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Things couldn't be much better in the desert, and yet the Coyotes will have to fight just to get another playoff spot. Such is life in the Western Conference.
Phoenix went through a stunning transition over the past two seasons, turning to an energized youth movement in order to control its finances. Now, with the management team of Wayne Gretzky, Mike Barnett and Cliff Fletcher making a series of smart moves -- and hungering to make even more -- the Coyotes are downright giddy about the future. Still, the team has a lofty goal at 40 wins, and it won't sneak up on anyone this season. That means a good training camp and a fast start are key.
One man, many changes: The Coyotes' biggest move in the offseason was acquiring free agent winger Tony Amonte. The signing will do as much for the team's "win now'' attitude as it will change how things operate on the ice. The ripple effect from the signing, though, could be interesting. Amonte is clearly the team's top right winger. But does he play with center Daymond Langkow or center Daniel Briere? Is the left wing Ladislav Nagy or Brian Savage? And how will the power-play and penalty-killing units change? Much of training camp and the preseason will be used to see who develops chemistry with Amonte. If you have only one potential 40-goal scorer, you want the guy to get as many scoring chances as he can.
Musical chairs: The Coyotes have one of the most balanced and talented defensive groups in the NHL. Veteran Teppo Numminen is the clear leader, and yet he averaged only 23:51 of ice time last season (relatively low for a top defenseman). That's because coach Bobby Francis still is trying to get a hold of who can do what on his blueline. Danny Markov has taken a step forward to claim the No. 1 chair among the young defensemen (despite the broken foot he suffered at the end of last season), but expect there to be plenty of shuffling behind him. Ossi Vaananen is getting more confidence each day, and Paul Mara is looking more and more like the seventh overall pick in the 1997 entry draft and the most important part of the Nikolai Khabibulin trade. His upside could be tremendous.
Kids, kids, everywhere: With the acquisition of Amonte and Kelly Buchberger, the Coyotes have solidified their forward ranks with veterans. But that doesn't mean there still isn't room for kids. In fact, the Coyotes have a great surge of young players who can push the veterans or even steal a job from an unsuspecting third or fourth liner. Right winger Branko Radivojevic is a lock to make the team, but coaches want to know just exactly how much of a role he wants to take. In addition, centers Jeff Taffe and Jason Jaspers will be fun to watch in training camp -- if just to see how strong the Coyotes are at the center position (Briere, Langkow, Krys Kolanos) for years to come.
Preseason schedule
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DATE
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OPPONENT
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TIME (ET)
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Sat., Sept. 21
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Anaheim
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10 p.m.
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Sun., Sept. 22
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San Jose
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10 p.m.
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Wed., Sept. 25
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at Vancouver
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10 p.m.
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Thu., Sept. 26
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at Los Angeles
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10:30 p.m.
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Tue., Oct. 1
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Vancouver
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10 p.m.
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Thu., Oct. 3
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vs. Los Angeles at Oklahoma City, Okla.
(Ford Center)
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8:30 p.m.
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Fri., Oct. 4
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at Anaheim
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10:30 p.m.
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