Pacific

KEY LOSSES D Paul Mara, LW Geoff Sanderson

To survive in the Western Conference, says Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky, "You can't stand still." Hoping to avoid Phoenix's third straight last-place finish, Gretzky and G.M. Mike Barnett set out to improve the defense and to add a physical presence up front. For the blue line, they signed All-Star Ed Jovanovski and traded for versatile Nick Boynton; they gained muscle in 6'3", 243-pound Georges Laraque. "Some nights we just couldn't match up against the bigger teams," says Gretzky. Laraque may help solve that problem, but the Coyotes have too many others--a shortage of scorers, a poor power play--to finish anywhere near the top of the Pacific.