not too long ago, $1mil would have been seen as an absolute steal for Mike York. Now? He's got a lot to prove after a horrendous season.

SEASON TEAM  GP G A PTS +/- 

03-04 EDM  61 16 26 42 +18 

05-06 NYI  75 13 39 52 -9 

06-07 PHI/NYI 66 10 11 21 -18 

Known as a very reliable 2-way forward, York struggled in all aspects of the game last year in his short tenures with the Flyers and Islanders. At 29, it was hard to figure out why York was doing so poorly, given his past history and completeness of his game. Why did York suddenly 'lose it'?

For the Coyotes, this is definitely a shrewd signing. One would have to figure that York can have a bounce-back season and return to his form of 'old'. If not, the Coyotes have ventured very little, and can easily pawn him off for picks at the trade deadline.

For fantasy players in deep leagues, this is the perfect time to get stock in York. He'll get loads of Power Play time and offensive ice time, in general. His line-mates won't be great, but York has tended to play with the lesser lights throughout his career. At his age, he shouldn't be in a permanent decline just yet.

Jes's Prediction: 65GP 12G-32A-44PTS

Ladislav Nagy has long teased coaches and fantasy GM's alike with his immense talent. Sadly, injuries and other factors have kept Nagy from being a true scoring star, and have relegated him to the B or C-classes in fantasy leagues.

I, myself, have taken the risk a few times, only to get burnt or end up disappointed as I didn't get the expected point payoff.

Now that Ladislav has found a new home in Los Angeles, with former Blues teammate Michal Handzus, is the little punk worth taking a chance on, once again?

SEASON TEAM   GP G A PTS
 03-04 PHX    55 24 28 52
 05-06 PHX    51 15 41 56
 06-07 PHX/DAL  80 12 43 55
 

For the most part, Nagy has been a pretty productive player the past few seasons, except for the fact that ...