 Regardless of the off-ice drama which surrounds the Phoenix Coyotes, the goal of the team is to put together a competitive team that will compete for a playoff berth and even the Stanley Cup. While last season may have been a disappointment for the Coyotes, what really makes the whole ownership battle a shame is that the Coyotes actually performed fairly well at home, posting a 23-15-3 mark at the Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes made a number of strong moves during the offseason, the biggest of which may prove to be the signing of free agent defenseman Adrian Aucion to strengthen their defense and improve their power play. Phoenix then further solidified things by bringing in a trio of solid forwards – Radim Vrbata (traded for David Hale and Todd Fedoruk), Scottie Upshall, and Vernon Fiddler – and veteran goaltender Jason LaBarbera, who performed admirably as a backup last season. Overall, the Coyotes greatly improved their talent in with these moves and fans should see a noticeably different squad on the ice this season. For the Coyotes, upgrading their scoring was a priority, and the additions of Vrbata (27 goals two seasons ago for the Coyotes), Upshall (15 goals last year), and Aucoin – who should provide good quarterbacking on the power play, were all solid steps to achieve increased goal production. While Phoenix captain Shane Doan may currently be the team's only consistent scorer (31 goals, 72 points last season), talented young players like Kyle Turris, Matthew Lombardi, Peter Mueller, and Viktor Tikhonov, all possess loads of potential to step and score for the Coyotes. Defensively, Aucoin's arrival now gives the Coyotes a pair of top-echelon defensemen, as Ed Jovanovski remains one of the NHL's best. Along with Keith Yandle, Dmitri Kalinin, and Zybanek Michalek, there is great potential for a much-improved defensive unit, while a strong season from starting goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov would also certainly help the Coyotes at their own end. While management may be struggling with non-hockey issues off the ice, the product that will take to the ice in 2009-2010 seems to be much improved. The players are looking to make this team very competitive and feel that the playoffs and even the Stanley Cup are not out of the question. Get your Phoenix Coyote tickets now and come to the Jobing.com Arena to find out in person.
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