The Coyotes are losing ugly. And it's beginning to wear on everyone, from the coach to the players.

"That was as ugly as it gets out there," said coach Bob Francis after his team lost 7-4 to Boston on Tuesday night. "If they want to play like that, we're not going that far."

	Keith Tkachuk, right, might be staying ... or he might be traded. No one knows what will happen.

Perhaps, all the rumors of potential player movement -- which only has increased since Wayne Gretzky's ownership group took over two weeks ago -- is beginning to wear down the Coyotes' locker room.

Will Jeremy Roenick get traded? How about Keith Tkachuk? If salary needs to be trimmed, is anyone safe?

"We're a victim of trade rumors, but about a dozen teams in the league are right now," said goalie Sean Burke, who is no longer included in that set of rumors because he'll sign a three-year contract extension when the team returns from Columbus after Wednesday's game against the Blue Jackets.

"I don't want us to use it as an excuse. I know it's not easy and that it has crept into our game a little bit. But we have to push it aside."

The team is trying to push it aside, but in every city, it's the same questions. And in Boston on Tuesday, it was more present because the agents of both Tkachuk and Roenick met with GM Cliff Fletcher.

"We've done a good job of keeping it together," said defenseman Keith Carney. "We talked about it. We can't control it; all we can control is the games."

The Coyotes need to get in better control because Detroit and Colorado come to town this weekend.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.