On November 26 the Associated Press reported the Phoenix Coyotes had assigned winger Petr Prucha to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio.

As per AP:

"Prucha has been in and out of the lineup this season, notching one assist in 11 games with Phoenix. The Czech forward was a regular with the Coyotes last season, finishing with 13 goals and nine assists in 79 games."

One has to wonder if this might spell the end of Prucha's NHL career, which began with such promise with the New York Rangers in 2005-06, when he scored 30 goals and 47 points in 68 games.

Prucha followed up with 22 goals and 40 points in 79 games in 2006-07 but since then his offensive productions has been in decline. A trade to Phoenix at the 2009 NHL trade deadline appeared to spark some improvement as he had 10 points in 19 games with the Coyotes, but he managed only 22 points in 79 games last season.

During Prucha's days with the Rangers it was suggested he was never the same after suffering a knee injury late in his rookie season, even though he was only sidelined for 8 games. Others suggest he benefited from playing with Jaromir Jagr during his rookie year.

Whatever the reason Prucha is no longer a serious scoring threat. He's currently in the final season of a contract paying him $1.25 million per season, and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Odds are he'll probably be playing in Europe next season.

**UPDATE** Coyotes GM Don Maloney told the Arizona Republic the move was made so Prucha could get more playing time.