Coyle’s success is no surprise
Charlie Coyle entered the weekend with career highs in goals (25) and points (58), while providing the Bruins valuable minutes and leadership.
A responsible 200-foot player, Coyle plays in every situation and has become one of the top penalty killers in the league.
One person not surprised by Coyle’s development is Predators coach Andrew Brunette, who was an assistant with the Wild during Coyle’s early days.
“I love Charlie,” said Brunette prior to Boston’s win April 2 in Nashville. “He was the whole package right away. I always kind of envisioned him as a center; it took him a little while to get there. I actually noticed his faceoff percentage [51.3 percent] as high as it is right now and I’m pretty proud of him because he put a lot of work into it. He’s dynamic. He’s got the speed through the middle of the ice, the size, he’s got the whole package, and it was just trying to find the right fit for him. And he’s found it in Boston. He’s been exceptional.”
Coyotes’ future unclear
The Coyotes might be on the move? Somebody call Ripley’s!
With news this past week (first reported by Daily Faceoff ) that the NHL is preparing two schedules for next season in case the Coyotes relocate to Salt Lake City, the reaction here is hallelujah. Players were updated on the possibilities and options, but nothing has been finalized. Still, the proposed plan of having the NHL buy the franchise from Alex Meruelo and sell it to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith isa win-win-win.
During his meeting with the media during All-Star Game festivities in Toronto, commissioner Gary Bettman said Utah’s desire for an NHL franchise “has been the most aggressive and has carried a lot of energy with it.”
The Smiths have the Delta Center, which, with a few nips and tucks, could be NHL-ready in no time. That would eliminate the franchise having to play in the cozy yet unsuitable Mullett Arena (capacity 5,000).
It also would allow time for Meruelo (who likely would get first dibs on a new, expansion franchise in the desert) to get a proper, state-of-the art stadium built somewhere in the expansive Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe-Glendale area.
Any relocation plan would need to be approved by the NHL’s Board of
Governors, but that vote would get rubber-stamped faster than a Zdeno Chara slapper.
ESPN reported the NHL could pay Meruelo upward of $1 billion for his floundering franchise and would flip it to the Smiths for $1.3 billion. The profit would be split among the other 31 NHL owners.
A natural question is why would the NHL award an expansion franchise to Arizona?
It’s a major television market and the NHL believes a team can thrive there with proper leadership and infrastructure. Hockey is a popular youth sport in Arizona and the NHL’s likely MVP, Auston Matthews, is one of several star players from the state.
“Obviously, selfishly, growing up there with them being a big part of me getting into hockey, you know, I’d love for them to figure it out, but you kind of understand the position the NHL’s in as well,” Matthews said Thursday.
When the Jazz relocated from New Orleans in 1979, the NBA franchise decided to keep the nickname, which, to this day, is illogical. So, too, would be the idea of keeping the Coyotes name.
The Salt Lake Snowcaps has a nice ring to it, but we’re open to suggestions.
Loose pucks
Dreams of a Noah Hanifin homecoming were dashed Thursday when the former Boston College star signed an eight-year extension worth $7.35 million per season to stay with the Golden Knights, who acquired him at the trade deadline. Hanifin, who is in his ninth season and still just 27, would have no doubt been high on Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s shopping list in July . . . Referees need to use a little more discretion when it comes to broken-stick slashing calls. The composite twigs players use will often explode at the slightest whack, which too often results in an almost Pavlovian whistle reaction from officials. This would not happen if the boys were still toting around the good old-fashioned Sher-Woods or Christian Bros. models
. . . The Sharks have suffered a miserable season — they headed into weekend play with a league-worst 19 wins — but a couple of Massachusetts young’uns might just pull the Sons of Jumbo Joe out of the doldrums. Boston College’s Will Smith, the baby-faced scorer from Lexington, was drafted fourth overall last year by San Jose and the club recently signed Quinnipiac standout Collin Graf of Lincoln and the Rivers School. The Sharks are run by New Englanders Mike Grier (GM) and David Quinn (coach) and that played a role in the undrafted Graf ’s decision to choose San Jose over many suitors offering deals. “I think they were really honest with me,” Graf told reporters after making his NHL debut April 6. “There are a lot of Northeast guys [here and] as a Massachusetts guy, it’s familiar. I thought that obviously added to the decision for sure. I think it was just the honesty of what they saw in me and what they thought I could do.” . . . Sidney Crosby collected 3 points Thursday and headed into Saturday night’s game against the Bruins with 1,591 points, jumping over Bruins legend Phil Esposito (717 goals, 1,590 points) and into 10th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. Crosby’s late-season surge is a huge reason why the Penguins, once thought to be frozen out of the playoff race, are still in the thick of it . . . Jim Montgomery, who won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year last season, might have done an even better job this season. Montgomery dealt with a huge roster overhaul (including losing potential first-ballot Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron) and still kept his club near the top of the standings the entire season. Montgomery, who deftly works with both a firm hand and a soft shoulder, blended new faces in with some of the Black and Gold’s old guard and incorporated several rookies into the mix.