Good Bye Olli

Olli Jokinen and a 3rd Round Pick for Lombardi, Prust, and a 1st Round Pick

I had mixed feelings on this trade because of what the Coyotes had to give up for Jokinen. It would have been nice to see Jokinen ride it out for a year or two and become the star center they need. But I think the Coyotes did a good job of picking up some necessity in the trade while preparing for the future. The first round pick speaks for itself, but Prust and Lombardi bring different dimensions to the team. One common talent of the two is that they can win faceoffs better than anyone the Coyotes have right now. Obviously this will help late in games for a young, easy to break team.
Matthew Lombardi is the most developed piece coming back to the Coyotes in this trade. Lombardi is a player built on extreme speed. This is a common factor in most of the players that the Coyotes received on deadline day, but Lombardi has the best of the bunch. In Calgary, Lombardi has started to develop some playmaking skills. He started to rack up some pretty good assist totals. This is the player that will benefit greatly from Gretzky’s run and gun system to the fullest. In Calgary he was held back a bit, with the Coyotes he can emerge as a top line center. I see a lot of breakaway goals from Lombardi, and 50 plus assist years. I think that the obvious pairing is with Shane Doan because they have a bit of a history together. I think it will take a bit to get on the same page with each other, but could be dangerous next year.
Prust is going to be a spare for the rest of this season, but in the future he can be very usable. I see Prust for the near future playing a similar role to Mike Rupp with the New Jersey Devils. Prust will be called upon to play some 4th line minutes and to use his size to the fullest. The Coyotes lack some size, but with Prust in the lineup he could provide a consistent shift of help on the boards. Prust will play minutes with the 4th line players depending on the game. Knowing the way Gretzky changes lines, Prust may not want to get familiar with any two specific wingers.

Bottom Line: This trade was one that seemed to be necessary for the Coyotes budget. It makes sense for now and the future, but still hurts to see your first line center leave. But Lombardi will turn into a very solid second line center for the future. He will be on the top penalty kill and chip in on the power play. Prust will be a nice change of pace player to throw in the lineup here and there. These two players will provide excellent depth for the future, and hopefully pick up a top line center to make these two players that much more worth it.