After 'candid' meeting, Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers is hitting his stride

Rick Tocchet isn’t the type of coach who pulls punches with his players, and Jason Demers isn’t the type of player who accepts mediocrity.

That’s what made a candid, person-to-person meeting between the Coyotes' first-year coach and the top-pair defenseman so effective. And since that talk, changes have been evident.

After the Coyotes suffered one of their more gut-wrenching losses of the season in a 3-2 defeat to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 19 at Gila River Arena, Tocchet — along with assistant coach and defensive specialist Scott Allen — sat down with Demers for an informal meeting.

“Around the Florida game, we just had a good talk,” Demers recalled. “I talked with him and (Scott), saw some video and (Rick) just kind of asked me what I thought of my game. It was a pretty candid conversation, and I enjoy that. I like being told straight up where I’m sitting and how I’m playing in their eyes.”

And although there were positive takeaways from that meeting, the subject matter wasn't all fun.

“We just talked, and for me it wasn’t even a coach-to-player thing,” Tocchet said. “Just two guys talking and I felt like I really count on him for leadership. The way he was playing, I just thought he was very average. I told him that, and he agreed with me.”

Demers’ role with the Coyotes is one that comes with a heavy burden. Playing on the top defense pair with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Demers is among the team leaders in ice time and is staked with significant responsibility.

At 29 years old, Demers is the second-oldest player on the team and is expected by his coaches to be a leader. That’s exactly what Tocchet has seen out of him since the meeting.

“I love when a player acknowledges not playing well because then you can roll up your sleeves and come up with a solution,” Tocchet said. “For me, he’s been one of our better — maybe our best — defensemen over the last 10 games. He’s been very vocal on the bench, and I really like the way he’s trying to lead this team. I think it’s all gone up a notch.”

For Tocchet, who served as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008-10, honesty is the best policy with his players. Even though some players might not want to hear it, Tocchet wants them to know it.

“I think players respect when you’re honest,” Tocchet said. “They might not want to hear it. … When I played the game, I didn’t want to hear some things that a coach told me. But when you leave the rink, the one thing you can say is the guy was honest. You might not always agree, and you can agree to disagree, but the fact of the matter is the acceptance of getting your game back together … I think at the end of the day, players respect you more for those conversations.”

Demers said that a young team like the Coyotes can especially benefit from Tocchet’s “open-door policy,” but it’s also a helpful tool for veterans such as himself to understand their role.

For Demers, who is playing in his ninth NHL season, he has never been an offensive blue-liner but rather a stay-at-home defenseman. Now 46 games into his first season with the Coyotes, he feels like he’s finding a sweet spot with his new club.

“Just moving my feet and making the play at hand instead of looking for the extra play,” Demers said of his recent adjustments. “Just playing hard and every shift playing consistently hard. Not having those lulls, even game-to-game and shift-to-shift. I’ve been trying to stay consistent with my game defensively and let the offense come.”

According to Demers, he has the candidness of Tocchet to thank for his recent strides.

“Sometimes it’s good to see it from a different perspective,” Demers said. “I thought it was good, and I thought I needed to work on some things. They were very helpful, and since then, it’s kind of put me in the right direction. But it’s just on me to keep it going.”

Domingue fires back

Former Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue did not hold back when discussing his tumultuous start to the season in Arizona.

Domingue, who is currently serving as a backup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, appeared on a local podcast and opened up about his issues with the Coyotes this season before being traded on Nov. 14.

Despite being reportedly offered a spot with an ECHL club while the team searched for a trading partner, Domingue claims he was "left without ice or a gym or any support from the team."

After acquiring goaltender Scott Wedgewood from the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 28, the Coyotes had no place for Domingue with the big club or with their AHL affiliate in Tucson, where three of the organization's young goaltending prospects — Hunter Miska, Marek Langhamer and Adin Hill — currently reside.

Left with no other option, the Coyotes reportedly offered to send Domingue to the ECHL while they facilitated a trade — an offer Domingue evidently refused.

Domingue took to Twitter in an attempt to defend his course of action against Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports, likening an ECHL assignment to a professional journalist taking a job with a high school newspaper.

Domingue spent parts of four seasons with the Coyotes and compiled a 27-41-7 record to go along with a 3.00 goals allowed average.

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Thursday’s game

Coyotes at Predators

When: 6 p.m.

Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Arizona/KMVP-FM (98.7).

Outlook: The Coyotes (10-28-8) will embark on a brief two-game road trip that begins with a matchup against the Nashville Predators (26-11-6) on Thursday in Nashville … The Predators are in the middle of a five-game homestand and have won their last three contests … Nashville’s last defeat came at the hands of the Coyotes on Jan. 4, a game that ended in a 3-2 overtime victory at Gila River Arena … The Predators are led in scoring by defenseman P.K. Subban (33 points) and Roman Josi (25 points), as well as forwards Kyle Turris (28 points) and Ryan Johansen (26 points) … Starting goaltender Pekka Rinne (21-8-3, 2.43 GAA) is expected to be between the pipes on Thursday against the Coyotes, who faced backup Juuse Saros in the team’s lone previous meeting this season.