Co-owner LeBlanc outlines '2-3 year reset' for Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes President, CEO, and Co-Owner Anthony LeBlanc was on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central @ Noon on Thursday afternoon.

On the Coyotes having been busy at the trade deadline:

“Yeah, I mean look – the year that we’ve had, we didn’t expect to be where we are at this point in the season. But what it does is it forces you to look in the mirror. We were talking with Don Maloney and he said to us, ‘This is probably something we should have done a couple of years ago and we just didn’t have the opportunity to do.’

“So we had members of the ownership group that were part of the war room process over the weekend. I was there on Monday. I think Don did a great job and brought back some significant prospects, some great picks over the next two years. And that builds around when I was with you guys last time, talking about some of the great prospects that are in the system. Not to mention guys like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mikkel Boedker, Marty Hanzal.

“We’re pretty excited about where this franchise is going.”

On if the fans will put up with another 3-4 years of not winning:

“I think the point is we don’t think it’s going to take 3-4 years. You’re right, the typical – if it’s a typical rebuild, that’s the process. We do think - and I was with coach Tippett last night and we talked about it – he thinks that this team next year will be significantly better than it is this year. Are we going to win a Cup next year? Well, I mean we certainly hope to. But we do think that this is a 2-3 year reset where we will have a real possibility and a real championship team.”

On if they can take a little bit of cash and spend it July 1:

“Well, it’s a great point. If you saw what we did at trade deadline, we actually spent a little bit of cash, in Don’s words, to essentially buy a great prospect in Anthony Duclair by taking on some of Keith’s salary moving forward. So I think that’s an indication. But yes, the answer is yes, we are definitely working together as an ownership group to do the right things to – we know we’ve got great prospects, but we’ve got some holes we need to fill and that will come through trades and through free agent signings as we come into July.”

On how much he’s allowed to talk as an owner in the war room:

“Monday we had already moved Antoine and Keith, so I learned long ago to sit in the corner and shut up.

“But I do know on Sunday we had two of our guys – Gary Drummond and Craig Stewart were in the room – and I’ve been told by both Dave Tippett and Don Maloney it was really quite helpful. Because as I just indicated, with the Yandle trade it required us to take some money back and they were they to give the immediate ‘Yes. Go for it. If this is the right move, do it.’

“So that was, I think, probably the only time those guys talked.”

Source: Sportsnet/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey