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Coyotes Rumors

Arizona Coyotes Reportedly Open To Trading Karel Vejmelka

January 15, 2023 at 2:26 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 10 Comments

The Arizona Coyotes haven’t been a good team this year, and they’re currently sitting close to the basement of the NHL standings. That poor performance has come despite the best efforts of netminder Karel Vejmelka, though, who has greatly impressed this season.

While Vejmelka’s box score numbers don’t jump off the page, (he has a .902 save percentage, 3.38 goals-against-average, and 11-15-4 record) looking a bit deeper into how the Czech goalie has performed reveals just how well he’s played in Arizona.

MoneyPuck’s goals saved above expected metric, which tracks how well a goalie has performed relative to how an average goalie would be expected to perform, ranks Vejmelka ninth in the entire NHL. He’s nipping at the heels of some of the NHL’s best netminders such as Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy in that metric, which speaks volumes to the level he’s played at this year.

Vejmelka has frequently kept the Coyotes afloat in games despite being at a major talent disadvantage, and has stolen games that the team, on paper, had no right winning.

He’s still just 26 years old, and costs just $2.725MM against the cap for the next two seasons. While his track record is admittedly thin (he is untested in the playoffs and has just 83 NHL games on his resume) his play this year has left quite the impression.

Given all that information, recent reporting from Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek might come as a surprise. On last night’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Marek reported that the Coyotes “would part with” Vejmelka “if the deal is right.”

Since Vejmelka has been so valuable for the Coyotes this year, the fact that the team would consider dealing him seems, on paper, to be a highly questionable decision.

But the unique state of the Coyotes adds some justification to the team’s thinking. Arizona is pursuing a long-term rebuilding plan, and the organization’s main goal has been building a stockpile of young players and prospects in order to fuel sustainable contention in the long-term.

The Coyotes may believe that Vejmelka may hold more value to their long-term plan for contention as a means of deepening that stockpile of picks and prospects, rather than as the goalie in their crease. If the team can net a player they believe can be a future top-six forward or top-four defenseman in exchange for Vejmelka, it’s easy to understand that rationale.

But even if one understands why the team might choose to cash in on Vejmelka, the prospect of trading such a talented starting netminder remains a difficult sell.

The Coyotes’ season has been all about player development, with the organization selling its fanbase on the idea that even though wins will be hard to come by, fans will be able to enjoy watching the development of players who will become foundational pillars of the next contending Coyotes team.

So if the Coyotes were to trade a player who is still relatively young and is among the best talents they have, that would come as quite the blow and would fly against the message of their season. The Coyotes seemingly found a potential core piece out of nowhere, signing Vejmelka as a relatively unheralded goalie out of the Czech league only for him to turn into an NHL starter. If they traded that goalie before he even reached 100 NHL games played, it would beg the question of what the Coyotes are even trying to accomplish as a franchise.

But still, the rationale of selling high on a player who still has a relatively thin NHL resume is certainly reasonable. So it’s undoubtedly a difficult situation and one where it’s easy to hear the arguments for each side. In the end, though, this report from Marek indicates that despite the development of players such as Clayton Keller into legitimate NHL stars, the Coyotes are still very much in the dog days of their rebuilding plan.

Arizona Coyotes| Karel Vejmelka| Trade Rumors

10 comments

Clayton Keller Fined $5,000

January 13, 2023 at 12:14 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

  • Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller has been fined $5,000 for a cross-check in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The incident resulted in a five-minute major and game misconduct for Keller, who hit Erik Brannstrom in the throat area after a battle in front of the net. Fortunately for the Coyotes, he will not face a suspension in this case.

Arizona Coyotes| Bill Guerin| Clayton Keller| Dmitri Samorukov| Elliotte Friedman| Matt Dumba| Minnesota Wild| Snapshots| St. Louis Blues

3 comments

Seattle Thunderbirds To Acquire Dylan Guenther’s WHL Rights

January 10, 2023 at 5:25 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

A second major Canadian Hockey League trade involving a top-flight prospect with NHL experience is coming this week. Per Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds have a deal to acquire the rights to Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther from the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Seattle will send a draft pick plus a prospect for Guenther’s rights, which will shift to a first-round selection and other draft picks if Arizona returns Guenther to the WHL.

Most recently, Guenther stood out on Canada’s top junior team, scoring the golden goal in overtime to defeat Czechia in the 2023 World Junior Championships gold medal game. He finished the tournament with seven goals and three assists in 10 games.

Drafted ninth overall in 2021, Guenther has stuck in the NHL full-time this season, at least before the World Juniors started. He’s amassed a respectable 11 points in 22 games, and while he may not be in Calder consideration, it’s a strong showing for a 19-year-old without much support around him.

He’s returned to the Coyotes roster for now, but if he shows signs of faltering as the season goes on, the Coyotes can opt to return him to junior hockey if they feel continued NHL play is stunting his development. In that case, the Thunderbirds, already one of the best teams in the WHL, would receive one of the absolute best scorers in junior hockey.

Guenther was on pace for a 100-point campaign in the WHL last season, amassing 91 points in 56 games with the Oil Kings. In his draft year, he managed 24 points in just 12 games during a COVID-shortened stint.

Seattle already boasts a trio of top-end NHL-affiliated blueliners with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Kevin Korchinski and Nolan Allen, in addition to Nashville’s Luke Prokop, in the fold. They’re led in scoring by a pair of 20-year-olds in Montreal’s Jared Davidson and Calgary’s Lucas Ciona, who both have 50 points in less than 35 games.

Arizona Coyotes| Dylan Guenther| Transactions| WHL

3 comments

Arizona Coyotes Return Ivan Prosvetov To AHL

January 9, 2023 at 2:10 pm CDT | by John Gilroy Leave a Comment

Jan 9: Prosvetov has been returned to the minor leagues, suggesting Ingram will be ready to return for tomorrow’s game.

Jan 8: The Arizona Coyotes announced this afternoon that goaltender Ivan Prosvetov has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners. No corresponding move has been made, however the team did add that fellow netminder Connor Ingram is out tonight due to an undisclosed illness. Prosvetov will likely be the backup tonight when the Coyotes host the Pittsburgh Penguins, PHNX Sports Craig Morgan tweeting Karel Vejmelka will get the start.

Prosvetov, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2018 and has spent time in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and OHL since being drafted. The Russian netminder made his NHL debut back in 2020-21, getting into three games and added another three NHL games last season. This year, Prosvetov has played the entire year with Tucson, getting into 19 games, recording an .899 save-percentage and 3.20 goals-against average.

Ingram, 25, has spent this season as the backup in Arizona after being claimed on waivers just prior to opening night. Once a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the goaltender bounced around between the AHL and ECHL, even appearing over in Sweden during the 2020-21 season before making his NHL debut last year as a member of the Nashville Predators. A fantastic 2021-22 in the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals seemed to earn Ingram a legitimate NHL look, however he has struggled to start this season with a 3.92 goals-against and .886 save-percentage through 11 games.

AHL| Arizona Coyotes| Connor Ingram| Ivan Prosvetov

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Dylan Guenther Will Play Sunday After Returning From WJC

January 8, 2023 at 1:27 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 1 Comment

  • After scoring the golden-goal for Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors, Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther immediately rejoined his team, flying back to Arizona on Friday, less than 24 hours after the biggest goal of his life to-date. Given the whirlwind few days for Guenther and having been away form his NHL team for a few weeks, many would understand if the winger didn’t play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, that won’t be the case says PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, who reports that Guenther will play at home Sunday. Guenther, 19, had been one of a few key difference-makers for Canada at this year’s tournament, and has been off to a nice start to his NHL career too, recording 11 points in 21 games prior to joining Team Canada.

Arizona Coyotes| Dylan Guenther| Filip Gustavsson| Minnesota Wild| NCAA| NHL| Patrik Allvin| Prospects| Vancouver Canucks

1 comment

Arizona Coyotes Re-Assign Michael Carcone To AHL

January 7, 2023 at 4:25 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

The Arizona Coyotes have announced that forward Michael Carcone has been re-assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

The move comes after Dylan Guenther was recalled back to the Coyotes roster, following the conclusion of the World Junior Championships. With Carcone sent down, the Coyotes now have an open spot on their roster in advance of tomorrow’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The move is one of major significance for the Roadrunners, as they get the AHL’s leading scorer back on their roster. The Coyotes called Carcone up to their active roster on December 27th, and he got into a total of six games for the team. In that six-game stretch, Carcone played over 13 minutes per game and managed to pot two goals.

The 26-year-old undrafted forward hasn’t been able to find sustained success at the NHL level just yet, but he’s been elite at the level below. In 27 AHL games this season, Carcone has scored 16 goals and 42 points. His numbers were strong last year as well, when he scored 41 points in 48 games, a performance that earned him a total of 21 games in the NHL.

The Roadrunners currently sit in the middle of the pack of the AHL’s Pacific division, so adding Carcone back to their roster will do wonders as they attempt to climb their league’s standings.

Arizona Coyotes| Michael Carcone

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Arizona Coyotes Recall Dylan Guenther

January 6, 2023 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

1/6/23: After an extremely successful World Juniors tournament that saw Guenther score the “golden goal” for Team Canada, Guenther has been recalled back to his NHL team, the Arizona Coyotes.

12/8/22: The Canadian World Junior squad continues to get more and more impressive. After already getting Brandt Clarke and Shane Wright, the group will now be joined by Dylan Guenther, loaned from the Arizona Coyotes today.

Guenther, 19, is a rather unexpected addition to the Canadian squad, given how his season has gone so far. The ninth overall pick from 2021 has been a regular in Arizona’s lineup this season, recording 11 points in 21 games. He played more than 15 minutes for the team just last night, and is already long past the threshold to burn the first year of his entry-level deal.

It’s rare for an NHL regular to be loaned, though the Coyotes will be focused much more on Guenther’s long-term development than the standings for this season. The team is still early in their rebuild and is trying to land a top draft position, meaning losses are potentially more valuable than wins.

The most interesting part is that despite being named to the original team (and registering two points in the now-mythical first game), Guenther did not attend the rescheduled 2022 tournament in the summer as he focused on the season ahead. After suffering a knee injury in the WHL finals, it would have been a stretch for him to participate, especially with NHL camp right around the corner.

Now, after two months of experience at the highest level, he’ll get the chance to represent his country on the world stage.

Arizona Coyotes| Dylan Guenther| Loan| Team Canada

0 comments

Canada Wins 2023 World Junior Championship

January 5, 2023 at 8:35 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

Team Canada has won the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, defeating Czechia to win the gold medal. The game-winning goal came off the stick of Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther in overtime, ending Czechia’s bid for their first gold since 2001.

It’s Canada’s second consecutive gold medal and their second gold medal in just five months after the delayed 2022 tournament occurred in August. It’s also the second straight tournament in which Canada won in 3-on-3 overtime, with Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish scoring the winner last year.

The 2023 presumptive first-overall pick and tournament MVP, Connor Bedard, finished the tournament with an astonishing 23 points in seven games, leading all other players in the tournament by nine points. He’s now the all-time leader for Canada at the World Juniors and set a single-tournament point record for Canadian players.

It’s a tough loss to swallow for Czechia, who played their hearts out and deserved to get this far in the tournament. Getting their first medal since 2005 is still a great success, and they’ll take home the silver. Goaltender Tomas Suchanek was named to the media All-Star team after posting a .934 save percentage and playing every minute of the tournament for Czechia.

Buffalo Sabres 2022 first-round pick Jiri Kulich led the Czechs in scoring, potting seven goals in seven games and adding two assists.

Arizona Coyotes| Dylan Guenther| IIHF| Team Canada| Team Canada

7 comments

Arizona Coyotes Return Laurent Dauphin To AHL

January 4, 2023 at 2:52 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After he played fewer than 10 minutes last night, Laurent Dauphin has been returned to the AHL by the Arizona Coyotes. That’s could be a good sign for Liam O’Brien, who was listed as week-to-week or Zack Kassian, who has been held out recently. It drops the Coyotes to 13 forwards on the roster, though Matias Maccelli is unavailable for the next several weeks and has not yet been moved to injured reserve.

The Coyotes went with just 11 forwards in the game yesterday, and Clayton Keller carried the load with nearly 25 minutes of ice time. Nick Schmaltz was back and playing nearly 20, while Dauphin and Michael Carcone both saw under ten. The 27-year-old Dauphin has played in three games this season without scoring, but did record four shots on goal last night. A long-time minor league veteran, he has 27 points in 26 games for the Tucson Roadrunners this year.

Despite staying competitive in most of their games, Arizona is now 13-18-5 on the year. They’re headed to Philadelphia and Chicago for a couple of basement battles over the next few days, before returning home to welcome in the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

AHL| Arizona Coyotes| Laurent Dauphin

0 comments

Nick Schmaltz Returns To Arizona Coyotes Lineup

January 3, 2023 at 8:53 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 2 Comments

  • Injuries have been a challenge for Nick Schmaltz this year, who has missed 16 of his Arizona Coyotes’ 35 games coming into this evening. Fortunately for Schmaltz and the Coyotes, the forward was back in the lineup tonight after missing the team’s New Year’s Eve game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The forward has 16 points through those 19 games, continuing on from his breakout performance last season and though his absence isn’t a good thing, keeping it to just one game is surely a positive.

AHL| Anaheim Ducks| Arizona Coyotes| Chicago Blackhawks| NHL| Nick Schmaltz| Tyler Johnson

2 comments
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