Dumb and Dumber

Rusty Klesla

Coyotes GM Maloney trades team's leading goal scorer for banged up DMan.

Coyotes GM Don Maloney just couldn't help himself. In a very peculiar move, Maloney orchestrates a trade exchanging former first round picks, sending Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto to Columbus for the perennially injured Rusty Klesla and minor league nobody, Dane Byers. The big question in all of this is, how does this deal make the Coyotes - currently 4th in the West and very much alive for a top 3 seed - a better team for the stretch run and into the playoffs...you know, like uh, for now?? Simple answer? It doesn't. It hurts the Coyotes on several levels, actually. The Coyotes lose a player tied for the team lead in goal scoring without a having young prospect or player on the roster (or in San Antonio) who can likely fill his role. Both Upshall and Lepisto are on expiring deals, and Klesla is locked up for a few more seasons at 2.9. Theoretically, having Klesla beyond this season will give the Yotes a stay at home presence on their blueline they are short on. But most importantly, and certainly not to be lost in all this is, the fact that Upshall and Lepisto will come in and contribute immediately for Columbus while Klesla will watch from the pressbox (as he is currently dinged) and Byers will report to San Antonio. So in another words...subtraction by subtraction for your team that is in the hunt for a top seed in the Western Conference playoff race?? Nice move, Maloney. We are beginning to see just how much of Glen Sather's protege you really are.

Ancillary affect? Trade away one of the most wildly popular players with the fans in the midst of your franchise trying to rebuild it's image and woo back fans during an ownership change. Replace said fan favorite with a non descript Czech DMan who has been in the league for 10 years that no one in the desert has ever heard of because he's always hurt and played only full season healthy in his entire career. Again, brilliant.

The Wolski for Roszival deal was a strange one, but this one....this one is even worse...Dumb and Dumber, Maloney.