Howlin' Hockey
Fansided

Pierre LeBrun: Part of the Problem

By Catherine Silverman

facebooktwitterreddit

Pierre LeBrun is one of the biggest reasons that the Coyotes struggle like they do

Pierre LeBrun is only human, and he’s not the only writer who we sometimes have to remind ourselves of this for.

Live Feed

Looking back at the Blackhawks' trades involving Andrew Ladd
Looking back at the Blackhawks' trades involving Andrew Ladd /

Puck Prose

  • Three players the Arizona Coyotes should trade this seasonPuck Prose
  • The Bouch bomb is locked and loadedOil On Whyte
  • NHL 24: Predicting the highest rated players at every positionApp Trigger
  • Extending André Tourigny is the right move for the Arizona CoyotesPuck Prose
  • How Tough Will The Central Division Be For The Hawks?Blackhawk Up

    • For the most part, I read LeBrun’s hockey musings and come away from them impressed, informed, and ready to read what he tells me next. No hockey fan or writer is ever completely informed, and he’s a great source of information when I seek it.

    The Arizona Coyotes, though, are a team that deserves to be handled differently — and he’s dropped the ball this time.

    Inequality among sports teams is prevalent, and there’s no way around it — although we, as Coyotes fans, claim that the fanbase is going strong, it’s clear that the franchise is still floundering.

    A run to the Western Conference Final in 2012 made it clear that a competitive Coyotes roster went a long way towards the fanbase developing enough to alleviate some of the financial pains the team has undergone in the past decade. Unsurprising — whether you’re a brand new franchise or an Original Six team, on-ice struggles lead to as many (if not more) off-ice problems. It has as little to do with the team being a desert franchise as it does with the team’s age, or owner, or logo. Good teams bring good revenue; it’s as simple as that.

    One of the biggest mountains that teams have to overcome, of course, is media sensationalization.

    If the Arizona Coyotes constantly being on the verge of relocation makes for a good storyline, many media outlets are willing to jump on that train to get the readers hungry for drama and jaw-dropping headlines.

    Live Feed

    2023-24 NHL Schedule Key Dates: Opening Night, Trade Deadline, More
    2023-24 NHL Schedule Key Dates: Opening Night, Trade Deadline, More /

    Puck Prose

  • Blue Jackets Officially Introduce Pascal Vincent as Head CoachUnion and Blue
  • Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and DownsPuck Prose
  • Blue Jacket Prospects Win Traverse City Tournament: Who Stood Out?Union and Blue
  • Fantasy Hockey: Potential Calgary Flames sleeper picksFlame for Thought
  • 3 Oilers Players Who Should See An Expanded Role In 2023 And 1 Who Should NotOil On Whyte

    • Pierre LeBrun didn’t necessarily do this; as a matter of fact, he’s been one of the few reporters who I rarely see involved in the Coyotes relocation talks. He isn’t talking about how Arizona is moving to Las Vegas like the Hockey News, or suggesting that Andrew Barroway plans to run the team at the floor (or back out of the deal altogether) like TSN — but by suggesting that the team’s front office wants to ‘blow it all up’, he fed into the mass hysteria surrounding a franchise trying very hard to get back on their feet.

    Based on team analysis, the Arizona Coyotes are on the tail end of a subtle, sneaky rebuild. The franchise picked up some seriously solid pieces over their last six or seven drafts — starting, as you’ll notice, with one wiley winger, dedicating a few season’s worth of first round picks to some consistent blue liners, then finishing up with a few more offensive cornerstones.

    When the team let Radim Vrbata go, it was largely due to his contract demands. Reports suggested that the winger wanted a multi-year contract with trade limitations, and the team wasn’t willing to make that happen; usually, when a team doesn’t want to commit to a veteran player, it’s to make room for younger guys. Just take a look at Boston for a good example of teams that signed veterans to no-trade clauses through their decline; Chris Kelly is a more than serviceable center, but he’s certainly no longer worth $3 million AAV with a NTC.

    When Henrik Samuelsson sustained a concussion, burning a year of Max Domi’s contract while his projected long-term linemate recovered in the AHL; by this point, the team had passed up on anyone who could replace Domi in the lineup who would be willing to be a one-year loan. They could have signed a veteran to a PTO, but spending a season observing the existing roster players skating together could be beneficial in the long run. If a player was a long-term guarantee for the team, watching to see who played well with those roster members (and who may not be the best fit of the pending UFA’s and moveable pieces) could benefit the franchise far more than trying to be competitive in a year that the playoffs couldn’t be a guarantee even in a best-case scenario.

    Mike Smith’s unsustainably bad play has certainly exacerbated things, but this hasn’t been an easy season for Coyotes fans; yet, every franchise has bad seasons. The biggest problem? Media sensationalization, particularly in regards to the team being on the brink of implosion.

    That, in essence, is what Pierre LeBrun fed into when he suggested that the team’s front office had made plans to ‘blow up the roster’ — and in the aftermath, it seems someone has expressed their displeasure. The ESPN Insider has issued an apology article, backing off from his original phrasing and trying to lessen the blow:

    "“Sometimes when I get on TV, what my brain wanted to say isn’t quite what actually comes out of my mouth.And no question, when I suggested last week on TSN’s Insider Trading that theArizona Coyotes were going to “blow things up,” I got a little over-excited.We’re not talking about an overhaul in the desert, but yes, obviously some bodies are going out the door.”"

    Normally, I try to avoid criticism of the media when they make mistakes — but this is the second time in recent weeks that the Coyotes have been the victims of false reporting, and there are few things worse for a team trying to get back on their feet.

    Relate it to someone trying to build up their credit.

    Occasionally, people dig themselves into holes with loans, or credit cards, or neglected bills. This is, in essence, what happened to the Coyotes in the Wayne Gretzky era — the team fell off a financial cliff, which seemed nearly impossible to climb back out of.

    More from Coyotes News

    With the help of financial institutions and careful spending, though, someone with bad credit can fix this bad credit — in other words, what the Coyotes have done over the last few seasons. They’ve spent well on good players, drafted smartly, and kept the team just competitive enough to retain fan interest during their subtle rebuild to prevent the team from falling off financially once more.

    Even the best-intending man trying to improve his finances, though, will have a bit of a struggle if someone reports to a credit lender that he’s gambling, or that he’s overspending again — and that’s precisely what the media does to the Coyotes every time they falsely report something about the team.

    There’s a false rumor report, and then they’re saying that the team’s new owner has backed out of the deal, or that the team’s front office plans to completely blow up the roster — and while I don’t want to demonize LeBrun, this is certainly something that hurts the team more than a normal mistake would.

    More from Howlin' Hockey

    Home/Coyotes News