Monday Morning Links - The Dawning of a New Era

( Editor's Note:  Sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend. Being a bit shorthanded, and feeling sick simultaneously makes for a real pain in the keester.  Here's a big recap of draft weekend to hopefully cheer you up, along wtih some rumors and other musings.  ) 

WIth all the rumors and speculation being circulated about two goalies being drafted, Don Maloney took the time to disspell all the rumors, and explained his draft strategy  (Spoiler alert! "PROJECTS").  There's also interviews with the draftees, and since I'm still not 100%, just load up the player and go down the line.  You can watch them all by CLICKING HERE.

The best news for Phoenix Coyotes fans is the addition of our first pick, # 13 overall, Brandon Gormley.  It was originally thought that Gormley would go extremely early to Colombus, at # 4.  Like I said before,  Gormley falling into the Coyotes lap is a brainfart of epic proportions on the part of other GMs in the league.  Either that, or there's something they know that we don't.  I'm usually the worst critic when it comes to Coyotes prospects, but I absolutely love this kid's style of play.  As a defenseman, he can skate extremely well.  His positioning seems far superior and patient than someone his age, so his hockey IQ must be through the roof.  HockeyBuzz thinks he's a steal as well. Here's the clip of him getting drafted, with some highlights of him in action:

 As you can see, the kid is fluid as heck on his feet.  His lateral movement is leaps and bounds better than many NHL defensemen, and it looks like his training stint before hitting the pros will mainly be to beef him up.  Tons of intangibles, tons of upside.  I absolutely love this pick. Expect to see him crack the lineup (at earliest) in 2011-2012 season.

To make up for my lackluster weekend, I give you this peace offering from the draft: Alyssa Milano, one of my all-time favorite babes, talking about who gives a rat's   her love of hockey..

More draft analysis and news after The Jump.....

Looks like the Coyotes are adding to the list of players on their way out.  The latest victims are Peterri Nokalainen and Jim Vandermeer.  At least, according to TSN.  Is there a chance we re-sign either?  Anything's possible, but the talk of GMDM seems to be that he wants to make a play at Zbynek Michalek before the rest of the world goes after him.  Big Z, one of the best shot blockers in the league, has a plethora of teams drooling at the thought of acquiring his services.  Still, reports are out there that GM Don Maloney is making him a priority. 

Speaking of free agents, how come GM Don Maloney hasn't said a word about Lee Stempniak?   Let's hope this doesn't get swept under the curb, as Stempniak was a crucial cog in the Coyotes machine after being traded from Toronto.

The Coyotes picked Phil Lane in the 2nd round, 52nd overall.  Apparently, he's from the same town as Brian Gionta.  Cross your fingers hard enough and hope that he turns out to be just as competitive.  One thing that is certian about this young man ; he's exceptionally good at getting punched in the face.

Seriously. I'm a bit speechless after watching that.   I'm not gonna touch this kid with a ten foot pole until I see an actual highlight reel.

...Let's just talk about our other first round pick today, goaltender Mark Visentin. He's young, he's huge, and he's extremely flexible. Seeing as a kid that size is a butterfly-style goalie,  His flexibility and quickness make him reminiscent of a young Curtis Joseph.  Let's just hope he doesn't turn into "old Curtis Joseph", because ,well......  Let's just stick to the young version of CuJo, and leave it at that.  Here, I'll let Mr. Visentin demonstrate.

 He looks like a lot of fun to watch, but he's got plenty of time to grow into his skin.  If nurtured properly though the system, he could turn out to be a beast.  And watching a goalie who can bounce around that fast is never a bad thing, if he stops pucks while doing it.

  Coming up tomorrow, I'll review the latter round picks of the Coyotes, as well as any rumors circulating about GMDM's interests in free agency..  You still have to soak up Philip Lane's awesome tackling dummy  pugilistic skills,  and I need to go be sick.  Someone e-mail me some chicken noodle soup.