2005 PHOENIX COYOTES PREVIEW

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2005-06 Phoenix Coyotes preview

(MySportsbook.com) - The Phoenix Coyotes are taking a bit of a gamble by handing Wayne Gretzky the keys to the bench.

The Great One accomplished everything possible on the ice as a player and has found success as executive director of Team Canada's entry in the most recent editions of the Olympic Winter Games and World Cup of Hockey.

Last I heard, those weren't credentials for being an NHL head coach. Now, don't get me wrong. Gretzky may succeed immediately, but from the start he will be out to prove that he didn't get the job simply for his name.

Gretzky took over a club that has been up-and-coming for a few years, but also made some significant additions last summer before the lockout. Those acquisitions included Brett Hull, Petr Nedved, Mike Ricci and Boyd Devereaux.

This group joined a cast that already featured the likes of 03-04 leading scorer Shane Doan, Ladislav Nagy, Derek Morris and Mike Johnson.

The Coyotes will be expected to land a playoff spot under Gretzky, something they haven't done since 2002. Overall, the Coyotes franchise hasn't advanced past the first round in the postseason since the Winnipeg Jets did so in 1987.

To put that in perspective, that was the year Gretzky won his third of four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers.

FORWARDS - Hull was the team's prime addition last summer before the lockout, and he will try to be a contributing sniper at the age of 41. He had his string of three straight 30 goal campaigns snapped in 03-04 with 25 tallies, but he did post 43 assists. At this point, the Coyotes can't expect the Golden Brett to reclaim his 30-goal status, but they would probably be happy with 25. Hull will especially be counted on to boost the club's power play, as he has notched double-digit tallies with the man advantage in all but one of his full NHL seasons.

Doan has developed into a solid power forward after a rather mediocre first four seasons in the NHL. He has logged five consecutive 20-goal efforts, including a career-high 27 in 03-04. He and Nagy have emerged as the club's offensive catalysts, with the latter player posting 24 goals and 28 assists in 03-04. Nagy has blossomed into a legitimate point producer since being acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the 2000 Keith Tkachuk trade.

The Coyotes will boast a solid center rotation, with Nedved, Mike Comrie and Mike Ricci in the mix. Nedved remains a respectable offensive threat, while Ricci will wreak havoc as a defensive forward. Comrie, meanwhile, is a bit of an x-factor, as we're still waiting for him to recapture the spark that helped him record a 60-point campaign in his second NHL season. Since then the diminutive Edmonton native has been an underachieving producer and defensive liability.

Other wingers to keep an eye on are Mike Johnson and Mike LeClerc. Johnson was injured for most of the 03-04 season, but was a 23-goal scorer the previous campaign. LeClerc, meanwhile, was acquired from Anaheim in August and is a solid defensive forward.

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DEFENSE - Derek Morris was once a premier prospect, but has been traded twice since 2002. The 11 goals and 37 assists he posted in 02-03 with the Colorado Avalanche are numbers we'd like to see, but for the most part his career has been very inconsistent.

Morris, David Tanabe and Paul Mara are the kind of puck-moving defensemen that will be crucial in this new day of relaxed NHL rules, while veteran Sean O'Donnell will provide some steady stability in the middle of the corps. The team also acquired the hard-hitting Denis Gauthier, who will provide the nasty factor. The 224-pounder logged 113 minutes in the penalty box during 03-04 with the Western Conference-champion Calgary Flames.

Also looking to make an impact will be former first-round pick Keith Ballard. The 22-year-old University of Minnesota product, who was obtained from Colorado in the Chris Gratton trade in 2004, put up terrific offensive numbers during his collegiate career. He got his first professional campaign under his belt during the lockout, posting two goals and 18 assists in 60 games for the Utah Grizzlies. Ballard plays with an edge as well, evident by his 88 penalty minutes last year.

GOALTENDING - One of Gretzky's issues during his rookie season as a head coach will be how to distribute the goaltending minutes between Curtis Joseph and Brian Boucher.

The latter player was once a playoff hero for the Philadelphia Flyers, but five years later his career is more known for underachievement. The 28-year- old's two seasons in Phoenix have seen his goals-against average register closer to 3.00 than 2.00. Since his rookie season, when he went 20-10-3 with a 1.91 GAA for the Flyers, Boucher hasn't proved worthy of a full-time starting role.

That, of course, is why the Coyotes went out and signed Joseph as an insurance policy. Cujo, 38, is out to prove he can still be an effective netminder at his advanced age. His two-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings was mostly a disappointment, summed up by a first-round exit in '03 and being placed on waivers several times after Dominik Hasek unretired. Joseph did come to the Wings' rescue when Hasek became injured down the stretch and was the team's starter in the '04 postseason.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Gretzky will have an uphill climb as he embarks his latest challenge, while at the same time acting as Team Canada's executive director for the upcoming Olympics. However, the plus is that he has a decent stable of veterans on the club and top-notch assistants in Barry Smith, Rick Bowness and Rick Tocchet.

There are certainly a lot of questions surrounding this team, but that can be said for many clubs in the post-lockout period. Playoffs might be a little too much to ask in Gretzky's first year, but keep your eye on the Coyotes, they may surprise some people.

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