Music: {allcanada} Vrbata returns to desert as Canucks play Coyotes

ESPN Fantasy Baseball / Yahoo Fantasy Baseball

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Thursday is Throwback Night at Gila River Arena, with the Arizona Coyotes wearing their old kachina-style black jerseys and stars from the past returning to Arizona for a pregame ceremony.

But there will be more recent memories served when the Coyotes face the Vancouver Canucks. The game also marks the return of forward Radim Vrbata, who scored 137 goals in two stints with the Coyotes, but left as a free agent for Vancouver this past summer.

A key cog in the Coyotes' run to the Western Conference Final in 2012, Vrbata has shared a line with twins Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin much of the season and has thrived with 22 goals and 45 points in 60 games.

His numbers come as no surprise to Arizona coach Dave Tippett, who was a big supporter of Vrbata, not only as a scorer but as a responsible two-way player during his time with the Coyotes.

"He's a true pro, highly skilled, highly intelligent. He's fit in well with that team," Tippett said. "You knew he would have success, especially playing a lot on the power play with the Sedins. They have helped him but [Vrbata] has certainly done his part to make that group stronger."

Forward Brandon McMillan, who played 50 games with the Coyotes this season before being claimed on waivers by Vancouver, also makes his return Thursday.

The current Coyotes have lost 10 in a row overall, tying a franchise record, and a franchise-record nine in a row (0-8-1) on home ice. The team has undergone a complete overhaul during the season. When the Coyotes blanked Vancouver 5-0 on Nov. 14, for example, forward Martin Hanzal had a natural hat trick, defenseman Keith Yandle had a goal and two assists and goalie Devan Dubnyk had a 35-save shutout.

Hanzal is out for the season after back surgery. Yandle and Dubnyk were each traded.

The Coyotes will honor past heroes like Jeremy Roenick, Nikolai Khabibulin, Keith Carney and Greg Adams before the game. But the direction of the team is now focused on the future, with an armload of young prospects and draft picks acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline in hopes of rebuilding the franchise.

One of the new Coyotes had an impressive debut in the 4-1 loss against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Antoine Vermette trade, collected a point with an assist on Tobias Rieder's goal and showed skill and physical play that impressed Tippett.

"He's an interesting guy," Tippett said. "He's played a few (NHL) games before and he's played big minutes in the minors. He's a big, heavy guy, skates pretty well and moves the puck pretty well and a great attitude. He jumps into those battles with a smile on his face. That means you're liking it, and that's not bad."

Here are the projected lineups:

CANUCKS

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Zack Kassian

Derek Dorsett - Nick Bonino - Radim Vrbata

Chris Higgins - Shawn Matthias - Alexandre Burrows

Ronalds Kenins - Bo Horvat - Jannik Hansen

Dan Hamhuis - Luca Sbisa

Alexander Edler – Frank Corrado

Ryan Stanton - Adam Clendening

Eddie Lack

Jacob Markstrom

Scratched: Brandon McMillan, Linden Vey, Yannick Weber

Injured: Ryan Miller (knee), (upper body), Christopher Tanev (head), Kevin Bieksa (broken hand), Brad Richardson (ankle)

COYOTES

Martin Erat – Kyle Chipchura – Shane Doan

Tobias Rieder – Mark Arcobello – Sam Gagner

Lauri Korpikoski -- Craig Cunningham – David Moss

Tye McGinn – Joe Vitale – B.J. Crombeen

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Michael Stone

John Moore – Connor Murphy

Klas Dahlbeck – Andrew Campbell

Mike Smith

Louis Domingue

Scratched: Brandon Gormley

Injured: Mikkel Boedker (upper body), Martin Hanzal (upper body)

Status update: After Corrado returned Tuesday, Edler is back to help bolster the injury-riddled Vancouver defense. … Lack will start in goal for Vancouver. … The Coyotes will stick with the same lineup from Tuesday, with all four new faces in the same spots.

Who's hot: Henrik Sedin has an eight-game scoring streak (six goals, 13 points). … Daniel Sedin has points in seven of his past eight games (one goal, 10 points). … Vrbata has five points in his past five games (one goal). … Hansen has points in four of his past five (two goals). … Arcobello has six points (five goals) in his first nine games as a Coyote. … Gagner has three assists in two games against Vancouver this season.

CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball / RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit