One down, six to go.
The Arizona Coyotes and restricted free agent Tobias Rieder have agreed on a two-year, $4.45MM contract, according to Elliotte Friedman. The contract will pay Rieder $2MM this season and $2.45MM in 2017-18.
Rieder scored 14 goals and 37 points in 82 games last season. He’s developed nicely for a fourth round pick, growing into a dependable two-way top-nine forward with upside.
We reported earlier today that Friedman believed Rieder was close to publicly asking for a trade after several months of tough negotiations. Rieder’s agent had also recently stated he believed a trade would be in both sides’s best interest.
The Coyotes acquired Rieder from the Edmonton Oilers back in 2013 for fellow 2011-fourth round pick Kale Kessy. The Oilers did not qualify Kessy this summer; he’ll suit up for the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers this season.
There are now six high-profile RFAs remaining on the market: Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell in Anaheim, Rasmus Ristolainen in Buffalo, Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary, Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay, and Jacob Trouba in Winnipeg.
I’m so stoned