Demers loudly returns to practice
Coyotes take notice of boisterous defenseman
There’s only one player on the Coyotes’ roster that spends his practices screaming at the top of the lungs. He’s the only one who can be spotted singing in the locker room and the only one who squirts Gatorade into Clayton Keller’s mouth after an especially impressive goal in practice.
That’s right: Jason Demers is back. For the first time since suffering a knee injury back in November, Demers was back skating with the Coyotes in a yellow, non-contact sweater at Monday’s practice. There is no timetable related to when Demers could return to game action.
Still, given Demers’ colorful personality, his teammates took notice of the familiar presence on Monday.
“He has different energy that anyone else on this team,” Coyotes center Derek Stepan said. “He’s a unique bird. When it comes to energy, he seems to have a bunch of it and it seems to help us out a lot. A lot of guys look to him to lift him up when they’re dragging a little bit.”
Demers has endeared himself to his Coyotes teammates and fans since coming to Arizona via trade in 2017. The right-shot defenseman proved to be a complimentary partner to Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the club’s top defense pair.
“I got to play with him for a while last year and build some chemistry,” Ekman-Larsson said. “It was hard to start over with ‘Hammer,’ but it’s nice to have JD back on the ice. He gives us some new energy and a different voice out there. It’s good to see him skating with us.”
From a hockey standpoint, EkmanLarsson might be the most relieved to see Demers back on the ice. Still, the quiet captain didn’t hesitate when given a chance to rib Demers about his loud tendencies at practice.
“I’m already tired of it,” Ekman-Larsson quipped.
Still, Demers comes equipped with much more than just a big mouth. As a 30-year-old veteran of the NHL blue line, Demers is also one of the stabilizing forces on the Coyotes roster. Although many label Demers as just a joker, several players pointed out his ability to switch between serious and loose mindsets based on the situation.
“As funny as it is, you need that type of personality that can bring everyone together,” Coyotes forward Christian Fischer said. “Yeah, it’s funny and good humor, in the end it’s about the camaraderie of a team. This is for sure the closest team I’ve ever been on … I think a big part of it is the personalities we have.”
Combined with his eclectic personality, there has been a noticeable hole with Demers’ absence. And while many Coyotes players are happy to see him back, there are others who joked about enjoying the rest from Demers’ constant antics.
“It’s been a nice break from him,” Fischer joked. “I know he’s coming back soon because he’s starting to get on the ice, but you can hear his voice around the locker room. It’s back to normal. But I like it. I’m a loud guy so I’m a fan of it. I think we have a nice, one-two punch. He calls me his ‘mini-me’ so I guess I’ll roll with him.”
Although Demers is undoubtedly one of the most-liked personalities in the Coyotes’ locker room, players were wary of paying too many compliments to him for fear that Demers may not let them live it down.
“I don’t want to say anything too nice,” Stepan said. “He might hold it against me and we might get sick of him soon.”
Injury updates
Coyotes center Mario Kempe is a game-time decision for Tuesday’s road tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, head coach Rick Tocchet said. Kempe is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Kempe came out at the beginning of Monday’s practice but left the ice after just a few minutes. If Kempe is unable to play Tuesday, the Coyotes will be without four centers due to injury (Nick Schmaltz, Brad Richardson, Christian Dvorak and Kempe).
Josh Archibald was centering the Coyotes’ fourth line in Kempe’s place during practice. Look for rookie Michael Bunting to crack the lineup if Kempe can’t go.
Both Dvorak and Richardson (noncontact) also took place in Monday’s practice, as well as Michael Grabner, who was also in a non-contact sweater. Tocchet said Dvorak could skate in a rehab game with the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate in Tucson as soon as Saturday, although nothing has been finalized.
There are no timetables for the returns of Richardson or Grabner.