Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

The disappointment of losing is clingy and contagious.

It burrows itself somewhere hidden so it can't be washed down the drain with a postgame shower or thrown out the window on a car ride home. It festers, and because it affects the mind and the heart simultaneously, it causes eyes to dim and smiles to contort and shoulders to droop.

And once that happens, it latches on to someone else.

"I didn't realize until after my kids left how much my emotions ruled the house up and down," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Both wrote essays in college how much the emotion of winning and losing affected our household, playing and coaching, and when you lost a game, they just hoped you played again soon so we could get out of this mood."

Clearly, after a showing that saw the Coyotes miss out on the playoffs for a second consecutive year, the vibe in Tippett's household has dissolved into silence and frowns more often than he'd like, but next season could be different.

In the coming weeks, the Coyotes likely will execute the bulk of their roster decisions, shaping not only the expectations for 2014-15 but also the realistic results. The draft, which usually coincides with the first wave of trade activity, starts Friday, and free agency opens July 1.

And ownership already has handed General Manager Don Maloney a budget that is higher than the one he initially anticipated retooling the Coyotes with this summer — an obvious perk of having bosses in adjacent offices rather than in NHL headquarters.

"It's fair to say we will be right in the middle when it comes to where we have approved Don to go to in regards to payroll," President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc said.

Considering the salary cap is rising and the Coyotes already have a No.1 goalie, elite defenseman and depth at center, it's entirely possible this budget is enough to flip their fate next spring.

"Does my gut tell me we'll make some moves?" LeBlanc said. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised to see us make some moves."

The cap ceiling is expected to land near $70 million with the floor situated at approximately $52 million. The midpoint of that range is $61 million, so let's assume that is the Coyotes' spending limit.

The Coyotes already have 19 contracts topping out at roughly $51.4 million on the books for next season, according to capgeek.com, so that leaves them about $9.6 million for shopping.

Although the blue line, headlined by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, could use a little more grit, the Coyotes already have eight defensemen under contract. Veteran Derek Morris is expected to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Coyotes have a No.1 goalie in Mike Smith but need to find him a backup if they're unable to re-sign Thomas Greiss. They'd be best to limit their spending to $1million and could probably land the likes of Al Montoya or Chad Johnson — both former Coyotes.

Much of the budget likely will be absorbed by the forwards. Though the Coyotes have options up the middle, dynamic and depth wingers are needed.

The Coyotes could choose to part ways with free-agent forwards Dave Moss, Jeff Halpern and Paul Bissonnette, but re-signing Radim Vrbata would help. In his six seasons with the Coyotes, Vrbata has met or exceeded 20 goals all but twice. One of those seasons was only 48 games, and the other he scored 19 goals.

A raise from his previous $3 million salary is fair, but the Coyotes have leverage because Vrbata hasn't been able to match his production elsewhere. Perhaps $4 million seals the deal.

That leaves about $4.6 million to continue improving the offense.

Although this year's free-agent pool isn't stellar, there are a few intriguing names. Recently bought-out winger Brad Richards played for Tippett in Dallas, and winger Marian Gaborik has thrived under systems similar to the Coyotes'. But after both helped their respective teams to the Stanley Cup final, they'll probably be too costly for the Coyotes.

The same can be said for winger Mike Cammalleri, who has strong playmaking and finishing abilities.

If the Coyotes wanted to spend all of their remaining money on one player, they might be able to acquire Ales Hemsky, Milan Michalek or Jussi Jokinen. Michalek and Jokinen have been steady scorers, although both could end up staying with their current teams, and Hemsky was a realistic target for the Coyotes at the trade deadline. He could still be a fit as a two-way winger with offensive upside.

But if the Coyotes want more bang for their buck, perhaps they take a look at Brenden Morrow and Daniel Winnik. Morrow isn't a long-term solution, but he could be a complement for center Mike Ribeiro as both played together previously in Dallas, and Winnik could add more defensive stability to the bottom six.

These two additions are more in line with the tweaking the Coyotes have hinted at as their offseason approach and both would come in under $4.6 million, leaving room for the Coyotes to absorb the contract of prized prospect Max Domi should he stick with the big club.

Actually, the promotion of Domi could end up being the most glaring change to the roster because the Coyotes don't have the financial capacity to acquire a superstar that elevates them to a Cup contender overnight. But they do have enough flexibility to improve. And that shouldn't be ignored.

"Essentially, we're putting our money where our mouth is," LeBlanc said, "to show that we agree with what needs to happen to make this a first-class organization."

NHL DRAFT

What: Seven rounds of the 52nd NHL draft.

When: Round 1 at 4 p.m. Friday. Rounds 2-7 at 7a.m. Saturday.

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia.

TV: NBC Sports Network for Round1; NHL Network for Rounds 2-7.