Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Dysin Mayo
The Vegas Golden Knights have added some defensive depth, acquiring Dysin Mayo from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick and the contract of de facto retired defenseman Shea Weber. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report the deal.
Vegas immediately assigned Mayo to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
Mayo may not be an NHL impact player for Vegas, but he does provide a huge boost in organizational depth for the future. He has recent experience as a full-time NHLer, forced into tough minutes with the Coyotes last year on a paper-thin blueline. After recording four goals and eight assists in 67 games, Mayo was rewarded with a three-year, $2.85MM contract extension from the Coyotes.
That means Mayo will be a Knight for two seasons after this, and the 26-year-old could be an important piece for Henderson as the relatively new AHL franchise continues to settle into life in the desert. In 26 games with AHL Tucson this season, where he’s spent more than six seasons, he recorded two goals and five assists in 26 games. He had 15 games up with the Coyotes, failing to record a point in his second NHL tryout.
A fifth-round pick is certainly fair value for a call-up option with a full season’s worth of NHL experience. Shedding Weber’s contract, which was due at a $7.86MM cap hit through 2026, makes maneuvering the offseason salary cap much easier for Vegas as they look to build some long-term financial stability.
PuckPedia notes that the Coyotes only owe Weber under $3MM in actual money for the remainder of the contract. Acquiring the deal also aids Arizona in reaching the salary cap floor, as they still have just $52.8MM in cap charges next season.
Arizona Coyotes Reassign Dysin Mayo
After he was called up earlier in the week, the Arizona Coyotes assigned defenseman Dysin Mayo to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, per the team.
Mayo has played 15 games for the Coyotes this season, but he’s been held without a point and averages under 12 minutes of ice time per game. In his limited playing time, Mayo’s defense has seen a marked improvement from last season and has been a solid contributor.
The 26-year-old Mayo has been with the Coyotes for almost a decade after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. The decision to assign Mayo to the Roadrunners doesn’t come as a significant surprise, given his role. However, he did log significant minutes for the Coyotes blueline in 2021-22, earning a three-year extension in the process.
The Roadrunners are currently sixth in the AHL’s Pacific Division, with a record of 21-25-4. That’s despite having the AHL’s leading scorer, Michael Carcone, who has 63 points in just 43 games in Tucson. Mayo’s return should shore up some defensive depth for Tucson, which has allowed the third-most goals in the league this season.
This last call-up to the Coyotes saw Mayo get into the lineup on two occasions, registering a shot on goal, a minor penalty, and a -1 rating.
In 24 games with the Roadrunners this year, Mayo has two goals and five assists for seven points in 24 games after the Coyotes first sent him down back in December 2022. He’s among the longest-tenured players with the team, playing 277 games in a Roadrunners uniform over seven seasons.
Jakob Chychrun To Be Healthy Scratched
8:00 PM: The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman tweeted that it “doesn’t sound like” Chychrun will be headed to the Edmonton Oilers or Los Angeles Kings, a sentiment that was echoed (at least on the Oilers’ side of things) by TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, who tweeted that “any sense of urgency” happening with Chychrun and tonight’s choice to healthy scratch him does not involve the Oilers.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek also added on the 32 Thoughts segment of tonight’s Sportsnet broadcast that the Toronto Maple Leafs are not believed to be a team currently aggressively pursuing a possible trade for the Coyotes star.
6:37 PM: The Arizona Coyotes have announced that star defenseman Jakob Chychrun will be a healthy scratch tonight for what the team calls “trade-related reasons.”
It’s commonplace for teams to hold players out of games in order to ensure they’re able to be traded, so this move signals that the Coyotes are gearing up to deal Chychrun in the relatively near future. A trade may not be coming immediately, though, as PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports that he does not believe “a trade is imminent” but that it could come before the Coyotes’ game Monday versus the Nashville Predators.
In addition to the Chychrun news, the team has also announced that forward Liam O’Brien is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and defensemen Victor Soderstrom and Dysin Mayo have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
This move with Chychrun should not come as a complete surprise. Yesterday, we covered reports that the Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings had “taken things up a notch” in their Chychrun trade talks. Tonight’s healthy scratch is the firmest confirmation we’ve gotten that the Coyotes intend to trade Chychrun throughout his entire lengthy trade saga. While it is unknown whether a deal is imminent, it’s highly uncommon for teams to hold players out of the lineup for “trade-related” reasons only to not trade those players.
With the Bo Horvat trade, the first domino of the trade deadline fell. Next, it was Vladimir Tarasenko‘s trade to the Rangers. Now, Chychrun seems to be next.
In Chychrun, his acquiring team will receive a talented blueliner on a valuable contract that costs only $4.6MM AAV until 2025. He’s scored 28 points in 36 games this season and is a well-regarded defender, especially against the rush. He’s likely to be the top defender traded at this deadline, and the Coyotes should expect a hefty return in exchange for his services.
Beyond this Chychrun news, the Coyotes announced two recalls from the AHL and an injury update for O’Brien. In recalling Soderstrom and Mayo, the Coyotes seem to be reinforcing their blueline in advance of Chychrun’s expected departure.
Soderstrom is projected to feature on the team’s top pairing next to Patrik Nemeth tonight, and it’s likely that once Chychrun is firmly out of the picture the 2019 11th-overall pick will get an extended chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.
Dysin Mayo Clears Waivers
Dec 13: While Kuhlman was claimed by the Winnipeg Jets, Mayo has cleared, according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. The defenseman is expected to be assigned to the AHL.
Dec 12: Two more players have hit waivers today, as Dysin Mayo of the Arizona Coyotes and Karson Kuhlman of the Seattle Kraken are available for claim, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets.
Mayo, 26, was one of the best stories from last season. After grinding for five seasons in the minor leagues, the fifth-round pick finally made it to the NHL and played in 67 games for the Coyotes, racking up 12 points and averaging nearly 21 minutes a night. While the results weren’t great, he was given absolutely brutal deployment against the other team’s best nearly every night and managed to put together a respectable rookie season.
This year, with other options in place, Mayo has slipped down the depth chart and out of the lineup entirely. For a five-game stretch in November, he failed to reach even nine minutes of ice time. Now, he is likely headed to the minor leagues given a waiver claim would be surprising. Not necessarily because of his skill, but because of the three-year extension that the Coyotes gave him in February, hoping to lock up a breakout player. Mayo will carry a cap hit of $950K through the 2024-25 season.
Kuhlman, meanwhile, is being pushed off the roster by the incoming Eeli Tolvanen, who the Kraken claimed today. The 27-year-old forward has three points in 14 games so far this season and has played very sparingly of late. In his last appearance, Kuhlman was given just six shifts. On a one-way deal worth $825K, he too seems an unlikely candidate to be claimed off waivers.
Hockey Canada Announces 2022 IIHF World Championship Roster
The roster is set, with just a few days to go before things kick off for Hockey Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. The defending gold medalists will be icing a rather youthful roster this season, highlighted by some of the league’s up-and-coming stars, along with some established top-end youngsters.
The full roster will be:
G Chris Driedger
G Logan Thompson
G Matt Tomkins
D Thomas Chabot
D Ryan Graves
D Nick Holden
D Dysin Mayo
D Travis Sanheim
D Damon Severson
D Zach Whitecloud
F Josh Anderson
F Mathew Barzal
F Drake Batherson
F Max Comtois
F Dylan Cozens
F Pierre-Luc Dubois
F Morgan Geekie
F Noah Gregor
F Kent Johnson
F Adam Lowry
F Dawson Mercer
F Eric O’Dell
F Nicolas Roy
F Cole Sillinger
For a player like Mayo, this selection truly solidifies the hard work he has put in over years of grinding in the minor leagues. The fifth-round pick spent parts of seven seasons in the AHL before arriving this year with the Arizona Coyotes and becoming one of the team’s most reliable options. Now 25, he’ll be suiting up for his country for the first time at a major international tournament.
Meanwhile, someone like Cozens is taking the next step in representing his country, after last captaining Team Canada at the 2021 World Juniors (where he scored an incredible 16 points in seven games). The Buffalo Sabres forward had 38 points in his first full-length NHL season and has huge upside as a potential franchise cornerstone. The same could be said for players like Johnson and Sillinger, two names that will likely drive the offense for years to come in Columbus.
Perhaps the most interesting name in the group is Dubois, given the Winnipeg Jets center doesn’t have a contract for next season. Pending restricted free agents, especially ones as important as Dubois, usually skip the tournament because of insurance issues and the risk of injury. Instead, he’ll head overseas to play in a tournament he’s already attended twice previously, despite still just being 23 years old.
Arizona Coyotes Extend Dysin Mayo
The Arizona Coyotes have signed Dysin Mayo to a three-year contract extension, that will keep him signed through the 2024-25 season. Mayo was scheduled to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer. Instead, he’ll sign a multi-year extension just halfway through his rookie year. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a cap hit of $950K, paying Mayo $850K in 2022-23, and $1MM in each of the other two years. Bill Armstrong, general manager of the Coyotes, had this to say:
We are very pleased to sign Dysin to a new three-year contract. Dysin has worked extremely hard on and off the ice and has established himself as a reliable NHL defenseman. We look forward to having him on our blue line for years to come.
Mayo, 25, is a brilliant example of perseverance. After being selected 133rd overall in 2014, he played two more years at the WHL level then entered the minor leagues as something of an afterthought. In his first season with the Coyotes organization he spent half the year with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, but quickly showed he could dominate at that level. That didn’t mean the NHL was calling though, as it would be four more full seasons in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners before finally making it to the Coyotes roster this year.
In 42 games with Arizona, he’s proven he belongs. Mayo is averaging almost 21 minutes a night for the rebuilding club, more than anyone but Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere. He is the anchor of the team’s penalty-killing unit, seeing more than three minutes a night shorthanded, and leads all Coyotes in blocked shots with 83. While he may not be suited for that kind of deployment on a contending team, Mayo has held his own at the NHL level and earned this extension. He’ll no longer need to worry about riding the bus in the AHL and should be a regular in the Coyotes lineup for the foreseeable future.
Arizona Coyotes Place Dysin Mayo In COVID Protocol
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Dysin Mayo entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, the team announced.
Mayo becomes the third Coyote in COVID protocol. He joins forwards Ryan Dzingel and Antoine Roussel.
If Mayo is only subject to a five-day quarantine, he would only miss Arizona’s next two games. He could be eligible to return on January 28th, a home game against the Boston Bruins.
An unexpected regular in the Coyotes lineup this season, Mayo has five points in 34 games. He’s impressed defensively, however, earning the right to 20:49 of ice time per game and only a -2 rating on a porous Coyotes team.
The 25-year-old was the team’s 133rd overall selection back in 2014.
Kyle Capobianco, Marian Studenic Clear Waivers
Nov 8: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Nov 7: Two names are appearing on NHL waivers Sunday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Arizona Coyotes placed defenseman Kyle Capobianco there, while the New Jersey Devils waived forward Marian Studenic.
Capobianco, a 24-year-old who was expected to possibly steal a lineup spot this season, hasn’t played this season as a knee injury has sidelined him. Capobianco was activated from injured reserve today in order to permit the Coyotes to waive him. It appears as though recent call-ups Dysin Mayo and Cam Dineen have now surpassed Capobianco on the team’s depth chart.
The Devils have utilized Studenic in five games this season, but the 23-year-old Slovakian has yet to register a point. He was technically the team’s only extra healthy forward, but they’ve also played Mason Geertsen at forward instead of his usual defense at some points this season. Studenic’s averaged just 11:33 of ice time in those five games.
Both Capobianco and Studenic were younger players that appeared to have the inside track on roster spots heading into the season. It’s entirely possible that a team could choose to take a chance on either one of Capobianco or Studenic.
Coyotes Re-Sign Dysin Mayo And Blake Speers
The Coyotes have taken care of two more of their restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of defenseman Dysin Mayo to a one-year, two-way contract and forward Blake Speers to a one-year, two-way deal. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. The team also confirmed the previously reported re-signing of Cam Dineen.
The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2014 (133rd overall) but has spent the entirety of his professional career at the minor league level. Last season, Mayo played in 35 games with AHL Tucson, collecting a goal and three assists along with 22 PIMS. While those numbers don’t particularly stand out, he has done enough over his 256 career AHL contests to warrant being qualified last month.
Mayo is waiver-eligible but has cleared in training camp in each of the last two years so there’s a good chance he will pass through unclaimed once again in the fall. He will serve as depth with the Roadrunners once again and unless he manages to become a regular with the Coyotes in short order, he will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer.
As for Speers, he was acquired from New Jersey as part of the Taylor Hall trade but hasn’t seen any NHL action since his three-game stint in the 2016-17 campaign. Injuries limited the 24-year-old to just four games with the Roadrunners last season. He’s also waiver-eligible but a safe bet to clear and will be recallable injury depth for Arizona next season. Like Mayo, Speers can also become a Group Six UFA next summer.
Coyotes Sign Dysin Mayo To One-Year, Two-Way Contract
The Arizona Coyotes signed Dysin Mayo to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mayo could prove to be an important depth signing for the Coyotes in future seasons.
Mayo, 23, was a fifth-round pick in 2014. The Canadian-born defenseman spent the past three full seasons with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. In 58 games this past season, Mayo was plus-24 while putting up 12 points (4 goals). That’s a promising showing from the blueliner, and the top plus/minus numbers on the Roadrunners this season.
Arizona is well-equipped on the defensive end, allowing 2.47 goals per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. That said, they have a number of blueliners facing unrestricted free agency following the 2020-2021 season. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Alex Goligoski, Aaron Ness, Jason Demers and Jordan Oesterle could all leave as free agents after next season. Keeping Mayo in the fold gives Arizona valuable insurance and cost efficiency as they look to build out their defensive unit in an uncertain environment. The salary cap isn’t likely to go up for at least two seasons, though the final numbers won’t be finalized until the NHL and NHLPA officially come to a return-to-play agreement.