Radim Vrbata Returns to the Desert with Something to Prove

Today the Phoenix Coyotes acquired a forward that many Coyotes fans will remember, Radim Vrbata. Vrabata was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning for veteran defenseman David Hale and fourth line winger Todd Fedoruk.

When Vrbata left the Coyotes a season ago he was coming off a tremendous year in which he reached career highs in goals (27), assists (29) and points (56), but this July the story is completely different.

Vrbata is now fighting to make a return to the NHL, a chance that the Tampa Bay Lightning were unwilling to give him. The Lightning determined that Vrbata just didn't fit into their future plans and had been shopping him since the end of the season.

The Phoenix Coyotes were the ones to step up and offer him that second chance, their reasoning being that he had his best season under Wayne Greztky and hopefully he can do it again.

And why not?

Radim Vrbata now has something to prove. He wants to show the Lightning and the NHL that he can still contribute in this league.

For the Coyotes it is a low risk move; they bring in a player that has proven he can contribute in their system and they ship out two players that were not likely to be major contributors in the coming season.

David Hale figured to be in the role of the seventh defenseman and Todd Fedoruk looked to be someone that might not have started with the NHL club, more likely the San Antonio Rampage.

The only problem that I can see with this move is that the Coyotes already have a ton of right wings and all are players that figure into the Coyotes future including Peter Mueller, Mikkel Boedker, and Viktor Tikhonov.

Now the Coyotes management may believe that Boedker and/or Tikhonov need some seasoning in the AHL to refine their game. If that is the case, and I would imagine it would be, then this move makes complete sense as they add a good depth scorer who can play in the Coyotes top six.

Vrbata is over paid at $3 million a season but the Coyotes have the cap room to cushion his salary and still have plenty of money.

I'm not going to say that Vrbata is going to come back to the NHL and score 56 points like he did in the 2007-2008 season for Phoenix but if he can contribute 40+ points then this deal is a major win for the Coyotes.

I wish all the best to Vrbata and hope that he can resurrect his NHL career and if he cannot, well all the best overseas because Radim, this is likely you last chance.