Rick Tocchet isn’t the type of coach who pulls punches with his players, and Jason Demers isn’t the type of player who accepts mediocrity.
That’s what made a candid, person-to-person meeting between the Coyotes' first-year coach and the top-pair defenseman so effective. And since that talk, changes have been evident.
After the Coyotes suffered one of their more gut-wrenching losses of the season in a 3-2 defeat to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 19 at Gila River Arena, Tocchet — along with assistant coach and defensive specialist Scott Allen — sat down with Demers for an informal meeting.