Needless to say, I am elated! =) True, he's still far away, but he will get the best opportunity to shine there.
Now, if they could only work out the rest of the hullabaloo going on there.
*Update:
Here's the official announcement on coyotes.nhl.com.
“We are pleased to have signed Petr to a new contract,” said Maloney. “He is a former 30-goal scorer and an emerging young offensive talent who competes hard every night. We look forward to Petr bringing a combination of speed and skill to our lineup.”
I'm not going to go into some long-winded Prucha defense rant. At least not tonight. ;)
But I am going to say that I think this is
a) fantastic news
b) very good for him
and
c) very good for the team
Prucha, in his short time in the desert, brought energy and a fantastic work ethic to the Coyotes club. He was praised by Wayne Gretzky, by the broadcasters, and by his linemates for it.
I personally think that if given a full year, where he can continue to build the confidence that he had started to re-gain, I think he can be a stable, effective player for that team.
Do I think 30 goals is a lofty dream? Yes, perhaps. In my getting to see Pete play in Phoenix, it seemed to me that he'd definitely end up being more of the set-up guy to the Lombardis and the Upshalls than the guy scoring goals on his own.
I truly hope that that line is able to be resurrected in Phoenix next year. They were a joy to watch - three guys completement each other so.
Either way, and regardless of point totals, Phoenix locked up someone today who takes the ice each and every night with the goal of doing all he can do to make his team successful and setting a good example for his teammates.
If only more players looked at the game that way...
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