Coyotes monthly mailbag: You asked, we tried to answer

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JUNE 28: Barrett Hayton #22 of the Arizona Coyotes White Team and Tyler Steenbergen #52 of the Arizona Coyotes Red Team battle for the puck along the boards during the first period of the Coyotes' Rookie Red and White Scrimmage at Gila River Arena on June 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)
By Craig Morgan
Sep 11, 2019

A while back, I lamented the fact that I did not have an appropriate illustration to accompany my mailbags. Being the awesome community that you are, you guys sent me a wide variety of possibilities. Some were hilarious. One was a stick figure. Some were, um, naughty. Most were impressive.

I can’t use them all, but I will use a few that I have received, and I am open to more now that you have a feel for what’s appropriate.

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As I empty the final Coyotes mailbag before training camp begins on Thursday, enjoy one of three illustrations that @BVWyatt created to kick things off. It appears below with every one of your questions.

Here are my answers to your questions. Before we get started, however, a moment of remembrance for the victims and heroes of 9/11, a day that altered our nation in ways we still do not fully comprehend.

I’m sure John Chayka has interest in most of the players on that list, and he is always looking for opportunities to improve the team, but I do not expect those players to be traded. They are critical pieces of their teams’ futures. The acquisition cost would also be high. It has been fascinating to watch this RFA summer play out. The market is being dramatically restructured before our eyes.

I would challenge your premise that the Coyotes had interest in Marleau. I think that rumor has been greatly overblown. The Coyotes need their young players to develop. They can’t keep stalling that development with stopgap veterans.

As for the final two forward spots, I think Barrett Hayton has an excellent chance to grab one of those roster spots and the other will likely be a player on a two-way contract — perhaps a revolving door of players between Glendale and Tucson.

Good question, Tim. I am hoping for the same thing. We haven’t heard from Alex Meruelo since his introductory news conference, and news conferences are rarely insightful.

I included him on my secondary list of rookies to watch at camp, but you clearly have been paying attention. There is some internal belief that Jenik has leapfrogged other prospects. He has really impressed the coaching and management staffs. I suspect he will return to Hamilton (OHL) for one more year. After that, we’ll see. He is viewed as a really good prospect. Our Corey Pronman had him ranked No. 6 in the Coyotes farm system rankings.

I watched a little. To be honest, I don’t get a lot out of these things because it’s rookie vs. rookies, but three names that jumped out are Barrett Hayton, Victor Söderström and Jan Jenik, whom I discussed above.

From @Phoenix_Jet (locked account): Any news on the new arena everyone is talking about?

I don’t expect to hear much on an arena until new owner Alex Meruelo gets the lay of the land. He just arrived. My guess is he’ll want to do his own research.

Probably not, but both of my daughters were huge Pokémon Go fans when they were younger. My youngest craves power. She’d be the one to watch.

After consulting with my daughters, I choose Charmander because I’m told it evolves into the “super cool Charizard, obviously.”

I don’t know yet. It’s one of the things I will be watching closely at camp. I know that Housley has some ideas for tinkering with the power play. Any improvements would be welcome. That unit was brutal last season.  The addition of Phil Kessel and the health of Nick Schmaltz and Jakob Chychrun should help.

I have not, but I hope to get a one-on-one interview on Thursday. I have two dogs that we got when my daughters were very young. Sophie, 12, is a Shih Tzu; Beau, 14, is a Lhasa Apso.

I would be a well-paid travel writer. I wouldn’t live in one place. I’d live in many (after my daughters have graduated from college). On my list of home bases (to date): the southwestern peninsulas of Ireland, Cinque Terra, New Zealand, Telluride, Vancouver and Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Nick Schmaltz. Phil Kessel will, of course, be interesting to watch, and Jakob Chychrun could take a quantum leap this season, but to me, Schmaltz is the greatest unknown, with enormous upside. I just wrote about him.

I will miss Scott Allen, too. He’s a good man and that accent was one of my favorite part of practices. The switch was made because Rick Tocchet believes Housley can unlock more offensive potential from his well-paid blue line. While that unit defended extremely well last season, you can make a strong argument that it underachieved overall because of the lack of offense. I think Tocchet is also intrigued by what Housley can add to the power play.

The training staff is always tweaking things. Each player gets an offseason program and J.P. Major checks in with trainers in the players’ hometowns if they are not staying in Arizona. To be honest, I think coaches use the conditioning complaint as a motivational tool. Some of the younger players have certainly learned how to train, eat and sleep better and more efficiently, but the staff here is incredibly well informed on what players need to maximize their potential. Spend a few minutes talking to Major and you will feel like you just took a class with an accomplished, oft-published professor. His knowledge base is deep and his vocabulary far exceeds mine.

As I noted above, I think this rumor has been highly overblown. I don’t see that happening.

Yes, I mentioned this above, but three names that jumped out: Barrett Hayton, Victor Söderström and Jan Jenik.

John Chayka has a lot of conversations. Gardiner would have had to come at the right price and role. The Coyotes are pretty happy with their six regular defensemen, so who would he replace among Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jakob Chychrun and Jordan Oesterle? Ilya Lyubushkin and Kyle Capobianco provide depth. I don’t think there is a great need to add to the blue line. I’d rather see one more scoring wing unless the young core takes a big step forward.

I asked and was told it was added before the 2011-12 season, which ended in a Western Conference Final loss.

The CHL-NHL agreement does not serve the players. Often, it does not serve the teams. I would not be surprised if the next CBA includes a provision to allow teams an exception for top prospects or first-round picks drafted from the CHL to play in the AHL before they are 20. There have been multiple instances where that move would have been better for the development of the player. If Hayton does not make the team, he will have to return to Sault Ste. Marie (OHL). That will not help his development as much as playing for Tucson would.

Christian Fischer has a chance to lock down a regular lineup role. He has to demonstrate that he can not only win puck battles in the corners, but make plays out of those battles or get to the net. He is also a candidate for net-front presence on the power play. He obviously has to produce, too. I wouldn’t call him an outcast. I think he is still very much in the mix. He’s only 22.

I hate predictions. I hate grades. I hate mock drafts. I am bored stiff by fantasy talk. Now that you know all that, I will say that the start of the season is particularly important for the Coyotes because the schedule is tough. I’ll go with 4-4-2 to start, but don’t put too much weight in that. I certainly won’t.

This will be my mission this week. I’ll tape it to his mic. That way, he won’t miss it.

I don’t think either will happen this season. I suspect he will head back to Hamilton for one more season, but he has impressed the staff, as I noted above. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get a season in the AHL before he plays in the NHL, but much will depend on what he achieves this season. He will turn 19 on Sunday.

Sorry, but I don’t have an answer to the first question. Events always impact the quality of the ice, but all arenas deal with that. The Coyotes have complained about the ice at Gila Rive Arena for at least a decade. I think climate has a greater impact. Most of the poorly reviewed, NHL ice surfaces reside in warm-weather climates. Vegas may be the exception because it is so new.

I hope so. I think it is the right thing to do. I wrote about here.

Barrett Hayton. I think he has an excellent chance to earn a regular lineup spot. For more on that decision, follow this link.

F: Barrett Hayton, Jan Jenik (both played polished games and competed hard)
D: Victor Söderström (poise, fluid skater, precocious D-zone skills), Kevin Bahl (unique blend of size and decent mobility)
G: Ivan Prosvetov (big, athletic, really competitive). Sorry, including only one goalie.

That information won’t be released until Thursday at the earliest; possibly even on Friday.

We just had The Athletic Florida Panthers beat writer, George Richards, on the podcast talking about the opportunity the Panthers have in a dismal south Florida sports scene. It feels similar here. The Diamondbacks are showing character, but they are not a legitimate contender. The Suns are still awful. The Cardinals are probably going to struggle. There is room for a winner in this market. Lots of room. This market is starved for success.

You did. Congratulations. My editor has a door prize for you.

(Top photo of Barrett Hayton, in white, at the Coyotes’ June 28 rookie Red-White scrimmage: Norm Hall / NHLI via Getty Images)

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