Arizona Coyotes forward John Scott is still the NHL’s leading vote-getter for the NHL All-Star Game with just two weeks to go before voting closes. The noted enforcer has appeared in just nine games this season with Arizona and has actually been waived twice by the team. Well, make it three times, because the Coyotes placed the 6-foot-8 behemoth on waivers again Friday.
Scott has just one assist and 23 penalty minutes so far this season, but has drawn the adoration of a certain group of fans hell-bent on getting him into the NHL All-Star Game in Nashville this year. We took a look at the early stages of this movement and the other times fans used their votes on more unique candidates before when it first got going. But now Scott's inclusion is really close to actually happening.
As Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski noted Friday, the league has not been updating vote totals like they have in years previous. It’s curious, but also possibly indicative of the league’s not really wanting to promote that it is getting punked by "The Internet."
If Scott wins the NHL fan vote, he would captain Team Pacific in the four-team, 3-on-3 tournament the NHL has set up for the All-Star Game this year. However, if Scott isn’t in the NHL, that is if he clears waivers and the Coyotes send him to the AHL, how could he possibly participate in the event?
Before we start with the theories of a league-led conspiracy against Scott, let's look at the facts.
The Coyotes’ move comes on the heels of a 7-5 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night. The game was beyond ugly. Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett actually said it was “disgusting.”
Scott played just 6:20 in that game and managed to get into a scrap with Blue Jackets tough guy Jared Boll. He was also a minus-1 on the night.
The truth is, as much as fans would love to see Scott in the All-Star Game, it’s getting harder and harder to justify his being on an NHL roster at all. He is beloved by teammates and is by all accounts a sharp, affable guy off the ice. He also recently noted that his job is to be there to support teammates and help be an extra set of eyes to see how guys are doing and see if he can offer advice. Additionally, Scott has been an incredibly great sport about the fan vote thing, when he’s part of the joke because of who he is and how he plays.
When it comes to the on-ice component, though, it’s not exactly like Scott is going to be able to help the team in a meaningful way unless someone is willing to drop the mitts with him, and even then it’s debatable at best.
As noted, this is the third time Scott has been waived by the club since joining them over the summer. They didn’t send him down to their minor league affiliate in the AHL after he cleared waivers the two previous times. Maybe they’ll leave him up with the NHL roster this time, too. They don’t have to immediately send him down if he clears.
However, the NHL may have a way out of its potentially embarrassing “Enforcer as All-Star Captain” situation if the Coyotes ship Scott to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he could join the team’s AHL affiliate. But then there’s always the chance Scott gets claimed by a team in another division and suddenly becomes the All-Star Game captain for that division’s team. Now wouldn’t that be a twist?
