The Phoenix Coyotes announced this after noon that they have activated goaltender Mike Smith from Injured Reserve. The team also announced that they have sent Curtis McElhinney back to the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League. McElhinney looked solid in his only start against the Wild only giving up 2goals in the 4-2 win and many expected him to start again tonight had Smith not returned.

Per Dave Vest, Head Coach Dave Tippett has said that there is a chance Smith could get the start tonight, but no official word on if it will be he or Jason LaBarbera in net against the St. Louis Blues.

Hopefully Smith's return will provide a boost to the Coyotes who are come off a lackluster December to say the least. In the six games since his injury the Coyotes went 2-3-1 with all of the losses being by only one goal. We'll update once we find out if Smith will in fact get the nod tonight, but it may be a game time decision.

With all of the recent injuries that have plagued the Phoenix Coyotes, several call-ups from the AHL affiliate Portland Pirates have been necessary by GM Don Maloney. While Dave Tippett has been juggling his lines to adapt the losses of Martin Hanzal and Boyd Gordon have left a gaping hole down the center in the desert. While Andy Miele and Marc-Antoine Pouliot have worked to fill these gaps, if last night's game in Minnesota is any gauge (Coyotes went 18-46 in the faceoff dot), they need those guys to come back ASAP.

Additionally, although starting the season scoring at a much higher pace, the goal scoring has tapered off a bit in recent weeks and the 'Yotes now sit a disappointing 20th in the league in goals scored per game (2.56), while sitting a much more respectable 10th in goals allowed per game (2.59).

With the depth of the defense being the strength of the team particularly with the strong play from David Schlemko and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Derek Morris has seen several games recently from the press box with David Rundblad), the obvious answer is that future call-ups could come on the offensive side of the ice taking time from guys that have not really been lighting it up like Paul Bissonnette, Kyle Chipchura, Patrick O'Sullivan and Cal O'Reilly. Not that I think those guys have been bad, per se, but a bit of offensive punch might be nice. So after the jump, a few guys that we might be seeing getting the call up in the near future.

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The news on Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith got a bit worse today as the team placed him on the injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 20th. One plus to this is that that really means he's unavailable for one more day before they can take him off and have him active again. It's still unclear just how long he's expected to be out though as he was listed day-to-day up to this point.

The Coyotes also shuffled backups for Jason LaBarbera as Curtis McElhinney cleared re-entry waivers and the team sent Justin Pogge back to the Portland Pirates.

While the team could certainly use Mike Smith in net, Jason LaBarbera has played well in his two starts since goine 1-1. THe team in front of him hasn't been the sharpest though. They did finish a comeback against Carolina, but just looked flat against the Blues on Friday. In the past they've done a great job of giving the backup a boost though so hopefully they can find a way against a floundering LA Kings team tonight.

It's finally over. With 8 days left until his NHL career was going to go down the tubes for the season, Kyle Turris has signed a 2 year deal with the Coyotes. He's taking significantly less than the 3 million or so he was reportedly asking for. In year one he'll make 1.2 million and in year two 1.6 million. That's the deal he really held out for right there. Hope his agent really loves his commission off that one. 

Turris will likely be playing on the big club at this point rather than spending time in Portland. They're also waiting for him to clear a physical before being able to play. I'd expect some time after Thanksgiving as he'll have to get some practice time in. It'll also give the Coyotes some flexibility at center with Daymond Langkow out for the time being. Expect Kyle Chipchura to head back to Portland for the time being. 

So remember when the Phoenix Coyotes waived Brett MacLean and he was picked up by our arch-nemesis Winnipeg Jets? Well apparently he couldn't quite stick with the big club there either and was placed on waivers again today. The Coyotes, being the club that waived him in the first place had first claim on him, and much like Don Maloney said he would, snagged him off the wire.

In 5 games thus far with the Jets he got an average of 8:29 worth of ice time and collected 2 assists. In his last game against Ottawa on October 20th he saw only four minutes and forty three seconds of ice time. Maybe the experience of not cracking the Jets' lineup will humble him a little and he can realize he still needs to grow a little before earning a full time NHL spot.

MacLean will initially report to the Coyotes as he did not "clear" waivers and would have to again to be sent down to Portland. (I think. Maybe. We'll see.) Alright I was wrong there. To Portland ye scurvy dog!

I was going to quote the Winnipeg Free Press too, but If I only quote the two sentences they wrote is it plagarism? We'll find out! Remember this is the ENTIRETY of the text: Also LINK

TAMPA - The Phoenix Coyotes have claimed forward Brett MacLean off waivers.

The Jets put the winger on waivers with the intention of sending him to St. John's of the AHL.

Bangup job writing that up WFP.

The Phoenix Coyotes added to their depth at center today as they picked up Cal O'Reilly from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 4th round pick in this year's draft. O'Reilly is currently out with a minor injury and should play his first game with the Coyotes on Wednesday. The young center had 6 goals and 18 assists for the Preds in 38 games last year. Not too shabby, but he just couldn't grab a regular starting position.

Part of his problem is that he keeps getting dinged up with relatively minor injuries, but ones that keep knocking him out for stretches. Nashville had plenty of depth and the Coyotes had a need. Don Maloney filled it and didn't give up much in the process. What is good is that he's only making 1.05 million this season and is an RFA next season. With similar production to another young center with potential that wants 3+, Cal seems like a deal to me.

The Phoenix Coyotes traded Petteri Nokelainen and Garrett Stafford to the Montreal Canadiens today in exchange for a 7th round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and Brock Trotter.  The trade frees up space on the Coyotes 4th line and more importantly frees up a roster spot for young forward Andy Miele.  The Coyotes brass have made it clear since they signed last year's Hobey Baker winner that he want him to make an impact in the NHL.  The path for him is now wide open given the roster change and the fact the team desperately needs scoring depth.

As for the player the Coyotes received in the trade, below is a comment on Mr. Trotter from Hockey Future's post on the young forward.

Trotter is a beast from the blueline in, with a solid burst and nose for the net. He also is capable of playing a physical, gritty game that belies his size.

In the end, the move is a minor one in terms of what pieces were involved.  However, if Miele produces this season this move will be a net gain for the Yotes, regardless of how Trotter and the future 7th round pick pan out.

Links:

Reaction to the trade at Habs Eyes on the Prize

Bruce Peter post on Brock Trotter from August

Coyotes press release on the deal.

The Phoenix Coyotes announced today that they have signed center Martin Hanzal to a 5 year, reportedly 15.5 million dollar, contract extension. The big center has been a key part of the Coyotes over the past few seasons especially when it comes to playing the defensive role up front. His line is continually paired up against the top line of the opposition and the Sharks especially have no love for him as he's frequently frustrated Joe Thornton. It's also nice not to have to worry about him getting to free agency for quite some time. He certainly could have gotten more a couple seasons down the road, but Don Maloney again made a magical signing. 

With both he and Keith Yandle getting deals the team has done a good job of getting the most promising of the youth locked up for quite a while into the future. Maybe Kyle Turris should take a look at this deal and reevaluate exactly how much he's worth though, because at this point Hanzal is miles ahead and has put in the work to get this contract.