Bordow: Coyotes wisely building for future

If there was one thing the Phoenix Coyotes could count on every season — other than losing — it was a sellout when the Detroit Red Wings came to town.

But on a Saturday night when the Arizona State Sun Devils were off, the Diamondbacks were done and the Cardinals were out of town, the Coyotes-Red Wings game at Jobing.com Arena had nearly as many empty seats as fans.

How sad.

And how predictable.

Let’s be honest. The Coyotes are more irrelevant now than they’ve ever been. You could ask a philosophical question of the franchise: If a hockey team starts a season and nobody cares, does it count?

There’s little doubt Phoenix will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. The Coyotes may wind up with the worst record in the NHL.

But you know what?

That’s OK.

Because for the first time since they arrived in the Valley, the Coyotes are losing the right way: With young players that should get better and provide the franchise some stability — and success — down the road.

“Even though people will say it’s the 'Same old, same old,’ it’s not,” general manager Don Maloney said.

For years the Coyotes were a patchwork hockey team, adding overpriced — and often over-the-hill — veterans in a foolish attempt to try to reach the playoffs (as if just playing in the postseason were the goal).

Maloney has changed all that.

Phoenix is following the lead of the Diamondbacks, trying to build around a corps of young players. The Coyotes are the youngest team in the NHL, with five rookies, seven players under the age of 25 and only three over 30 years old.

They won’t win now, but if youngsters like Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal are as good as the Coyotes think they are, they’ll win later.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who’s now a senior advisor to Detroit management. “You have to have players in your own system. You can’t get top-echelon players from other teams anymore because of the salary cap.”

Maloney is not shy about criticizing the short-term thinking that led to such busts as Claude Lemeiux, Brian Savage and Brett Hull. He said the Coyotes should have started over three or four years ago, “in all candor.”

He also noted how poorly Phoenix has drafted the past few years, saying, “You look around at the minor league teams and wonder, 'Where are all the players?’ ”

“Development is a key issue with our organization,” Maloney said. “You are not going to see us trying to fill in with one player even if we are in position come February or March to be in the hunt for something. We’re going to stay true and continue to look to add younger assets.”

It’s the right approach, but it’s also a tough sell. Coyotes fans have had to put up with lousy hockey teams for years. Now the organization is asking them to be patient for a couple more seasons while the kids grow up.

“At least they can see some future here,” Maloney said. “But when you have an older group that underperforms, where do you go?”

Nowhere.

Of course, there’s no way of knowing where these Coyotes are going, either. If Mueller, Hanzal and top draft picks like Kyle Turris are busts, the franchise will remain an afterthought.

But at least there’s a solid, well-thought-out plan in place.

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Listen to Scott Bordow every Monday at 3:25 p.m. on The Fan AM 1060 with Bob Kemp.