After a summer of court room drama and all the signs pointing to the Coyotes not being able to support an NHL team, I have decided to no longer refer to them as the Phoenix Coyotes. Since they left the hockey heartland and Balsillie's tireless quest to return them there, fantasysensehockey will now refer to them only as the Winnipeg Jets until they return to Canada. For those who believed the myths and hyperbole presented by the media, click here. For those who just miss Dale Hawerchuk, Pokey Reddick and Morris Lukowich, click here.
Remove the outlier (2009) from Dave Tippett's resume and you have one of the most dominant defensive coaches in the NHL today. During his 6 seasons in Dallas, Tippett's team finished 6th or better five of the six years. The ultimate beneficiary was Marty Turco and his fantasy owners. With Tippett's late appointment in Winnipeg, Bryzgalov has not received a ton of fantasy love, but with Tippett at the helm, his stats are sure to plummet. The offense will not be hurt by Tippett's conservative style, as much as it will be by lack of NHL ready talent.
I have read numerous reports that he is not enthused about moving from Phoenix to Canada, no shit! Doan remains the only true Winnipeg Jet. He is your prototypical NHL power forward; he is physical as well as a strong skater who has deceptive puck handling ability and a strong shot. He also possesses the ability to dominate the cycle and create turnovers with his physical play. Doan has been a remarkably consistent fantasy performer registering 9 straight 20-goal seasons and a yearly lock for 60+ points, 60+ PIMs, 25 PPP, and 200+ shots since the lockout. He never seems to get the love on draft day, but he always produces.
I don't know if there was a happier player on the Jets that Wayne Gretzky decided not to return than Ilya Bryzgalov. Out of all the coaches I ranked in the pre-season, it should come as no surprise that the most prolific offensive player of all-time had no idea how to coach team defense. Gretzky finished last. In his second season in Arizona, Bryzgalov saw his GAA balloon by over half a goal and his SV% drop .015, but there remains light at the end of the rainbow. Dave Tippet's defensive record bodes well for a return to prominence for Bryzgalov, he may lack wins, but a return to 2.50 GAA and a .915 SV% is not out of the question.
A former Dirk Diggler All-Star, Jovanovski is one healthy season away from putting his injury plagued history in the rearview mirror. After playing only 154 games over three seasons, he has managed to play 162 over the last two. Jovanovski is only one year removed from a fantastic roto season in which he registered 51 pts (12G, 39A), 73 PIMs, 27 PPP and 240 shots. He has remained extremely streaky, as witnessed by his quarterly splits, but although flawed (I wouldn't touch him outside of a late reach or waiver wire move) he possesses a huge upside. You could do worse with a 4th or 5th defenseman.
AT 6'5", Hanzal is the Anti-Antropov. He is a big centerman that doesn't rely on his ankles to navigate around the ice; Hanzal is a strong skater with a long fluid stride. He has good hands and great puck handling skills. He has above average offensive instincts, but his progress continues to stall due to injuries. After an off-season rehabbing from back surgery, Hanzal suffered a shoulder injury in February and his offensive disappeared as he registered only 7 points (2G, 5A) in his final 20 games. Injuries make it hard to gauge his potential, but if he remains healthy in 2010 we should see a jump in production and get a better understanding of his future.
Mueller struggled in his sophomore campaign and it has been rumoured that his overconfidence lead him to poor preparation. This was further exacerbated by playing out of position at LW and a January concussion that affected his production in the second half (see his progression chart for the visual evidence). Mueller is deceptively efficient and throughout his career has demonstrated an ability to control play in the attacking zone through great vision, and superb puckhandling and passing ability. 2010 is an important year in his development, with Dave Tippett's influence, Mueller should be able to shore up his defensive zone inefficiencies. If he dedicated his summer to strength training and improving his conditioning, then he should be able to put his career back on track.
Yandle had a breakthrough during his first full NHL campaign in 2009. The former "CHL defenseman of the year" has a very high skill level with strong natural instincts. An offensive defenseman, who thrives in the transition game, Yandle loves to attack and likes to join the rush like a 4th forward. He has enormous fantasy potential but will not reach it until he increases his strength level and improves his defensive commitment.
Matthew Lombardi appeared on plenty of sleeper lists entering 2010 because of his statistical splits. Upon arrival in Arizona, Lombardi finished up the 2009 season with 16 points (5G, 11A) in his final 19 games. Lombardi skates like the wind and when engaged causes havoc, but so did Oleg Petrov. If you make conclusions off two to three TV appearances, Lombardi will leave you confused with his lack of production. I got on and off that bandwagon 3 years ago and continue to make the decision to stay away.
Boedker burst from the gate and was among the rookie scoring leaders through October (7 pts in 12 games), but limped to the finish with just 21 points in his final 66 games. Boedker is an explosive skater with endless offensive talent and is able to execute his playmaking ability at top speed. Like all young players, he needs to dedicate himself to the defensive end. Ultimately his potential will hinge on whether he develops the courage to move his offense from the periphery to the dirty areas, if he does, he has the talent level to make a fantasy impact.
Although Turris enjoyed a fast start to his rookie campaign with 4 points in his first three games, but he was ultimately overmatched as the jump from Wisconsin to playing against men was too much. He is not strong enough to compete at the NHL level yet, but like most talented rookies, he showed flashes of his potential with a 4-point (2G, 2A) performance against the powerhouse Sharks in March. Turris has elite offensive skills, but he may need some AHL seasoning before he adjusts to the pace of the NHL game. With his talent and a possible future between Doan and Mueller, Turris' future looks bright.
The Jets have a strong array of prospects as their system is stacked with plenty of players like Pat Elynuik, Fredrik Olausson and Stephan Beauregard. If one or two manage to maximize their potential, they may have a Morris Lukowich, or a Dave Babych on their hands, but what they are truly lacking are the Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne level talents. A solid, but unspectacular future awaits.
Although Larsson was left off the Swedish World Junior entry, he helped his draft status with a strong performance at the Under 18s with 8 points in 6 games (2G, 6A) and was named the top defenseman at a five-nations event in February. Ekman-Larsson is highly skilled, with excellent hockey sense and skating ability. He is mobile and very skilled with the puck and although he has the ability to lead the rush, he tends to settle for the outlet pass in transition. Larsson impressed at the combine and when he adds strength and muscle to his frame he should develop in to a top pairing defenseman.
MacLean's professional career got off to a rousing start with 21-goals and an AHL All-Star Game nod. It helped ease the fears that he was overly reliant on John Tavares for his two 100+ point OHL campaigns. He has great hands which allow him to be a lethal finisher, but his passing game when coupled with his innate hockey sense make him a dangerous offensive player and future power play weapon. His skating is a work in progress and remains the only red flag separating him from an NHL future. Definite first line potential.
The love child of Sergei Gonchar and Vladamir Malakov, Goncharov made huge strides in the KHL in 2009. He leapt up the Jets depth chart with a monster World Junior tournament where he registered 5 goals in 7 games for Russia. Goncharov possesses plenty of the offensive skills of Sergei Gonchar, but unfortunately possesses not just the howitzer of Malakov, but the lazy reputation as well. If he can provide the consistent intensity to ease that fear, his rugged streak and offensive upside could provide a 100+ PIM fantasy monster.
Tikhonov is an aggressive scoring winger who is plays a physical style and does not shy away from traffic. An aggressive Tikhonov? Shocking. He possesses great vision and hockey sense, but lacks strength, elite finishing skills and at this stage possesses an inefficient skating stride. A project pick with considerable upside. 
Generally your scouts sell their talent like Joe Simpson sells his daughters, but when they say, "if he can be more consistent and show drive he’ll be one heck of an offensive threat" and "When he’s on top of his game, he can be very dangerous". I tend to get the message. Lack of consistency and drive? Those are the TWO most important ingredients in future success, if they weren't, Pavel Brendl and Alexandre Daigle would still be NHLers. Stay in the Czech Republic, Winnipeg was the birthplace of Terry Fox, they don't want your lazy ass.
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