Hockey Now Blog

BY / JOHN CULLEN
Hockey Now Blogger

I applaud Don Maloney. I do. So rare it is in this day and age that a GM will stand up to his player, utilize the options available to him, and simply come out and say “if you’re not playing for me, you’re playing for no one.” In the wake of the Dany Heatley havoc, the Sheldon Souray saga, etc., it’s interesting to see a GM put such an iron fist down, and it sets a precedent for players in the future who are looking to play in the desert.

That said, I think Maloney should absolutely pull the trigger and deal Turris. Why? It’s in his best interest to do so. While any trade would make it seem that Maloney is simply kow-towing to the player and going back on his original statement, the reality is that a trade of Kyle Turris favors Don Maloney more than it favors Kyle Turris.

Kyle Turris has had a very underwhelming start to his career as an NHL player. Originally drafted 3rd overall in 2007 after a sterling junior career in the BCHL, Turris took his first year of NHL eligibility at the University of Wisconsin, where he had committed to playing before being drafted. He averaged nearly one point-per-game there, and expectations were high for Turris coming into his first year with the Coyotes, which could only be called a disappointment. The main knock on Turris was his size coming out of junior, and he did very little to remedy that problem, consistently getting knocked off the puck in his first two seasons in the NHL and at times, looking lost in the Coyotes line-up. The Coyotes have played a largely defensive system in the past few years built around stronger forwards like Martin Hanzal, Taylor Pyatt, and Shane Doan, and Turris has struggled to find himself in that system.

Some also question Turris’ heart and attitude. Him requesting a trade comes as no surprise given all the different sorts of steps he’s taken on his road to the NHL. His rights were owned by the Vancouver Giants in a year where they lost the WHL Final and won the Memorial Cup as the host squad, but chose not to play for that team(where, presumably, he would have grown in leaps and bounds and made better adjustments to physical play), instead choosing to play Tier II Junior for the Burnaby Express of the BCHL. While it obviously didn’t hurt his draft standing, still selected in the top 3 picks of the draft, one has to wonder how, looking back, that choice might have hurt his development. He followed that up by making it clear to all NHL teams drafting him that he had committed to playing a year for the University of Wisconsin and wouldn’t go back on that promise to the school, a strange move given how many 18 year-olds these days--particularly those selected in the Top 3 picks of a draft--hope and even assume they will make their NHL squad the fall after being selected.

That said, he’s still a 3rd-overall pick and Phoenix has done a lot for his development. So why is it in their best interest to trade him? Potential. The fact is, Turris’ price is still high(or at least highER) because of potential. He’s still a high draft pick. He still has that potential to break through and be an elite goalscorer. He’s still only a 22 year-old with less than 150 games of NHL experience under his belt. I saw Turris play in the BCHL numerous times and his vision and presence on the ice, especially at that level, was unparalleled. Definitely the best player I have seen on that circuit. And in the NHL, he’s shown flashes of brilliance, but when the #1 highlight of your career is a shifty shootout goal, you might be in some trouble. 

The bottom line is, if Turris signs a one-year deal in Phoenix and bolts next summer(as many are predicting), the price could get lower. Three seasons are more of a talking point than two. There’s no question right now there are GMs who believe Turris will right the ship, but it’s hard to imagine if he has another clunker for half the year that GMs will be willing to shell out. Will a fresh start be what Turris is looking for, and will a team benefit?