The Phoenix Coyotes stumbled down the stretch, going on a seven-game winless slide, to miss the playoffs by two points, their second straight season on the outside looking in. Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Coyotes, and what they might be able to do to get over the hump. The Coyotes have been able to ice a consistently competitive squad on a budget -- even missing the playoffs the past two seasons, their cumulative points percentage was .538; just good enough to miss, apparently. If the Coyotes are going to make progress, they need to upgrade their scoring. They were a middle-of-the-road possession team, with good goaltending, but finishing 20th in goals scored was enough of a difference to prevent them from getting into the postseason. Additionally, they face the prospect of losing their highest-scoring forward, Radim Vrbata, as a free agent, so this is a situation that ought to be addressed. How might they do it? Well, internally, the Coyotes might turn to top prospect Max Domi, a skilled centre or a winger like Lucas Lessio might be able to make the jump, but those moves would hardly offset the loss of a proven NHL scorer. There will be scorers on the free agent market -- Thomas Vanek, Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammalleri, Matt Moulson among them -- though they wont likely come cheaply, and while the Coyotes new ownership may offer more financial flexibility than when the franchise was under league rule, its one thing to have flexibility and another to outbid the big spenders for a top scoring winger. Given the way this franchise has run through adversity, though, figure that GM Don Maloney will be able to find some value in the marketplace and ice a competitive team again next year. As weve seen over the past couple seasons, though, competitive may not be enough The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACH Don Maloney/Dave Tippett Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Shane Doan 71.54 69 23 24 47 50.9% $5.3M Martin Hanzal 70.70 65 15 25 40 50.0% $3.1M Antoine Vermette 70.10 82 24 21 45 48.4% $3.75M Mikkel Boedker 68.97 82 19 32 51 48.5% $2.55M Mike Ribeiro 65.86 80 16 31 47 52.9% $5.5M Lauri Korpikoski 63.69 64 9 16 25 46.4% $2.5M Martin Erat 63.29 70 3 26 29 50.1% $4.5M Rob Klinkhammer 62.70 72 11 9 20 53.7% $625K Kyle Chipchura 60.18 80 5 15 20 51.6% $875K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Radim Vrbata 70.86 80 20 31 51 51.3% UFA $3.0M David Moss 61.88 79 8 14 22 52.3% UFA $2.1M Paul Bissonnette 60.12 39 2 6 8 52.6% UFA $738K Jeff Halpern 58.80 69 5 7 12 48.9% UFA $600K Even at 37-years-old, and coming off a season in which he missed time with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Shane Doan remains a productive scoring winger. Last seasons 23 goals in 69 games represented his best goals-per-game rate since 2008-2009, and his 13.8% shooting percentage was the best of Doans entire career. That certainly makes regression likely, but its not like Doan has been reaping the rewards of favourable percentages; it just may not be reasonable to expect the same goal production. Martin Hanzal registered the first 40-point season of his career and continues to take on tough assignments, but hes also running into injury problems lately, missing 65 games over the past four seasons. His possession stats were down last season, but Hanzals size (6-foot-6, 236 pounds) makes him a tough physical presence for opposing centres to handle, at least its that way when he manages to stay in the lineup. Antoine Vermette played 19:13 per game and scored 24 goals last season, both his most since 2009-2010, and hes as durable as they come, having played every game for five straight seasons. Vermettes possession stats have declined, but at least some of that can be attributed to usage -- he faced the toughest matchups with more defensive zone starts. Speedy winger Mikkel Boedker has been making steady progress offensively. In the past two seasons, hes scored 77 points in 130 games, which puts him 85th in the league over that time. If hes still got a few more years to hit his peak, maybe Boedker could be good for 60-plus points with the right line combination. Last season, it was mostly taking the tough matchups with Vermette and a rotating cast of characters on the other side. The Coyotes had expectations that 34-year-old Mike Ribeiro would be able to add life to their offence but, by seasons end, Ribeiro scored 47 points (two fewer than he scored in 48 games with Washington in 2012-2013) and his 17:00 per game of ice time was his lowest since 2006-2007. More troubling about the lack of production is that the Coyotes tilted the ice in Ribeiros favour with zone starts, yet 0.59 points per game was his lowest since 2002-2003, when he was still trying to break into the Montreal lineup. Industrious winger Lauri Korpikoski has been getting hard minutes, though theres a fair case to be made that its more than he can handle. That doesnt mean that Korpikoski cant be a useful contributor, just maybe ease up on the quality of competition that he faces on a regular basis. At one time, Martin Erat was a consistent offensive performer, and while he remains a capable puck possesion player, hes fallen on ridiculously hard times as a goal-scorer. Among NHL forwards to play at least 1800 minutes over the past two seasons, Erat is the only one with fewer than a dozen goals, and he has eight. Hes coming into a contract year, so Erat ought to be motivated, but this offensive dry spell isnt something that can be dismissed as a motivation issue. His shots-on-goal totals, which were never sky-high, are way down and if that doesnt change, dont expect Erats point totals to rebound much. Hard-hitting winger Rob Klinkhammer just completed his first full NHL season, as a 27-year-old, and certainly held his own. There may not be a ton of offensive upside, but theres lots of room for a 6-foot-3 winger who can skate and hit. 28-year-old Kyle Chipchura has never scored more than six goals or 20 points in an NHL season, but hes battled his way to a regular spot on the fourth line, missing four games total over the past two seasons. This past season, he delivered a career-best 20 points while starting the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone. There will be some need to make changes up front, as the Coyotes have four unrestricted free agents. UFAs Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Keith Yandle 73.87 82 8 45 53 51.2% $5.25M Oliver Ekman-Larsson 73.00 80 15 29 44 49.2% $5.5M Michael Stone 65.19 70 8 13 21 49.8% $1.15M Zbynek Michalek 63.37 59 2 8 10 49.1% $4.0M David Schlemko 62.45 48 1 8 9 53.5% $1.188M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Derek Morris 64.75 63 5 12 17 50.2% UFA $2.75M Keith Yandle doesnt intimidate with his physical play, but he doesnt need to -- the rest of his game is plenty intimidating in its own right. Over the past five seasons, he ranks third in scoring among defencemen, behind only Duncan Keith and Erik Karlsson and was on for 54.5% of the 5-on-5 goals when he was on the ice over that span. So, USA Hockey might not have been compelled to name Yandle to the Olympic team, but the Coyotes can be more than satisfied with a productive player who hasnt missed a game in the past five seasons. While Yandle puts up the numbers, 22-year-old Oliver Ekman-Larsson is effectively the Coyotes No. 1 defenceman, in terms of usage, because he plays 25 minutes a night, and is always facing the oppositions best lines. Ekman-Larssons production is starting to take off, too, as he had career-highs in goals (15), assists (29) and points (44) last season. Michael Stone is steadily improving, becoming a regular on the Phoenix blueline, and he finished the year playing top-four minutes. It takes some projection, and maybe a little faith, to believe the 23-year-old is ready for it full-time, but Stone does move the puck well and can contribute on the power play. Playing alongside Ekman-Larsson, Zbynek Michalek gets the toughest matchups and holds his own in that regard though, with 12 points in 93 games since returning to Phoenix, he plays more of a meat-and-potatoes game. Michalek has led the Coyotes with 252 blocked shots over the past two seasons. Injuries have hampered the development of David Schlemko, though the 27-year-old has been an effective depth defenceman at a reasonable price. There will be openings on the Coyotes blueline, though top prospects Brandon Gormley and Connor Murphy could both be in consideration for spots and Chris Summers, signed to an inexpensive one-way deal, might fill a depth role. Returning Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Mike Smith 71.75 62 27 21 10 2.64 .915 $5.667M Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Thomas Greiss 75.42 25 10 8 5 2.29 .920 UFA $750K While his 2011-2012 season stands out as an aberration for his career, Mike Smith has been solid over three seasons with the Coyotes. The 32-year-old is under contract for five more seasons, so Phoenix is committed to him as their number one but, with Thomas Greiss hitting unrestricted free agency, there could be a new backup coming. The Coyotes have tended towards inexpensive options and might be able to do something like that again with unrestricted free agents Carter Hutton, Chad Johnson or Justin Peters. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Max Domi C London (OHL) 34-59-93, +24, 61 GP Brandon Gormley D Portland (AHL) 7-29-36, -22, 54 GP Connor Murphy D Portland (AHL) 0-13-13, -1, 36 GP Henrik Samuelsson C Edmonton (WHL) 35-60-95, +35, 65 GP Lucas Lessio LW Portland (AHL) 29-25-54, -13, 69 GP Tobias Rieder RW Portland (AHL) 28-20-48, -14, 64 GP Mark Visentin G Portland (AHL) 3.25 GAA, .902 SV%, 45 GP Laurent Dauphin C Chicoutimi (QMJHL) 24-30-54, -8, 52 GP Brandon McMillan LW Portland (AHL) 11-15-26, -12, 46 GP Jordan Szwarz RW Portland (AHL) 8-6-14, -5, 27 GP Chris Summers D Portland (AHL) 2-7-9, -7, 48 GP When he was sent back to junior last season, Max Domi struggled a bit early on, but had 85 points in 54 games since the beginning of November. The 12th overall pick in last summers draft is smallish, but a creative playmaker, something in short supply in Phoenix, and could have a shot at making the team next year. The 13th pick in 2010, Brandon Gormley is a smart defenceman who makes a good outlet pass and has 65 points in 122 AHL games over the past two seasons. That earned him a five-game audition with the Coyotes, though that audition might have suggested that he needs more work before hes ready. Picked 20th in 2011, Connor Murphy split last season between the AHL and NHL, and the 21-year-old doesnt have much of an offensive game, Murphy is a steady, stay-at-home type who was most frequently paired with Yandle or Ekman-Larsson when he was the Coyotes. Taken with the 27th pick in 2012, Henrik Samuelsson has steadily improved throughout his junior career and is a high-scoring forward with a big body. He may have to shift to wing in the NHL, but theres nothing wrong with having that size and skill on the wing. Sturdy winger Lucas Lessio got into three games with the Coyotes early in the year, and while he may not have been ready for primetime, he had a very strong first pro season, scoring 29 goals in 69 AHL games. The 2011 second-round pick should be in competition for a job at some point next season. Acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in March, 2013, Tobias Rieder was productive in his first pro campaign. Hell need to get stronger to move up the ladder but, if he does, Rieder has skill that makes him worth watching. A first-round pick in 2011, Mark Visentin has produced uneven results in his first couple pro seasons. Hes only 21-years-old, so theres time to be patient and develop Visentin, but early returns have not lived up to that draft slot. Laurent Dauphin, a second-round pick last summer, is a smart, competitive centre who will need some time to round out his game and get stronger, but is one to watch. Picked up in a trade with Anaheim, Brandon McMillan was a solid contributor in 22 games with the Coyotes last season, chipping in six points with favourable possession stats. Hell be in prime consideration for a depth spot next season. A fourth-round pick in 2009, Jordan Szwarz got into 26 games with the Coyotes last season, scoring three goals. Hes a high-effort guy with limited offensive upside. Chris Summers has played 47 NHL games over the past four seasons, compared to 211 in the AHL, so while the 2006 first-rounder might appear to be destined for time on the farm, he does have a one-way contract for next season, which might keep him in a depth role with the Coyotes. Coyotes advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT 12th - Brendan Perlini, Jared McCann, Adrian Kempe. FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Coyotes have approximately $52.0M committed to the 2013-2014 salary cap for 16 players. Check out my possible Coyotes lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: Two top nine forwards, depth forwards, one top four defenceman, backup goaltender. What I said the Coyotes needed last year: Two top six forwards, depth forwards, two goaltenders. They added: Mike Ribeiro, David Moss, Jeff Halpern, Thomas Greiss. TRADE MARKET Mike Ribeiro, Martin Erat, David Schlemko, Michael Stone. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Jordan 11 Cheap Real . Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade. Air Jordan 11 For Sale Cheap . LaQuinton Ross scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, hitting his first four 3-pointers, to send No. http://www.airjordan11outlet.com/ . Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series. Air Jordan 11 Shoes For Sale . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Wholesale Jordan 11 Cheap . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read.The National Lacrosse League awards event was highlighted by Rochester Knighthawks forward Cody Jamieson, who won the 2014 NLL MVP award after leading the league in points this past season. Minnesota Swarm forward Logan Schuss, the first overall pick from the 2013 NLL Draft, was voted as the 2014 NLL Rookie of the Year. The complete summary of award winners, including NLL All-Pro and All-Rookie Teams, are listed below: Most Valuable Player – Cody Jamieson (Rochester Knighthawks) Jamieson won the 2014 NLL scoring title with 108 points, tied for second in the league in assists (72) and tied for sixth overall with 36 goals. Jamieson recorded at least six points in a game nine times and 10-plus points a league-high four times. The fourth-year pro scored eight power play goals, tied for 10th-most in the league, and recovered 70 loose balls which were 17th-most among NLL forwards. Jamieson helped lead the Knighthawks to the top of the East Division and second in the NLL with a 14-4 overall record. Jamieson, who hails from Six Nations, Ontario and played collegiately at Syracuse University, was the first overall pick in the 2010 NLL Entry Draft. Toronto Rock forward Garrett Billings was the runner-up for the award for the third-straight year while Rochester Knighthawks goaltender Matt Vinc finished third in the voting. Rookie of the Year – Logan Schuss (Minnesota Swarm) Schuss led all rookies in goals (36), assists (37), points (73) and power play goals, and finished fourth in loose balls (77) this year. The 36 goals by Schuss were tied for the sixth-most in the NLL and his 73 points ranked second on the Swarm and 16th in the league overall. Schuss recorded at least one point in all 18 games played and four or more points in 10 contests. Schuss won the NLL Rookie of the Month award three-straight times from February to April. The Ladner, B.C. native played collegiate lacrosse at the Ohio State University and was the first overall selection in the 2013 NLL Entry Draft. Colorado Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward was the runner-up for the award while Edmonton Rush forward Robert Church finished third in the voting. Goaltender of the Year – Matt Vinc (Rochester Knighthawks) Vinc, two-time defending NLL Goaltender of the Year, finished second in the league in save percentage (.798), tied for second in wins (12), and third in goals against average (9.56), saves (595) and minutes played (947:43) in 2014. The Knighthawks allowed the second-fewest goals in the NLL (167) and finished atop the East Division with a 14-4 record as Vinc allowed 10 or fewer goals in 10 games this year. The nine-year NLL veteran is the only goalie in league history to win the Goaltender of the Year award four times (2010, 2011, 2013 & 2014). The St. Catharines, Ontario native played collegiately at Canisius College and was drafted in the first round (6th overall) of the 2005 NLL Entry Draft. Edmonton Rush goaltender Aaron Bold was the runner-up for the award while Buffalo Bandits goalie Anthony Cosmo, who won the award in 2007, finished third in the voting. Transition Player of the Year – Jordan MacIntosh (Minnesota Swarm) MacIntosh, who becomes just the second player in NLL history to win the Transition Player of the Year award twice, was third on the Swarm in points in 2014 and led all NLL transition players in points (61) and goals (23) while finishing second in assists (38). The third-year pro ranked second in the league with 204 loose balls, sixth with 198 faceoffs won and tied for 10th in the NLL with 25 forced turnovers. The Oakville, Ontario native played collegiately at RIT and was Minnesotas first-round selection (4th overall) in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft. Philadelphia Wings transition player Brodie Merrill, who won the award in 2009 & 2010, was the runner-up while Edmonton Rush transition player Jeremy Thompson finished third in the voting. Defensive Player of the Year – Kyle Rubisch (Edmonton Rush) Rubisch, the first player in league history to win the Defensive Player of the Year award three times (2012, 2013 & 2014), led the NLL in 2014 with a league-record 61 forced turnovers, 25 more than the second-highest total. The fourth-year pro recorded nine points (2+7), 25 penalty minutes and 156 loose balls, which ranked seventh in the league and second among both defensemen and non-faceoff men. The shutdown defender helped the Rush limit opposing teams to a league-low 157 goals this year. The Brampton, Ont. native, who played collegiately at Dowling College, was the second overall selection in the 2010 NLL Entry Drraft.dddddddddddd Edmonton Rush defenseman Chris Corbeil was the runner-up for the award while Buffalo Bandits defenseman Steve Priolo finished third in the voting for the second-straight year. Head Coach of the Year (Les Bartley Award) – Derek Keenan (Edmonton Rush) Keenan becomes the first coach in league history to win the Les Bartley Award three times after coaching Edmonton to a historic season which included a league-record 14-0 start and culminated with a 16-2 record as the top overall seed in the NLL standings to clinch the franchises first home playoff game. The Rush allowed a league-low 157 goals and finished second in the league with 220 goals scored. The Oshawa, Ont. native, who played three seasons in the league, has been head coach of the Rush since 2009. Keenan had five previous years of head coaching experience after five seasons as an assistant coach. Keenan, who also serves as the Rushs general manager, previously won the Les Bartley Award in 2006 and was a co-winner in 2010. Rochester Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen, who won the award in 2011, was the runner-up while Calgary Roughnecks head coach Curt Malawsky finished third in the voting. General Manager of the Year – Derek Keenan (Edmonton Rush) Keenan, who marks the first GM in NLL history to win the General Manager of the Year award three times, led Edmonton to a 14-0 start and 16-2 record as the top overall seed in the NLL standings, clinching the franchises first home playoff game. The Rush allowed a league-low 157 goals and finished second in the league with 220 goals scored. Building through the draft, Edmonton had two players finish in the top five of rookie scoring. Keenan also won the GM of the Year award in 2006 and 2010. Calgary Roughnecks general manager Mike Board was the runner-up for the award while Rochester Knighthawks general manager Curt Styres, who won the award in 2011, finished third in the voting. Executive of the Year Award – John Bean (Calgary Roughnecks) As part of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), Bean has led a skilled team of ticketing, sponsorship and in-game promotion to drive significantly improved results. As a member of the NLL Board of Governors, John continues to assist the league and all its partners by focusing the NLL and its member teams on the current financial model. In addition, John serves as a member and chairman of the NLL Audit Finance Committee. As Chief Operating Officer of the CSEC, John led the rebuild efforts of the Scotiabank Saddledomes entire event level following the devastating floods of 2013. This immense undertaking was finished in just 65 days while a project of this scope and magnitude normally takes three or four times that to complete. Edmonton Rush owner Bruce Urban was the runner-up for the award while Rochester Knighthawks owner Curt Styres, who won the award in 2011, finished third in the voting. Sportsmanship Award – Garrett Billings (Toronto Rock) Billings becomes the first player in NLL history to win the Sportsmanship Award outright twice. The first player in league history to record three-straight 100-plus point seasons, the fifth-year pro registered just two penalty minutes in 15 games played before suffering a season-ending knee injury. The Langley, BC native, who played collegiately at the University of Virginia, was the sixth-overall pick in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft. Buffalo Bandits forward Shawn Williams, who won the award in 2010, was the runner-up while Edmonton Rush forward Curtis Knight finished third in the voting. NLL All-Pro First Team Forward – Cody Jamieson, Rochester Knighthawks (2nd selection) Forward – Garrett Billings, Toronto Rock (3rd selection) Forward – Shawn Evans, Calgary Roughnecks (3rd selection) Transition – Jordan MacIntosh, Minnesota Swarm (2nd selection) Defense – Kyle Rubisch, Edmonton Rush (3rd selection) Goaltender – Matt Vinc, Rochester Knighthawks (5th selection) NLL All-Pro Second Team Forward – Dane Dobbie, Calgary Roughnecks (1st selection) Forward – Adam Jones, Colorado Mammoth (1st selection) Forward – Curtis Dickson, Calgary Roughnecks (2nd selection) Transition – Brodie Merrill, Philadelphia Wings (6th selection) Defense – Chris Corbeil, Edmonton Rush (1st selection) Goaltender – Aaron Bold, Edmonton Rush (2nd selection) NLL All-Rookie Team Logan Schuss (Forward- Minnesota Swarm) Dillon Ward (Goaltender- Colorado Mammoth) Robert Church (Edmonton Rush) Karsen Leung (Calgary Roughnecks) Tyler Digby (Vancouver Stealth) Garrett Thul (Philadelphia Wings) Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys CheapAuthentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys CheapCheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds JerseysCheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '