By Craig Morgan
FOXSportsArizona.com
Ed Jovanovski's injury could alter the Coyotes' playoff plans.
Phoenix general manager Don Maloney said Tuesday that the team might consider acquiring a veteran defenseman before the Feb. 28 trade deadline to offset the loss of its alternate captain.
"Thanks goodness we were able to get (defenseman) Michal Rozsival in a prior trade," Maloney said. "But we're destined to get along without Jovo right now, so we could potentially add depth on the blue line."
Jovanovski underwent surgery Friday for an orbital bone fracture that Maloney said "was not a single fracture. It was in multiple places."
Jovanovski was injured late in the second period of Thursday night's game against Atlanta when he collided face-to-face with the Thrashers' Patrice Cormier.
The Coyotes placed Jovanovski on injured reserve, and Maloney does not expect the veteran to return before the regular season ends.
When asked if the Coyotes were hoping Jovanovski would be back for the start of the playoffs, Maloney cautioned: "If even that."
Jovanovski's loss is a major blow for a team that had been playing rock-solid defense, allowing just 11 goals during its current seven-game winning streak.
Once Rozsival grew comfortable in the Coyotes system after his acquisition from the New York Rangers last month, Phoenix appeared set on the blue line and in goal, making the forward positions the only likely target for any last-minute additions.
Maloney does not expect the Coyotes to be as active as last year, when they made a flurry of deals at the deadline, including trades for forwards Lee Stempniak and Wojtek Wolski and defensemen Derek Morris and Mathieu Schneider.
But, in addition to a fill-in for Jovanovski, Maloney identified two other possible areas: a big wing who could log between 10 and 14 minutes a game and a top-line center.
"Somebody like Sidney Crosby would be nice," he said, joking. "I'd also like to have a helicopter fly me to work each day.
"Truthfully, we really could use a front-line center iceman, because I think we're one really good center iceman away from being a very, very good team."
Left unsaid in that statement is the undeniable fact that 2007 first-round pick Kyle Turris (third overall) is developing more slowly than the team had hoped. Turris, who turns 22 this summer, has nine goals and 18 points in 46 games.
Maloney made it clear that Turris' demotion to San Antonio last week was simply a roster move to help the Coyotes shore up their defense with veteran Adrian Aucoin also injured. Turris was recalled Tuesday along with defenseman David Schlemko, who will team with Oliver Ekman-Larsson to help fill Jovanovski's vacated spot in the short term.
But if Turris had taken the next step in his development, the Coyotes wouldn't be in the market for a premier center. And with six days left to deal, Maloney doesn't see any top centers available who could upgrade the current roster.
The Western Conference's tightly packed playoff race has many teams still believing they have a shot. That, in turn, makes them leery of moving players off their current roster.
The Eastern Conference picture isn't much better with New Jersey and the New York Islanders suddenly the hottest teams in the conference.
"There's really only a handful of teams that might be willing to make a deal," said Maloney, citing Florida, Ottawa and Toronto among them. "I still think there's a very limited pool of players."
Compounding the problem is the Coyotes' financial situation, as Phoenix is still among the bottom five teams in the league in payroll. Last season, the club had some money to spend. This year, it's bumping up against its budget. If the Coyotes acquire someone, they would have to offset that deal with a commensurate salary dump off the current roster. Maloney has already said he does not want to move one of the team's prime assets -- a top prospect or a first-round draft pick -- unless he gets an offer he can't refuse.
"Last year, we came out of Olympic break and I was kind of concerned about the team," he said. "We felt we needed to shake the tree.
"This year, I feel our whole is greater than the sum of our parts, and so much of that success is based on teamwork and chemistry.
"When you look at the emergence of Lauri Korpikoski and Taylor Pyatt's season, I feel like we have more game within our group. We all know Lee Stempniak can heat up and Shane (Doan) is traditionally strong over the latter portion of the season, so I'm not sure we'll change our group unless an obvious opportunity presents itself."
