Wolski Returning to Coyotes
It took Wojtek Wolski only 25 games with the Phoenix Coyotes to prove his worth. On Monday, Coyotes general manager Don Maloney announced that the Polish Canadian left winger had been re-signed to a two-year contract with the team.
Maloney seemed very satisfied about the contract and told reporters: "We are very excited to sign Wojtek to a new contract. He is a talented offensive player who performed extremely well for us last season down the stretch and led our team in goals during the playoffs. He will be a key contributor for the Coyotes going forward as he enters the prime of his career."
Maloney’s assessment of Wolski is based on his consistent improvement throughout his time with the Colorado Avalanche and the career season he had last year. Last season, in 62 games with the Colorado Avalanche and 18 games with the Coyotes, the 24-year-old established career highs in several crucial categories. Wolski’s achievements include: 23 goals, 42 assists, 65 points, 80 games played, and a plus/minus of +21.
These marks are a steady gain from his 2008-09 tally of 14-28-42 in 78 games, and Phoenix hopes that Wolksi continues to improve as a Coyote. This faith in Wolski’s improvement is based on his consistent play throughout his career. In 2007-08, Wolski put up a similar 18-30-48. This was good enough to make him the third best Avalanche in assists, fourth best in points, and fifth best in goals.
Wolski has actually been this dependable since his National Hockey League debut in the 2006-07 season. In his first full season in the NHL, Wolski had 22 goals, 28 assists, and a total of 50 points. That year, fellow draftee Paul Stastny had a whopping 78 points. This made the Avalanche rookies only the third first-year duo to both manage 50 points since the 1993-94 season.
The Coyotes acquired Wolski 62 games into last season from the Avalanche. At the time of the trade, the six-foot-three, 210-pounder had 17 goals and 30 assists for a total of 47 points. After the trade, Wolski tallied up another 18 points in 18 games, on six goals and 12 assists. The Coyotes’ regular season points leader also featured in all seven play-off games Phoenix played, and led the team with four goals.
In exchange for Wolski, the Coyotes gave the Avalanche forwards Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. Overall, this is a rare example of a trade that worked out for almost all parties involved. Although he was producing numbers, Wolski had struggled to fit in with Colorado’s coaching system, and is now thriving in Phoenix. Mueller and Porter were both under-performing for the Coyotes.
Since the trade, Mueller has erupted, and in his 15 games for the Avalanche has scored nine goals and had 11 assists. Mueller actually had only 17 points in 54 games for the Coyotes prior to the trade.
Porter has continued to have troubles adjusting to the rigours of the NHL. The Hobey Baker Award winner kept up his tepid pace and achieved three points in 16 games for the Avalanche. His career totals are now 13 points in 54 NHL games.
Porter will not be an important measure in this deal, and the true success of it will be gauged on Mueller’s and Wolski’s numbers this season. Mueller will seek to maintain his late-season surge and to reach the 50-point mark. He has not been able to do this since an impressive 54-point rookie year. Wolski has established himself as a talented player and if he maintains his previous season’s output, expect to see him getting a huge offer after his contract expires.
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