The Arizona Coyotes have announced a one-year, two-way contract extension for pending restricted free agent Ryan McGregor. The financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
The former captain and star forward for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, McGregor was a sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2017 draft. He didn’t earn an entry-level deal with Toronto, but did manage to get an ATO with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. After his final OHL campaign in 2019-20 McGregor signed an entry-level contract with the Coyotes.
McGregor, now 24 years old, scored 18 point in 34 games in his first pro season with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. After he missed most of the 2021-22 campaign due to injuries, McGregor managed to get into Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin’s lineup 59 times, scoring 18 points.
He set a career-high of 12 goals in that span, and while he remains a long way from NHL viability this extension gives McGregor another year to develop his game in the AHL. He’ll now have an extra year to distance himself from his past injury issues and hope to make a sustained push for a greater role in the Roadrunners’ lineup.