Friday, June 19, 2009
Coyotes Sign Forward Prucha to Two-Year Contract
The Phoenix Coyotes remained busy on Friday afternoon by re-signing left wing Petr Prucha to a two-year contract extension worth $2.2 million. The deal averages out to $1.1 million per season. The Coyotes acquired Prucha at the 2009 trade deadline along with Dmitri Kalinin and Nigel Dawes from the New York Rangers in exchange for Derek Morris. In 47 games last season with the Rangers and Coyotes, Prucha scored two goals and eight assists for 10 points. In 256 career games, he has scored 65 goals and 58 assists for 123 points with the Rangers and Coyotes. This is hardly a signing for Coyotes fans to get excited about, as Prucha's offensive production has been in constant decline since his rookie season when he scored 30 goals and 17 assists in 68 games. This is, however, a very affordable signing for the cash strapped Coyotes who will likely keep their payroll low for next season. If Prucha can regain his offensive numbers from four seasons ago, this will be a great signing for the rebuilding Coyotes, although I wouldn't bet my money on him improving next season.
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2 comments:
Really? Why would you not expect different numbers from Prucha? His numbers indicate he was doing much better in Phoenix after the trade than before in New York.
This situation cannot be understood simple by face value alone. Prucha clearly was not given an opportunity in New York, and ice time was taken away from him despite his success and being a fan favorite. He hasn't seen consistent ice time since 2007, and most fans would shrug their shoulders if you asked them why. Renney clearly mishandled Prucha. Clearly. To the dismay of MANY rabid Ranger fans with man crushes on Prucha.
Expecting a big numbers bump from Prucha. I think the Coyotes should be quite excited about this signing. Prucha is energy, Prucha is creative, Prucha is fun. Don Maloney knew it, loved Prucha when he was with the Rangers, and traded for him specifically. New York certainly misses him.
Kerri,
You have stated your case very well and it would be hard for anyone to argue against you. I was excited for Prucha when he first entered the NHL, but quickly wrote him off as a bust as his numbers started to dwindle, and I guess I've been very critical of him ever since. Also, you are correct, his numbers in Phoenix were better than they were in New York (I failed to mention this in my post), indicating that he should be a decent offensive addition to the team.
I guess I'm not giving Prucha much of a chance in Phoenix and not expecting big numbers from him because I look at all the young talent (Turris, Mueller, Tikhonov, Boedker, Hanzal, Winnik, and Dawes) and veteran forwards (Doan, Lombardi, and Upshall) the Coyotes have and feel that their intensity, speed, and offensive prowess will overshadow Prucha's own on the ice.
However, I do hope Prucha is able to turn his game around in Phoenix and prove "Prucha pessimists" like myself wrong. Perhaps it's time I gave him a second chance.
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