GMBA is a great GM. Always very open and good with the media. He’s also got a clear vision and it involves being bad for a few years to build a solid core for the future (think Tampa Bay). We’ve got a lot of pieces right now (and still more with the referenced picks) and now it’s all about development. We took a good chunk of the bad years for you guys! Lol.
In terms of the fans I’ll defend my fellow Coyote fans a little bit. It’s the same issue a lot of Southern US teams have when the visiting team is a Canadian team or another original 6 team. Also Phoenix is a city of transplants so a lot of people move there rooting for another team. The year we did go on the playoff run the atmosphere in the building for those games was great. But definitely the casual fanbase was lacking due to the lack of sustained success they had over the 30 years (1 year past the first round) mainly because of poor ownership and the inability to spend.
I know Utah is gonna ball out and support this team and hopefully Bill Armstrong’s vision combined with Ryan Smith’s wallet is able to make this team competitive so that the people who are on the fence about hockey jump all in as well. I’ve really enjoyed following all the young guys on the team (Keller, Cooley, Guenther, etc.) which is why I jumped on the metaphorical moving bus with them.
It sucks that the team had to leave Arizona, I can imagine how bad that feels for you guys. I think all of us in Utah were hoping/thinking for expansion. I am glad that you are still willing to follow the team!
Can confirm, even as successful as a franchise as Tampa has been, the snowbirds could still make considerable noise. It was even worse with the Panthers until they started winning consistently. I think the Utah crowds will show up, hopefully.
What moves (free agents, trades, etc) do you think will happen? Do you agree with my above comment about how it would be good to get one big player in free agency?
Tough to predict. I do think GMBA’s original plan is not to make any big splashes and build from the draft. If they do make any trades or signing it would be for either young players who could join the core (Durzi last year) or a player that could potentially be traded at the deadline for picks or prospects.
Now I’m not sure how much Ryan Smith will mettle with the roster. He could request GMBA to make a big move to draw excitement but I think there is enough excitement that the vision shouldn’t be altered just to generate interest.
I agree with focusing on drafting. I do think it might be better to get at least one big free agent this year too along with some defensemen (it would put to bed the talk of “Utah not being able to get free agents” and “no one wants to play in Utah”)
Well when you have a trillion draft picks you'd better focus on drafting. Of course they could use them to make trades, but I think you fill the holes in free agency and see if you can't package up some of those picks to move up and get some quality over quantity.
A couple of years ago the Yotes gave the Sharks picks 27, 34, and 45 to move up to 11. Next summer with four second rounders, and a deep draft, there's a good opportunity to get a top 15 pick perhaps, a talent that in other years could be top ten.
Yeah lots of picks this year and next. In Utahs position you don't go for position necessarily. They will take best available player according to their scouts.
There's a good chance Smith wants this team competitive sooner than later. You can't wait on all these picks to develop. I'll bet several end up being traded in the next couple of years.
If the Jazz were good he might have more patience with the hockey team. But with them down he will want to see this squad compete soon so I think lots of these prospects end up being moved to get more impact players.
Hey Gang,
Coming into this reddit as a longtime Yotes/Utah NHL club fan. I live in the KC area, and it baffled me how much opposing fans were coming to the arena in AZ. I hope you guys can truly change the trajectory of this club, and make it a great home team environment.
With that said, GMBA really has his ducks in order. He believes in building a competitor through the draft, which helps to sustain long term success rather than the flashy FA signings. This squad is still a few seasons away from really starting to make waves, but once that tide comes in... it's gonna wreck the NHL.
Trust the process that GMBA is building up. He helped to build up St. Louis when they won it a few seasons back. Part of the scouting department helped out Stevie Y. when he was with Tampa, and finding true gems in the draft & building them into something special for the long haul.
We (you Utah fans) have got a great young core developing, and getting it's lessons learned right now. The chemistry on this squad is something really to look forward to. Especially the budding one between two of the younger guys with Cooley & Guenther. Those guys are gonna light it up. Our Defensive core has Durzi, Moser, Val, etc. Lots of stuff in the pipelines too. This isn't even mentioning our vet pressence with Keller, Schmaltzy, Crouse, etc. It's truly something to behold when these guys are clicking.
Note this... a ton of the draft picks from the previous few years are huge. I think the shortest dude is Geekie at 6'4''. Most of these guys are monsters, averaging 6'7". GMBA likes guys who are big, but can dangle. Look at last year's 1st rounders for example... Simishev & But. They're a few seasons away still in the KHL... but they are gonna be special. Plus they're like 6'6". Not to mention Mav Lam, who's like 6'10". It's gonna be bully hockey in the few years here boys & girls. Get used to it...
As much as I am torn. I love these guys too much. I wish it worked in AZ, because I have ties to that metro area unlike in SLC. I'm removed however, living in Kansas City. I hope you'll have me...
Welcome aboard! I dont have any problem welcoming you to keep supporting the team. Honestly with how loud the arena can get with the Jazz.. and the fact that after the remodels in the delta center it is still going to be somewhat vertical.. I think we have the chance to be top 5 loudest arenas in the NHL.
I think we'll stay put... unless GMBA sees a deal to be had on an under utilized player in another system. Might package some picks there. That's how we got Durzi.
I could see them stocking up on Defense, 'cause while we have prospects in the pipeline, you can never have too many good defensive prospects. We got Moser in the draft, because he was slightly older... but dude stepped in right away, straight into the NHL and started logging top 4 minutes almost immediately. Those D prospects can also packaged together later on down the line should we be making a playoff push as a contender, and we're looking for one of those rental guys who can help us get there.
Tendy also... but we've got a lot of dudes now after last year's draft.
Might take a flyer on a decent upside/raw talent winger/forward or two. Some guys that can marinade in the minors/Jr's for a few more seasons. Kinda like what we did with But.
Main focus, whatever they decide to do... trust the process. Bill knows what he's doing.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise of the team! I hope you'll be able to come to a game in SLC occasionally; I've done the SLC <-> MCI flight, it's an easy one and you get to fly through two of the newest/nicest airports in the country. Hop on a light rail at the SLC airport, and you're at the arena in 17 minutes.
Thank you for not being AH's, TBH.
A lot of gatekeepers in the hockey community. Being a Yotes refuge, you never know how you're going to be treated. I hope Utah fans never have to deal with that noise.
With that said... I've never been into Utah, but we've got a trip planned later this summer to Arches National Park that we're looking forward to. As the winter sets in, I've gotta consider seeing our boys live again. It's been since like 2010 since I last saw them... before any of this crap happened.
Also.. off topic, but is there a Discord server set up yet?
GMBA is a great GM. Always very open and good with the media. He’s also got a clear vision and it involves being bad for a few years to build a solid core for the future (think Tampa Bay). We’ve got a lot of pieces right now (and still more with the referenced picks) and now it’s all about development. We took a good chunk of the bad years for you guys! Lol. In terms of the fans I’ll defend my fellow Coyote fans a little bit. It’s the same issue a lot of Southern US teams have when the visiting team is a Canadian team or another original 6 team. Also Phoenix is a city of transplants so a lot of people move there rooting for another team. The year we did go on the playoff run the atmosphere in the building for those games was great. But definitely the casual fanbase was lacking due to the lack of sustained success they had over the 30 years (1 year past the first round) mainly because of poor ownership and the inability to spend. I know Utah is gonna ball out and support this team and hopefully Bill Armstrong’s vision combined with Ryan Smith’s wallet is able to make this team competitive so that the people who are on the fence about hockey jump all in as well. I’ve really enjoyed following all the young guys on the team (Keller, Cooley, Guenther, etc.) which is why I jumped on the metaphorical moving bus with them.
It sucks that the team had to leave Arizona, I can imagine how bad that feels for you guys. I think all of us in Utah were hoping/thinking for expansion. I am glad that you are still willing to follow the team!
Can confirm, even as successful as a franchise as Tampa has been, the snowbirds could still make considerable noise. It was even worse with the Panthers until they started winning consistently. I think the Utah crowds will show up, hopefully.
What moves (free agents, trades, etc) do you think will happen? Do you agree with my above comment about how it would be good to get one big player in free agency?
Tough to predict. I do think GMBA’s original plan is not to make any big splashes and build from the draft. If they do make any trades or signing it would be for either young players who could join the core (Durzi last year) or a player that could potentially be traded at the deadline for picks or prospects. Now I’m not sure how much Ryan Smith will mettle with the roster. He could request GMBA to make a big move to draw excitement but I think there is enough excitement that the vision shouldn’t be altered just to generate interest.
I agree with focusing on drafting. I do think it might be better to get at least one big free agent this year too along with some defensemen (it would put to bed the talk of “Utah not being able to get free agents” and “no one wants to play in Utah”)
Well when you have a trillion draft picks you'd better focus on drafting. Of course they could use them to make trades, but I think you fill the holes in free agency and see if you can't package up some of those picks to move up and get some quality over quantity. A couple of years ago the Yotes gave the Sharks picks 27, 34, and 45 to move up to 11. Next summer with four second rounders, and a deep draft, there's a good opportunity to get a top 15 pick perhaps, a talent that in other years could be top ten.
I think Utah has 13 picks in this draft? (Most of any team) Do you think they pick all 13? What positions do you think will be focused on?
Yeah lots of picks this year and next. In Utahs position you don't go for position necessarily. They will take best available player according to their scouts. There's a good chance Smith wants this team competitive sooner than later. You can't wait on all these picks to develop. I'll bet several end up being traded in the next couple of years. If the Jazz were good he might have more patience with the hockey team. But with them down he will want to see this squad compete soon so I think lots of these prospects end up being moved to get more impact players.
Hey Gang, Coming into this reddit as a longtime Yotes/Utah NHL club fan. I live in the KC area, and it baffled me how much opposing fans were coming to the arena in AZ. I hope you guys can truly change the trajectory of this club, and make it a great home team environment. With that said, GMBA really has his ducks in order. He believes in building a competitor through the draft, which helps to sustain long term success rather than the flashy FA signings. This squad is still a few seasons away from really starting to make waves, but once that tide comes in... it's gonna wreck the NHL. Trust the process that GMBA is building up. He helped to build up St. Louis when they won it a few seasons back. Part of the scouting department helped out Stevie Y. when he was with Tampa, and finding true gems in the draft & building them into something special for the long haul. We (you Utah fans) have got a great young core developing, and getting it's lessons learned right now. The chemistry on this squad is something really to look forward to. Especially the budding one between two of the younger guys with Cooley & Guenther. Those guys are gonna light it up. Our Defensive core has Durzi, Moser, Val, etc. Lots of stuff in the pipelines too. This isn't even mentioning our vet pressence with Keller, Schmaltzy, Crouse, etc. It's truly something to behold when these guys are clicking. Note this... a ton of the draft picks from the previous few years are huge. I think the shortest dude is Geekie at 6'4''. Most of these guys are monsters, averaging 6'7". GMBA likes guys who are big, but can dangle. Look at last year's 1st rounders for example... Simishev & But. They're a few seasons away still in the KHL... but they are gonna be special. Plus they're like 6'6". Not to mention Mav Lam, who's like 6'10". It's gonna be bully hockey in the few years here boys & girls. Get used to it... As much as I am torn. I love these guys too much. I wish it worked in AZ, because I have ties to that metro area unlike in SLC. I'm removed however, living in Kansas City. I hope you'll have me...
Welcome aboard! I dont have any problem welcoming you to keep supporting the team. Honestly with how loud the arena can get with the Jazz.. and the fact that after the remodels in the delta center it is still going to be somewhat vertical.. I think we have the chance to be top 5 loudest arenas in the NHL.
What positions do you think the team will focus on in the draft? Do you think they will actually pick all 13 picks or combo them to move up more?
I think we'll stay put... unless GMBA sees a deal to be had on an under utilized player in another system. Might package some picks there. That's how we got Durzi. I could see them stocking up on Defense, 'cause while we have prospects in the pipeline, you can never have too many good defensive prospects. We got Moser in the draft, because he was slightly older... but dude stepped in right away, straight into the NHL and started logging top 4 minutes almost immediately. Those D prospects can also packaged together later on down the line should we be making a playoff push as a contender, and we're looking for one of those rental guys who can help us get there. Tendy also... but we've got a lot of dudes now after last year's draft. Might take a flyer on a decent upside/raw talent winger/forward or two. Some guys that can marinade in the minors/Jr's for a few more seasons. Kinda like what we did with But. Main focus, whatever they decide to do... trust the process. Bill knows what he's doing.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise of the team! I hope you'll be able to come to a game in SLC occasionally; I've done the SLC <-> MCI flight, it's an easy one and you get to fly through two of the newest/nicest airports in the country. Hop on a light rail at the SLC airport, and you're at the arena in 17 minutes.
Thank you for not being AH's, TBH. A lot of gatekeepers in the hockey community. Being a Yotes refuge, you never know how you're going to be treated. I hope Utah fans never have to deal with that noise. With that said... I've never been into Utah, but we've got a trip planned later this summer to Arches National Park that we're looking forward to. As the winter sets in, I've gotta consider seeing our boys live again. It's been since like 2010 since I last saw them... before any of this crap happened. Also.. off topic, but is there a Discord server set up yet?