Jokinen will ease pressure on Turris

From Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic:

The Coyotes' two first-round draft choices from a year ago have a chance to benefit from the trade that brought Olli Jokinen from Florida for defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton.

Center Kyle Turris, the third overall pick in 2007, will be able to gain a lot of insight from one of the high-powered centers in the NHL and not have to rush his learning curve.

Read the entire article here.

Kevin Allen of USA Today had an article on this topic earlier in the week and it is right on point. Adding Jokinen to the mix, alleviates much of the pressure on Turris and should allow him to fit in behind-the-scenes without much attention. More importantly, he won't have to go up against all the top centers in the league, which is something Wayne Gretzky stressed over the weekend.

Protecting Turris

From Kevin Allen of USA Today:

"I don't want Kyle to play every shift against (Ryan) Getzlaf, or (Joe) Thornton
or (Patrick) Marleau," said Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky. "This will give us a
chance to put him in a different role so he won't have to see the biggest, best
centers every shift."

Read Allen's entire article here.

Great strategy here by the Coyotes. This is a team that is going to become good very, very quickly. It may even be soon as next season.

News You Can Use in the Morning

In Light of RP's illness, I will post this morning and try to come up with something for the afternoon.

1. Tom Glavine suggests that he would trade his Cy Young for a Stanley Cup.
2. Are the Senators partying too much?
3. ESPN profiles the Oilers, who had a fan beat up in Calgary on Saturday night.
4. David Amber gives us his Top 10 Gordie Howe moments.
5. Ken Hitchcock will coach Team Canada at the World Championships.
6. Canada's Women's team tries to shake off the jet lag and get ready to play in China.
7. The weekly release from the USHL. In a related note, long time Sioux City and Thunder Bay coach Dave Siciliano will retire after this season.
8. Calgary and Edmonton have thrown their hat into the ring for the 2012 World Juniors.
9. Kyle Turris has signed with the Phoenix Coyotes.
10. Andrew Raycroft will get his first start since January 20th.
11. Jim Matheson examines San Jose's acquisition of Brian Campbell.
12. The Top 10 David Amber Top 10 columns.
13. In a move that will surely impress his wife/girlfriend, Jeremy Williams stays up.
14. Damien Cox thinks the Leafs should use the minors, not buyouts to solve their problems.Good idea in theory, but may cause problems with the NHLPA and in attracting Free Agents.
15. The NHL Nickname challenge.
16. The video from "The Good Old Hockey Game"
17. An in-depth Q and A with Luca Cunti, a Tampa prospect currently playing in the USHL.
18. Terry Frei calls out Ryan Smyth.
19. The Oilers have signed Michigan State forward Bryan Lerg.
20. The weekly Hot List from the Hockey News.
21. Kyle Turris will play three games with the Coyotes and then return to Madison to finish his studies.
22. Puck That Hit gives us the Top 10 Fools in the NHL.
23. The April 1st edition of Campbellnomics.
24. A comprehensive look around the WHL with Gregg Drinnan.
25. Spector sees reason for optimism in Columbus.