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Coyotes Sign Jakob Chychrun To Entry Level Contract

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Craig Morgan of AZSports tweeted that the Arizona Coyotes have inked the second of their two, 2016 first-round draft choices, defenseman Jakob Chychrun, to a three-year ELC. Chychrun, selected 16th overall in last month’s draft, likely has only an outside chance at cracking the Coyotes roster on opening night as the club already has eight blue liners with NHL experience under contract. It’s far more likely the team will elect to return him to his junior club for more seasoning.

Originally slated to select 20th overall, the Coyotes moved up four slots in a deal with Detroit that also saw Arizona absorb Pavel Datyuk’s $7.5MM cap charge. The trade allowed the Wings to clear significant cap space from their books while moving back just a few positions in the draft. Detroit also picked up a second-round choice, 53rd overall, which the team used on defenseman Filip Hronek. Meanwhile, Arizona put themselves in position to take a player they liked tremendously and had even considered drafting with the seventh overall selection.

Chychrun played his junior hockey with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL. In 62 OHL contests, Chychrun tallied 49 points and boasted a +23 plus-minus rating. His father, Jeff, appeared in 262 NHL games, spending time with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Edmonton and Pittsburgh in a career spanning parts of eight seasons.

First year GM John Chayka has been among the league’s busiest executives this summer. Chayka added D Alex Goligoski via trade and LW Jamie McGinn and D Luke Schenn as free agents to bolster a young but talented roster. He also re-signed team captain Shane Doan and restricted free agent defenders Michael Stone and Connor Murphy to new contracts. Whether these additions will help get the Coyotes back into the postseason or not remains to be seen but Chayka has shown he is unafraid to make impact moves so far.

Arizona Stays Busy, Lock Up Stone To One-Year Deal

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Immediately on the heels of the Connor Murphy signing, the Arizona Coyotes have inked fellow blue liner Michael Stone to a one-year, $4MM contract, according to AZSports’ Craig Morgan. Stone and the Coyotes had been scheduled to go to arbitration on August 4th but the two parties obviously found common ground and thus avoided a hearing.

Stone blossomed in his fourth full season in the desert, averaging nearly 22:30 of ice time per game. He ranked second among Arizona defensemen behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson, tallying 36 points in 2015-16. The Coyotes drafted the 26-year-old in the third-round (69th overall) of the 2008 draft.

After accounting for Stone’s deal, Arizona is left with more than $6MM in cap space and only RFA Tobias Rieder left unsigned. That figure is a bit surprising given how busy the Coyotes have been this summer upgrading their roster. In addition to locking up their own RFA’s, Arizona has re-upped with Shane Doan (one-year, $3.88MM), signed UFA winger Jamie McGinn to a multi-year deal worth $10MM over three seasons, and acquired pending free agent Alex Goligoski via trade before extending his contract for five years with an AAV of nearly $5.5MM. That doesn’t even include Pavel Datsyuk’s $7.5MM cap hit which Arizona absorbed as part of a deal to move up four slots in the first round of the recent draft. To still be $6MM under the cap ceiling is an impressive bit of work from John Chayka.

Given the offseason work and the young talent already on the roster, it’s conceivable the Coyotes could force their way into a playoff spot in 2016-17. That’s especially true if goaltender Mike Smith, who missed three months of action last season due to a core muscle injury, returns to form as a quality netminder.

 

 

Latest On Connor Murphy

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While news has started trickling out about the Coyotes’ inability to sign RFA Tobias Rieder, Arizona may be closing in on one of their other remaining unsigned players. Craig Morgan of AZSports reports that Brian Bartlett, the agent for restricted free agent Connor Murphy expects to have a deal done by the end of the week.

Murphy, 23, saw his role with the Coyotes improve drastically last season especially following the trade of Keith Yandle. After the trade, he logged over 22:30 per night (up from 19:50 pre-trade) and held his own against tougher opponents. The bone-crushing hitter isn’t an offensive or possession dynamo, though he did contribute 17 points last season, and saw some limited powerplay action.

Even with the addition of Luke Schenn, Murphy will probably slot in beside another newcomer in Alex Goligoski on the second pairing next season, with fellow unsigned RFA Michael Stone skating alongside superstar Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Obviously, these pairings will be settled in camp, but Murphy will try to continue his strong development from first-round pick (20th overall in 2011) to top-four defenseman.

Western Notes: Chayka, Sydor, Eberle

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When the Arizona Coyotes gave then 26-year old John Chayka their GM job, many in the hockey world cringed at the thought of the analytic community finally having a poster boy at the top of an NHL franchise. Chayka promised to bring with him the newer possession-based analysis of NHL players, and today summed it up quite nicely in an interview with Dan Rosen of NHL.com:

“The philosophy is fairly simple. It’s when we don’t have the puck, recover the puck as quickly as possible. There are all kinds of different forms where you can gain possession of the puck, some of them are physical and some of them are non-physical, so I think you need a blend to have both. Once you get the puck back it’s to transition the puck. Defense isn’t about defending, it’s about getting the puck in the forwards’ hands and getting the puck moving into the offensive zone. It’s about transitioning.”

The phrase “defense isn’t about defending” will stick out as a sort of mantra for the analytics push, as the league continues to move away from players who can impose themselves physically in their own end, but can’t move the puck when they end up with it.  His team has added Alex Goligoski, a possession darling who moves the puck well, but has also signed Luke Schenn and Jamie McGinn, both players who aren’t so revered for their new-age skills.  It’ll be interesting to watch what Chayka does in the future, and whether he breeds a level of success rarely seen in the desert of Arizona.

  • The Chicago Wolves of the AHL have hired former NHLers Darryl Sydor and Daniel Tkaczuk as assistant coaches for 2016-17, adding to a group that is led by Craig Berube.  The St. Louis Blues affiliate went 33-35-8 last season, and will look to improve on that record this year. Sydor, a 19-year NHL veteran played in over 1200 games in his career, and has been coaching as an assistant with the Minnesota Wild for the past five seasons. Tkaczuk, an AHL journeyman who made it into just 19 NHL games during his career, coached with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL last season.
  • Jordan Eberle has hired the “Shot Doc” to help him with his shooting ability for next season. Ron Johnson, a skills coach who has worked with Joe Pavelski and Ryan Kesler in the past has been known for improving things like grip mechanics and puck protection. If Eberle can improve on the 14.5% shooting percentage he put up last season, he could climb back above the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career.  Eberle has 145 career goals in 425 games, and is a near-lock for 25 each season.

Dan Hamhuis Signs With Dallas

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After Dallas Stars’ defensemen Jason Demers and Kris Russell both decided to test out free agency, the Stars have replaced their outgoing performance by inking Dan Hamhuis to a two-year, $7.5MM contract, as reported by Bob McKenzie.

Hamhuis has spent the last six seasons in Vancouver where he has slowly seen his role and offensive performance decline as he heads into his mid-thirties. The former Predator and Norris trophy nominee will now join a blueline that has been torn apart over the last few weeks.  In addition to Demers and Russell both heading to free agency, Dallas traded Alex Goligoski to the Coyotes just weeks before he also would have become an unrestricted free agent.

Now Hamhuis will join Johnny Oduya as the veterans in a group headlined by John Klingberg, the last bastion of the Stars’ young group from last season. For a team who is looking to contend this season, before many of their talented forwards reach free agency (including superstar captain Jamie Benn and sniper Patrick Sharp) Hamhuis is just the first step in rebuilding their back end.

Coyotes Sign Alex Goligoski To 5-Year Contract

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The Arizona Coyotes officially announced the signing of defenseman Alex Goligoski this morning. The 30-year-old defenseman was acquired from the Dallas Stars last week for Arizona’s 2016 fifth round draft pick. Though the Coyotes are not disclosing financials, Yahoo reported that the deal was worth $5.5MM per year. Bob McKenzie tweeted that the deal was for approximately $5.475MM. CapFriendly mirrored McKenzie’s figure.

General manager John Chayka praised Goligoski as a smart puck moving defenseman who will make his teammates better. Arizona Central’s Sarah McLellan tweets that Chayka is trying to make Arizona a destination for hockey and that acquiring Goligoski’s rights was a “calculated risk.”  Stephen Whyno tweets that this is the first of many moves the Coyotes expect to make.

Craig Morgan reported that Goligoski knew immediately that he wanted to sign with the ’Yotes. McLellan tweeted how the Coyotes “checked all the boxes” for the veteran defenseman. Before his signing,  he was one of the top free agent defensemen targets this offseason.

With Dallas, Goligoski had 37 points (5-32) and added 7 points (4-3) in 14 playoff games. He logged nearly 24 minutes per night on the ice. The same will be expected from him in Arizona as he joins a blue line that features young star Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

This is the first of many moves expected by the Coyotes. In addition to having the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft, Arizona is one of the three teams rumored to absorb Pavel Datsyuk’s contract from the Detroit Red Wings.

 

 

Free Agent Focus: Arizona Coyotes

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The 2015-16 Arizona Coyotes were better than many expected them to be, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division. That said, they did have a losing record and feasted on lowly division rivals Edmonton and Calgary, going a combined 8-1-1 against the two Alberta teams. The team is built around superstar defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, with Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Christian Dvorak, and Dylan Strome representing a deep prospect pool up front. Wily veteran and captain Shane Doan scored 28 goals at age 39. Ekman-Larsson lead the team with 21 goals and 55 points (7th among defensemen).

The Coyotes have already made a few waves this summer, hiring a 27-year old rookie GM John Chayka. Chayka has already made his first trade, acquiring the rights to pending UFA defenceman, Alex Goligoski. There have also been rumors that the Coyotes have made a big trade offer to the Maple Leafs so they can draft Scottsdale, AZ native Auston Matthews first overall.  Chayka has since denied the rumor, which had the Coyotes’ two first round picks (7th and 20th) going to Toronto with one of Domi or Dvorak for the first selection, calling it “ridiculous speculation”.

Cap space: $38.5MM, 13 players under contract.

Key RFAs: D Connor Murphy, W Tobias Rieder, D Michael Stone – Murphy and Stone have developed nicely into capable NHL defensemen, and will be qualified. Rieder scored 37 points in his sophomore season, and should be a solid middle-6 option up front for the Coyotes.

Other RFAs: D Jarred Tinordi, LW Sergei Plotnikov, D Klas Dahlbeck, D Kevin Connauton, and G Louis Domingue.

Key UFAs: Doan and Goligoski – the team’s captain and longest serving member (he was a member of the original Winnipeg Jets) is expected to re-sign with the team for one season at a time. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported the recently acquired Goligoski and his wife are visiting Arizona this week to check out the city and meet with team officials.

Other UFAs: W Alex Tanguay, C Boyd Gordon, C Kyle Chipchura, F Viktor Tikhonov, D Nicklas Grossmann, and G Anders Lindback.

Outlook: The Coyotes have just $34.4MM committed to next year’s roster, which is $40MM less than the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have. According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, the Coyotes don’t plan on re-signing any pending UFAs other than Doan and Goligoski, so new GM Chayka will have plenty of money to spend rounding out their roster.

As well, big C Martin Hanzal is entering a contract year and will need to be extended or traded. Fox reported Chayka as being open to all options regarding the Czech centre.

Look for them to draft one of the high-end defence prospects at 7th overall, or attempt to move up and snag Scottsdale-native Matthew Tkachuk.

Mirtle’s Latest: Chayka, Demers, Yandle

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The busiest time of the year is starting over the next few weeks, with the Entry Draft and July 1st free agency. Rumors are swirling already about almost every player in the league and James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail mentions that the salary cap isn’t going to rise much more than $1.5MM even if the NHLPA exercises their 5% bump.  That’ll give a lot of teams pause about locking in long-term to free agents, while their own cap situation isn’t settled. Here’s more from Mirtle:

  • Youngest GM in NHL history John Chayka (only 27-years old) has already begun to make an impact on the Arizona Coyotes, moving to acquire the rights to Alex Goligoski last week, and Mirtle believes he’s aiming at a return to the playoffs as soon as next season.  Martin Hanzal, his biggest trade chip has been dangled recently and doesn’t look like a long-term option in the desert.
  • Jason Demers, one of three exceptional Dallas blueliners that are reaching free agency this summer has apparently priced himself out of the Stars’ market, asking for an annual value close to $5.5MM. Demers, along with Goligoski and Kris Russell are three of the top five defense options this offseason.
  • Number 1 on that list, Keith Yandle is believed to be seeking a seven-year deal on the open market, Mirtle suggests. The Avalanche are an option for the Rangers’ blueliner, as they look to add to their team coming off a disappointing 39-39-4 season.
  • Mirtle mentions that despite the Jets best efforts to re-sign restricted free agent Jacob Trouba, teams around the league still believe he is available for the right price.  The former 9th overall pick has been a steady presence on the Jets back-end and is only 22.

Snapshots: Okposo, Lucic, Walsh

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With the buyout period starting Wednesday, and the entry draft coming closer and closer, teams have started making decisions on upcoming free agents and begun to make calls on available players.  Already we have seen a deal for Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen, and just yesterday the Stars traded away the negotiating rights to upcoming UFA Alex Goligoski. Obviously the team felt they were not going to be able to get a deal done before July 1st.  Here are some other notes about upcoming free agents:

  • It sounds like Kyle Okposo is on his way off the Island, as General Manager Garth Snow recently was quoted saying “We wish him nothing but the best.”  Okposo heads into this offseason as one of the top forwards available after scoring 64 points this past year.  That tied him with Steven Stamkos for the most from any upcoming UFA.
  • In an interesting read from John Hoven around Kings’ GM Dean Lombardi’s latest media call, he reveals that they will be making an offer to Milan Lucic, but that “there’s a number of things we had to work through that we didn’t anticipate.” While it’s not clear exactly what that means, one has to wonder if it’s a medical issue that surfaced after the playoffs.  Lucic put up another strong season with 55 points this year, and notched 20 goals for fifth time in his career.
  • In Chris Nichols’ latest, he talks to Octagon Hockey agent Allan Walsh about the interview period that beings five days prior to July 1st. In it he voices his concerns over who it benefits: “I would love to get rid of it. it gives teams a tremendous advantage going into July 1, and really doesn’t benefit the players much, if at all.” Walsh would like to get back to a time when July started with a true frenzy for players, stating “Decisions had to be made in five minutes or 10 minutes. Big decisions. For many years of term. And a lot of dollars.” Walsh represents many upcoming UFAs including David Perron and Brian Campbell.

Coyotes Acquire Alex Goligoski’s Negotiating Rights From Stars

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3:32 PM: The Coyotes have made the acquisition official.  The Stars receive Arizona’s 5th round pick in next week’s draft (128th overall) in return.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie notes that there is no deal currently in place between Goligoski and the Coyotes.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN/ESPN adds that the Stars did try to get a deal done with Goligoski but couldn’t agree to terms so the team decided to get something for his rights rather than lose him for nothing in a couple of weeks.

3:15 PM: According to ESPN’s Craig Custance, the Arizona Coyotes are on the verge of acquiring the negotiating rights to pending unrestricted free agent blueliner Alex Goligoski from the Dallas Stars.

Goligoski suited up in all 82 regular season for the Stars in 2015-16, picking up 5 goals and 32 assists while logging just shy of 24 minutes per game in ice time.  He also posted a +21 rating, good for a tie for 7th amongst all NHL defenders.  He also played in 13 postseason contests, collecting 4 goals and 3 assists while averaging 23:12 per game.

By acquiring his rights, Arizona will have exclusive negotiating rights to talk to the 30 year old Goligoski until the UFA interview period opens up on June 25th.  The Stars still have a pair of pending UFA defensemen to deal with in Jason Demers and Kris Russell.

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