Phoenix still busy

[Zetts 236]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=282319

The Phoenix Coyotes may be in bankruptcy but they continue to do business.

Phoenix has traded centre Steve Reinprecht to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Stefan Meyer.

The Coyotes have also signed forward Petr Prucha to a two-year deal.

Reinprecht, meanwhile, has signed a three-year deal with the Panthers.

Reinprecht's three-year deal has a cap hit of $2.050 million. He will get $1.8 million in the first year and $2.175 million in each of the following two years.

[under_par_00 45]

What is up with Prucha? I havnt followed him much, but how did he go from a 30 goal scorer in his rookie year, to 20 goals his second year, to 7 and 6 goals his next 2 years.

Looking at his stats, his shooting percentage was 23% when he got 30 goals. To me this just looks like he was running hot for that year.

[Zetts 236]

What is up with Prucha? I havnt followed him much, but how did he go from a 30 goal scorer in his rookie year, to 20 goals his second year, to 7 and 6 goals his next 2 years.

Looking at his stats, his shooting percentage was 23% when he got 30 goals. To me this just looks like he was running hot for that year.

My impression was that he had issues with the coaching staff in New York. Maybe with a bit more time in Phoenix he'll get back to his old form.

Him and Svatos looked like superstars a couple of years ago.

[eva unit zero 271]

What Phoenix needs to pick up is a playmaking center; especially one who can play decent defense.

Prucha/playmaking center/Doan would be a good start.

In fact...

Phoenix still needs to add quite a bit of payroll to reach the cap floor. Perhaps the Wings could make a swap, such as:

C Valtteri Filppula, D Brad Stuart, and DET 1st 2009 for PHX 1st 2009 and D Chris Summers

[DatsyukownzU13 1]

What Phoenix needs to pick up is a playmaking center; especially one who can play decent defense.

Prucha/playmaking center/Doan would be a good start.

In fact...

Phoenix still needs to add quite a bit of payroll to reach the cap floor. Perhaps the Wings could make a swap, such as:

C Valtteri Filppula, D Brad Stuart, and DET 1st 2009 for PHX 1st 2009 and D Chris Summers

I don't mind the deal because we could pick up a replacement for Fil at #6 with either Kane or MSP (both of which have a much higher upside than Fil) and Summers could easily evolve into the defenseman that Stuart is but I just don't see the Wings ever trading away two influential pieces to two consecutive Stanley Cup runs for gambles.

[eva unit zero 271]

Double post. Edited June 21, 2009 by eva unit zero

[eva unit zero 271]

I don't mind the deal because we could pick up a replacement for Fil at #6 with either Kane or MSP (both of which have a much higher upside than Fil) and Summers could easily evolve into the defenseman that Stuart is but I just don't see the Wings ever trading away two influential pieces to two consecutive Stanley Cup runs for gambles.

The idea is that we get a defenseman who is projected to be a #1 defenseman in the future plus move our first rounder up to a top ten pick in this year's draft while trading a decent but unnecessary and overpriced piece of our defense away. The only downside from the Wings' point of view is giving up Filppula, and that may have to happen anyway if Hossa is to be re-signed. I'd rather a deal like this go down that most potential deals that could happen for Flip. Hudler is a better fit between Franzen and Hossa than Filppula is as he's a better playmaker and has MUCH better offensive awareness. Don't get me wrong, I do think Filppula is a good playmaker; it's just that Hudler is better at it than Zetterberg is. He's probably one of the best playmakers in the league. Putting him on a line with Franzen and Hossa full-time would just be scary. Especially as it would be the second line, and see less of the defensive focus than a Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary/Holmstrom line would. Just frightening to think about, really.

Think about our team five years down the road, assuming older guys like Lidstrom, Draper, Maltby, and Holmstrom retire...Rafalski, Kronwall, Ericsson, Summers, Kindl, Meech, Smith. Unless we see some serious flatlining from those kids, that would be like the Crosby/Malkin or Zetterberg/Datsyuk of defenses. And better than what we have right now.

Combined with Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Hossa, Hudler, Cleary, Leino, Ritola, Abdelkader, Helm, and more, plus Larsson/McCollum in nets?

That's a pretty solid roster just from within the system, not even including what potential free agents might be acquired.

If this trade were acceptable to Phoenix, I make it in an instant.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

What Phoenix needs to pick up is a playmaking center; especially one who can play decent defense.

Prucha/playmaking center/Doan would be a good start.

In fact...

Phoenix still needs to add quite a bit of payroll to reach the cap floor. Perhaps the Wings could make a swap, such as:

C Valtteri Filppula, D Brad Stuart, and DET 1st 2009 for PHX 1st 2009 and D Chris Summers

Phoenix won't trade the 6th overall for that package. Theres no hype surrounding Filppula and Stuart, and if you arent bringing in big names via trade and UFA, you need to draft em. The Yotes are going to hover at the floor this year - they aren't going to trade for 7M in cap space for what would turn out to be a hyped MSP, Kane, or even Schenn.

The Yotes will nickle and dime their way up to the cap floor. The numbers for Prucha, and the re-signings of Upshall, Lindstrom, Lisin, and Dawes will help them get there. I fully expect Phoenix to sign guys their young guys to longer-term, incrementally larger paychecks, so they can get the benefit of the larger cap hit without the large price tag.

Something like 1.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4 with a cap hit of 2.375 per for someone like Dawes would allow them to circumvent the cap issue while allowing for a 875k discount on the actual payroll. Then, if they are still having financial problems in the future, they could easily trade that contract, be off the hook for the more expensive years of the contract, and ship the contract to a team that wants the opposite out of the payroll - a low cap hit, with a high budget.

[eva unit zero 271]

Phoenix won't trade the 6th overall for that package. Theres no hype surrounding Filppula and Stuart, and if you arent bringing in big names via trade and UFA, you need to draft em. The Yotes are going to hover at the floor this year - they aren't going to trade for 7M in cap space for what would turn out to be a hyped MSP, Kane, or even Schenn.

The Yotes will nickle and dime their way up to the cap floor. The numbers for Prucha, and the re-signings of Upshall, Lindstrom, Lisin, and Dawes will help them get there. I fully expect Phoenix to sign guys their young guys to longer-term, incrementally larger paychecks, so they can get the benefit of the larger cap hit without the large price tag.

Something like 1.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4 with a cap hit of 2.375 per for someone like Dawes would allow them to circumvent the cap issue while allowing for a 875k discount on the actual payroll. Then, if they are still having financial problems in the future, they could easily trade that contract, be off the hook for the more expensive years of the contract, and ship the contract to a team that wants the opposite out of the payroll - a low cap hit, with a high budget.

My suggestion was simply in the spirit of the thread, looking at the fact that Phoenix is well below the cap floor with only a few more players to sign and they desperately need a playmaking center to put on the first line. Filppula and his $3m cap hit may not be a big name, but Phoenix may look at that as the "immediate" help they need, especially with the contract going for a couple more years. Hopefully, from their perspective, Flip and Doan develop strong chemistry and become a seriously threatening tandem in the league and carry the club while their prospects develop. Stuart provides them a good two-way defenseman for a better cap hit than a lot of guys who are not as good (Souray, Jovanovski, etc., I'm looking at you) and hurt their team by preventing improvement.