Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Coyotes GM Maloney expects open competition on scoring lines

Don Maloney

Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney watches a Coyotes NHL hockey practice Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. The NHL will start its 119 day lockout-shortened season Jan. 19. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

AP

Some fans don’t necessarily think of the Coyotes as a big-time offensive team. After all, Shane Doan and Antoine Vermette were their goal-scoring leaders with 13 a piece.

GM Don Maloney wants to perhaps change that up a bit this season by opening up competition for everyone on their top two lines.

Tal Pinchevsky at NHL.com hears from Maloney about how he’s changed things up heading into training camp this year.

“We made a concerted effort to leave three open scoring spots available. Hopefully somebody will seize the opportunity and take it,” Maloney told NHL.com. “I really feel we have the third and fourth line covered. Where do we find a little more skill? Where do we find help on our power play? Where do we find help in the shootout? We’re not closing our minds to anything.”

Guys like Mikkel Boedker and Radim Vrbata will get some offensive help from newly signed Mike Ribeiro. The playmaking center will be able to distribute the puck well. Finding finishers will be the trick.

Coach Dave Tippett hasn’t really been a guy to shake things up like crazy year-to-year, but perhaps with new ownership comes new plans to open things up for younger guys like Lucas Lessio, Chris Brown, Henrik Samuelsson, or even 2013 first-rounder Max Domi.

Follow @JoeYerdonPHT