GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In judging the Coyotes' moves over the last four months, it would be prudent to follow general manager Don Maloney's advice.
It's the long view that matters, not the immediate view.
A few examples:
Short view: The Coyotes dumped Antoine Vermette at the trade deadline when they were already deficient at the center position.
Long view: They got a defenseman (Klas Dahlbeck) who looks like he'll be a fixture on the blue line for years to come. They also got Chicago's first-round pick, which they used to draft skilled forward Nicholas Merkley, who finished sixth in the WHL in regular-season points, third in the playoffs and elicited a chorus of praise from coach Dave Tippett's peers at the draft. Vermette helped the Hawks win a Cup, so the deal was worth it for Chicago, but he's set to walk away as a free agent while the Coyotes have two pieces for the future.
Short view: Taking Chris Pronger's salary and cap hit is another example of the Coyotes spending money on players who won't play for them; a clear sign that they are just trying to get to the salary cap floor.
Long view: Nicklas Grossmann is the physical, stabilizing, veteran defenseman Tippett and assistant Jim Playfair have coveted for two years. Taking Pronger's contract allowed Maloney to complete the deal and dump a player (Sam Gagner) who didn't fit and was being considered for a more costly buyout. Pronger's salary is nominal and nearly cancelled out by the portion of Grossmann's salary Philadelphia retained. If you want to take issue with Pronger being paid, take it up with the league for this ridiculous loophole. Lumping Pronger's contract in with the Mike Ribeiro buyout is obtuse analysis. As for reaching the cap floor, let's hold off judgment until the Coyotes are finished in the free agent and trade markets. If they climb just above the floor with the salaries of Ribeiro, Keith Yandle and Pronger in tow, then there will be room for criticism.
Short view: Not extending a qualifying offer to restricted free agent defenseman John Moore means the Coyotes have already lost a key piece from the unpopular Yandle trade to the New York Rangers.
Long view: Moore was arguably the smallest piece in that deal -- an intriguing throw-in. Let's see how forward prospect Anthony Duclair fares. If he winds up being a star, will anyone complain about that deal? The Coyotes also flipped the second-round pick they acquired in the Yandle deal for two picks that led to the drafting of big goalie Adin Hill and Swedish wing Jens Looke. They also have New York's first-round pick next year. Time will offer a more informed judgment of this trade.
Arizona's ownership, management and coaching staff have all vowed to field a more competitive team than last season, when the Coyotes posted their lowest point total since arriving in the Valley in 1996. Aside from the trades for Grossmann, center Boyd Gordon and the almost certain insertion of Max Domi into the lineup, little has changed from last year.
It may this week when free agency opens Wednesday at 9 a.m. It may in the weeks to come when more trades are consummated. Remember Maloney's words immediately following the draft and the trade for Grossmann.
"We're not in a state of panic here," he said. "We know we have roster holes but we can't rush and start sweating that we're not getting the pieces we need. There's plenty of time. We have plenty more work to do to build this roster and we will do it."
1. What are the Coyotes biggest areas of need?
With Vermette and Mark Arcobello gone, the Coyotes are woefully deficient at center. Assuming Marty Hanzal can stay healthy for most of the season, Arizona has at most, four centers on its roster, but three of them are bottom-six types in Boyd Gordon, Kyle Chipchura and Joe Vitale. In an ideal world not all three will be playing center, with the possibility, raised by Maloney, that they could all play on one line with Gordon in the middle.
Top pick Dylan Strome needs more development. If he's in the lineup next year, he either had the best camp in franchise history or they're rushing another prospect -- the same mistake they made with Kyle Turris, Peter Mueller and even Mikkel Boedker.
Arizona also needs to find a right-handed defenseman; ideally one to play with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and they need a backup goalie. An offensive wing on a short-term deal and another veteran defenseman would be additional luxuries.
2. Who are the best UFAs available?
As usual, the crop of free-agent centers is thin. Top centers don't normally become free agents because they are too valuable. The Coyotes clearly aren't going down the Mike Ribeiro road again, and Brad Richards has slowed to the point where some in Chicago viewed him as a liability.
There are some intriguing second-tier centers available. At the top of that list are Vermette, who may be able to cash in on a big payday, and Washington's Eric Fehr, who had a terrific year when shifting to checking line center last season with 19 goals. Fehr is big (6-4, 212) so he'd fit well in the Western Conference and he's only 29, so he could help the team for years to come. Mike Santorelli, Kyle Brodziak and Shawn Matthias are other possibilities. Wingers Matt Belesky, Michael Frolik, Jiri Tlusty, PA Parenteau, Chris Stewart and Joel Ward are available.
On defense, the Coyotes would ideally get a right-handed shot to pair with Ekman-Larsson. The problem is, there aren't many available. They nearly had one in a draft-day deal for Dougie Hamilton, before Calgary swooped in and grabbed him. They had hoped to sign Adam McQuaid before Boston re-signed him.
Cody Franson is a right-handed shot, but he's more of an offensive threat and wouldn't pair well with Ekman-Larsson. Francois Beauchemin brings a physical presence, but he's a lefty and he's 35. Andrej Sekera and Johnny Oduya are both left-handed skilled puck movers. Oduya had a terrific playoff for the Blackhawks, who simply can't afford to re-sign their No. 4 defenseman. There is also the possibility the Coyotes bring back Zbynek Michalek, but he would be better served in a bottom-pairing role than playing alongside Ekman-Larsson.
At backup goalie, former Coyote Thomas Greiss is available but unlikely to return. He didn't get the chance for more playing time that he expected in Pittsburgh. Karri Ramo, Michal Neuvirth and Viktor Fasth are more expensive options. The backup goalie spot will likely be the next slot the Coyotes fill.
3. How will this legal battle with Glendale impact Arizona's ability to sign players?
Two agents told FOX Sports Arizona earlier month this month that the continued legal battle between the Coyotes and Glendale would have an impact on their ability to sign free agents.
"No question about it," said one agent, who requested anonymity. "One of the main things players look for in free agency is stability. Right now, the situation in Arizona is anything but stable."
Maybe it won't be as much of a factor as some suggest. Arizona is still a popular place for players to come, based on the lifestyle, the affordability of high-end housing and the coaching staff. Maybe the Coyotes will have to overpay a bit to compensate for their lack of stability. We're about to find out.
4. Which of the Coyotes' own free agents will be back?
We already know the Coyotes have tendered offers to restricted free agents Boedker, Dahlbeck, Brandon Gormley, Louis Domingue, Brendan Shinnimin, Jordan Martinook and defenseman Philip Samuelsson.
They also re-signed Craig Cunningham at a lower price. Arcobello, Moore, David Moss, B.J. Crombeen, Martin Erat and Justin Hodgman are as good as gone. The team may look to re-sign unrestricted free agent Andrew Campbell, a physical presence who would be a useful player on a two-way contract.
5. How realistic is it to expect significant improvement via free agency?
It's not a strong class of free agents, but there are some quality pieces if the Coyotes can get in on them. By the looks of this class, free agency is probably a route for filling in cracks, rather than acquiring stars.
Right now, most of the conversations the Coyotes are having are exploratory with not enough substance and no way of knowing what other teams are offering. Nor can the Coyotes fully gauge the willingness of players to sign here given the team's rebuilding philosophy and the legal mess with Glendale.
6. Will we see GMs break with tradition and sign players to offer sheets?
If ever there were a year for it, this would be it. The list of top-tier restricted free agents is staggering. The list of top-tier unrestricted free agents is not.
Traditionally, GMs have shied away from this available CBA tool because teams almost always match offer sheets and the process creates bad blood between franchises that may have to do business down the road.
On the other hand, some analysts and NHL executives wonder if an infusion of fresh blood at the management level will lead to more aggressive play. Offer sheets are a way to cripple the opposition by forcing them to match a high offer that hurts their cap plans, but they are also a means of potentially adding quality players in a market where several teams are cap-strapped.
Chicago traded star wing Brandon Saad to Columbus on Tuesday because it feared a large offer sheet was coming and it wouldn't be able to match it. St. Louis forward Vladimir Tarasenko, Washington goalie Braden Holtby, Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov and Rangers center Derek Stepan are among the big-name RFAs, and Saad could still face an offer sheet, although the Blue Jackets have said they will match it.
Coyotes GM Don Maloney has never been a proponent of offer sheets.
"They rarely work," he said. "All it makes is the player and agents quite happy because everybody gets paid, but it is a tool we all have. Will we see more of them? I really can't say."
7. Are the Coyotes better off trading assets for existing NHL players?
Yes, especially for the top-end talent they are seeking at center and on right defense. That talent simply isn't available in large (or even small) quantities through free agency. There are also some intriguing wings available via trade from cap-strapped teams if the Coyotes want to chase a big-splash player such as Chicago's Patrick Sharp (although he turns 34 in December and had a poor season).
Maloney has said all along that he feels trades will be the better route for acquiring significant pieces. The Coyotes have two first-round picks next season, they have some valuable prospects they could include in deals, such as center Christian Dvorak and their picks from this year's draft, and they may have an existing player or two that draws interest in a package.
8. Who might be available via trades?
A host of names have been floated from Toronto's Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and Tyler Bozak to St. Louis' Kevin Shattenkirk, TJ Oshie and David Backes to Chicago's Sharp and Kris Versteeg. Trades of this magnitude may not come until later in the summer.
9. Will the Coyotes get to the cap floor?
Yes. First of all, they have to in order to avoid a variety of potential punitive measures. Secondly, they still need to fill out their roster by signing free agents (including Boedker and Dahlbeck) and making trades. How far above the floor they end up will depend on what's available and the appetite of ownership.
10. Is it realistic to think this team will be able to compete for a playoff spot?
It is far too early to say, but a combination of circumstances makes this a tall order. The Western Conference is deep and talented, the Coyotes are deficient up the middle and the free agency pool is shallow.
Ownership and management have cited Ottawa and Calgary as examples they'd like to emulate next year. The problem, is, Arizona is a bit behind those two clubs in terms of the development of its younger talent.
Better defending in front of goalie Mike Smith is a must. So is the type of play Smith turned in over the last month and a half of the season (when he faced no real pressure). Even so, the Coyotes would have to make some awfully big personnel splashes to make the playoffs next season -- the type of splashes that might cost them too many pieces of their future.
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