With just weeks to go until training camp, many Phoenix Coyotes fans are starting to turn their thoughts to the upcoming season.
And one thing many hockey fans like to do in the final weeks of the offseason is play the “line combination game” in an effort to try to decipher how exactly their favorite team will look come Opening Night.
Playing the game with the Coyotes’ roster shouldn’t be as difficult this year as it was last year when a number of new players were brought into the fold and at this time last year no one really knew how everything was going to piece together.
The game should also be a bit clearer because General Manager Don Maloney revealed to us earlier this summer that Wojtek Wolski will move to center and play on the top line with Captain Shane Doan and free agent acquisition Ray Whitney.
Here’s a look at what the lines could look like when the Coyotes open up against Boston in Prague:
Forwards
Ray Whitney*- Wojtek Wolski- Shane Doan
Lee Stempniak (who appears to be all but signed)- Vernon Fidder- Scottie Upshall
Taylor Pyatt- Martin Hanzal (who is still unsigned)- Radim Vrbata
Lauri Korpikoski- Kyle Turris*- Petr Prucha
Extras: Paul Bissonnette, Andrew Ebbett*
Defensemen
Keith Yandle- Ed Jovanovski
Adrian Aucoin- Derek Morris
Sami Lepisto- Prospect* (David Schlemko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Maxim Goncharov)
*- Players who were not on the roster last season
Judging by the looks of things, it’s beginning to become apparent that the biggest battle in camp will be the final spot on defense. David Schlemko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Maxim Goncharov will all get a good look in camp, with players like Jonas Ahnelov, Nick Ross and possibly even Chris Summers all vying for the job.
It’s also looking like there will also be a spot for at least one forward prospect to make the roster. Kyle Turris is penciled in here, but Mikkel Boedker and Viktor Tikhonov also plan on making a strong case for the NHL roster.
Again, I’m not saying these will be the lines, nor is it any type of formal prediction, but something like this breaks the boredom of the offseason. It’s always entertaining to just “play the game” so to speak and estimate what a hockey club will look like come October.
Comments
If you want our future first line center (Turris) to succeed this time you will need to surround him with much better offensive talent. Consider putting Turris in Fiddler's place.
Hey Scott,
Thanks for reading my material and taking time to post. You are right, Turris should be with better players, I just don't know if Tippett will want to move Hanzal or Fiddler down the lines, but they might have to, and if Turris really shines early on it would make complete sense to do so. It's reasons like these as why I'm happy I'm not a head coach or GM!
-Anthony
Here's How It Should Be:
Whitney-Wolski-Doan
Stempniak-Turris-Upshall
Prucha-Hanzal-Vrbata
Pyatt-Fiddler-Korpikoski
Bissonnette
You cannot break up the Czech line nor the 4th line because those two worked well last year together and have good chemistry. The top two lines you can actually jumble a lot with plenty of combos. This is also assuming Stempniak is signed but if not, insert Tikhonov or Boedker into the top six.
Defensively:
Yandle-Morris
Aucoin-Ekman Larsson
Jovanovski-Lepisto
The top pairing is dangerous and was a force in the playoffs. The second pairing matches age/experience with youth/talent. The third pairing makes me shudder a bit but if they are both consistent, then the defense as a whole should be dangerous.
Goaltenders:
Bryzgalov
LaBarbera
No questions there.
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