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GLENDALE, Ariz. - The lingering morose that has settled upon the Arizona Coyotes is as plain to see as the worry lines on Dave Tippett's face.
"It's not an easy situation for anybody," the Coyotes coach said Wednesday after working his players through a tirelessly long practice session at Gila River Arena.
A season that long ago had already slipped away has turned into a predictably unpredictable situation as to whether certain players plan on showing up and giving their best efforts. It's a common concern when a team knows it's out of the playoff race, key players are on the trading block and the roster is unsettled with too much inexperience and not enough depth.
But what really bothers Tippett is that although the Coyotes can expect a flat performance from time to time because they have so many young players, it wasn't necessarily the young players who let them down in Monday's ugly 5-2 loss at the Colorado Avalanche.
"The young guys the other night I would say were less of the issue," said Tippett, whose team is off until Saturday when it hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning. "The bigger issue the other night was our veteran guys that don't like being in this circumstance. There's no other way to put it. It's a tough circumstance to be in."
Not only were the Coyotes playing their third game in five nights, but they've been so worn down mentally that their minds followed their weary bodies and they produced like a team that not only has lost four straight, but has lost all faith.
"You could tell in the dressing room. I mentioned it the other night," Tippett said. "They were quiet. I was really concerned about our group. I talked to some of the veterans and tried to get things moving in the right direction and our group was flat. But the young players, they get thrown into that mix. (Jordan) Martinook is a great example. He's going out there and he's just trying to survive every day in the league. You go to the other side and you look at a guy like (Antoine) Vermette, who knows the situation he's in — everybody knows the situation he's in — he's sitting there, he's got a family at home and he's got to be wondering what his future holds. There's a lot on his mind."
Vermette could be dealt for an injection of even more youth. Defenseman Zbynek Michalek's name has also been on the trading table. The tensions have been impossible to ignore and Tippett made it clear he's had to do a lot of talking to a lot players lately.
"You keep pounding away and you talk about pride and keeping our identity as an organization and doing things right," he said.
But it's impossible for the message to sink in if the veteran players aren't fully buying in and helping to spread Tippett's gospel.
"That's a big part of it," the coach said. "If our veteran players don't play like good NHL players, it exploits the young players who a lot of times are trying and a lot of times wouldn't be in the league if it weren't for this situation. (The system) relies on everybody. When we're winning, we rely on everybody. Our situation is different now, but we still need to rely on everybody. Sometimes that doesn't happen, and you get games like the other night."
So what do the players intend to do about it with a month and a half of the season still left to go?
Captain Shane Doan said if it's not obvious by now, it might be too late for some of them. He appealed to their pride.
"You see and recognize the situation and we've talked about it over and over and I think I'm probably more aware of it than most of the other guys," Doan said. "You only get so many games in your career to play in the NHL and every day you get to do it is an unbelievable privilege. And when it's gone, it's gone and you don't want to feel like you wasted any of it.
"So you better make sure you bring your best game because it's what you're going to be measured by. For some guys, this is for your (future). For other guys, it's for contracts, for pride. Pride has got to be as big as anything. … But if you can't understand the privilege you've been blessed with and given, then you don't deserve to be here anyway so it won't last very long and you'll be out."
There have been plenty of games during Doan's career where he knew he didn't bring his best, but when he wasn't on his game, he said he always at least tried to make a difference somehow. Maybe it was delivering a big hit. Or diving to block a shot. Or drawing a penalty.
Anything is better than nothing.
"I think everyone knows when you don't (play your best) and that's got to be something that kind of weighs on you," he said. "You've got to be able to want to answer back. I think to have a game like the other night, I'm pretty sure there's 19 guys that are feeling like they need to own up and own that.
"The only guy that might not be is Smitty (goalie Mike Smith) because he didn't get a chance to play. But everybody else better be able to own that and be better."
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