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For the next few posts I will be going over some of the big name free agents the Coyotes may be losing this off-season. The first we will look at is Ed Jovanovski.
Jovanovski, 34, has played for the Coyotes for 5 years. Before his time in Phoenix, Jovanovski played 7 seasons in Vancouver and 4 seasons in Florida. Since his career began in 1995, Jovanovski has accumulated 133 career goals and 348 career assists. He also has 1421 career penalty minutes. Jovanovski has been a force on the power play as he scored 56 career power play goals and accumulated 145 career power play assists.
This past season, Jovanovski battled the injury bug as he only played 50 games in the regular season. He had 5 goals and 9 assists on the year and was a plus 4. He only had 1 assist in the playoffs and no goals.
Jovanoski made $6.5 million last season and is slated as the best free agent defense man on the market this off-season. His leadership and solid stats have caught the eye of many teams. The problem is Jovanovski’s age. He is 34 and has played in the league for over a decade. This experience is key to winning a Stanley Cup, but he certainly doesn’t have the fresh legs he once had.
I would expect the Coyotes to let Jovanovski go, mainly because of the late season acquisitions of Michal Rozsival and Rostislav Klesla. These two veteran defense man along with the upcoming Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be a fine defensive corps for the future. The Coyotes also have many other free agents that would be a better option for them to resign.
Original Story:
http://www.yotesnotes.com/20110502-ph...
