Offseason Keys: Arizona Coyotes
While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Arizona Coyotes.
2016-17 was expected to be full of rough patches for the Coyotes and that’s exactly what happened. The team integrated a plethora of young players into the lineup and while most showed considerable promise, they also showed that they’re not ready to all be counted on as core contributors right away. Arizona appears fully committed to their current direction which would seem to suggest a fairly quiet upcoming summer but there are still a few things to keep an eye on this offseason.
Arena Certainty
Unfortunately for GM John Chayka, this one is completely out of his control but it will very likely play a big role in his offseason shopping. An agreement that would have seen them move to the East Valley fell through when Arizona State University backed out and ownership is once again looking for alternatives as they are unhappy in their current location in Glendale.
Unsurprisingly, this has once again revived possible talk of relocation and that simply cannot bode well for the Coyotes’ recruitment efforts. It can’t be easy to try to get a player to sign when they can’t say with certainly how much longer they’ll be at their current arena and how much longer they may be in Arizona altogether.
While team officials are (at least publicly) optimistic that a resolution will eventually be found, Chayka and his management team have to hope that some traction is made in the weeks ahead. If not, they’ll be dealing with another hurdle when it comes to free agency in July.
Cap Creativity
Last offseason, Chayka was very creative with his cap space, adding the retired contract of Pavel Datsyuk as well as injured center Dave Bolland in an effort to add quality young talent to the organization. That also resulted in them using long-term injury reserve to stay in cap compliance despite the fact that they had one of the lowest actual payrolls in the NHL.
Datsyuk’s contract now comes off the books, as does that of Chris Pronger, who last saw NHL action in 2011-12. As a result, the Coyotes have some more space to work with that Chayka could potentially use in a similar way this offseason. The salary cap is not expected to go up by a substantial amount this summer (pending the NHLPA’s usage of their 5% inflator) which is going to create that much more of a cap crunch that Arizona could potentially capitalize on once again.
If they do opt to go that route, they would be wise to only bring in short-term contracts. While the team has plenty of room to work with now due to so many players being on entry-level deals, that won’t be the case for too long so they won’t want to potentially burden themselves down the road. That said, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Chayka make at least one similar move this summer as he looks to flood the organization with as big of a young core as possible.
Decisions On Veterans
Shane Doan’s situation drew a lot of attention during the season as there were rumblings that he might be open to being traded at the deadline and leave the only organization he’s ever known. He wound up staying put and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July. There has yet to be a decision as to whether or not he wants to play another year and if the organization wants to bring him back, at least in an on-ice capacity.
Goaltender Mike Smith is another interesting case. He has two years left on his deal with a $5.67MM cap hit and has underachieved the past few years. Normally, given those two elements, he’d be perceived as tough to deal but it’s shaping up to be an offseason that could be full of goalies changing places. Several of those are change of scenery candidates and a case can certainly be made that Smith could be in a similar spot. It’s worth noting that Smith has a full no-trade clause that he would need to waive in order to be dealt.
Given that the Coyotes have a grand total of two skaters under contract that are over the age of 30 (forward Brad Richardson and defenseman Alex Goligoski), it’s likely that Chayka will look to add a couple of veteran voices either via trade or free agency as well. They’re more content than other rebuilding teams to put their key youngsters in big minute situations right away but it’s likely that they’ll still want some more experiences players in the room to act as a supporting cast on and off the ice.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pacific Notes: Miller, Doan, McDavid, Andersson
Longtime broadcaster Bob Miller called his last home game Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Los Angeles Times writer Tom Hoffarth parallels the broadcaster’s sendoff to that of Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.
Miller who has worked 3,352 days as the voice of the Kings (with one game to go), called an exciting 3-2 overtime victory over the Blackhawks.
The Kings trailed 2-1 with 1:16 remaining in the game and the broadcast put up a window in which forlorn Miller waved goodbye to Kings’ fans. Seconds later, Dustin Brown tied the game, elating Miller. Not long into OT, Drew Doughty put in the game winner to Miller pumping his fists in victory.
“It was perfect the way it happened,” said the 78-year-old Miller as he came into the media room following a postgame ceremony where he addressed the crowd and thanked them for their support. “It was a great day.”
It’s a good piece, if you are a fan of the legendary broadcaster.
Other notes:
- Veteran Shane Doan notched an assist and played 17:10 in Saturday’s finale for the Arizona Coyotes. The 40-year old has wrapped up his 21st straight season, all with the Coyotes organization and it could have been his final game of his career after 1,540 games. “I truly haven’t made up my mind yet and that is probably one of the reasons why I haven’t, because if I had made up my mind it’d be a pretty emotional night and I didn’t want that,” Doan said after Arizona’s 3-1 loss to Minnesota at Gila River Arena. “I don’t know if that is the only reason but that is one of them. There is still a lot of me that wants to play. I enjoyed tonight though.”
- Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid needs two points today in the regular season finale against the Vancouver Canucks. If he does it (and in his first full season in the NHL), he would be the first Oiler to reach 100 points since Doug Weight did it in 1995-96. Regardless, he is likely to win the Art Ross Trophy and a candidate for the Hart Trophy.
- The Calgary Flames have assigned defenseman Rasmus Andersson to the Stockton Heat, one day after finally getting to play in his NHL debut. The former second-rounder in 2015 was recalled on March 10, but has been a healthy scratch for 14 straight games until he made his debut last night. Andersson goes back along with goaltender David Rittich, who did not see any playing time. Both players are being returned to play against the San Jose Barracudas.
Pacific Notes: Doan, Couture, Flames
The Coyotes plan to speak with long-time captain and pending unrestricted free agent Shane Doan on Monday during their exit interviews and make a decision as to whether or not they try to bring him back after, writes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. For his part, Doan acknowledged that remains undecided on whether or not he wants to play another season (and that there is no timetable for that decision to be made) but that he doesn’t see himself playing anywhere but Arizona.
The 40 year old has played his entire 21 year career with the organization and has seen his production dip significantly this season, posting just six goals and 20 assists, his lowest output since 1998-99. His agent, Terry Bross, suggests that the moves that the team makes over the coming months could potentially play a role in Doan’s decision as well. If that is the case, this decision could drag out well into the offseason. Last summer, Doan re-signed with the Coyotes back on July 12th and will receive deferred money on that contract through 2022.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- Sharks center Logan Couture skated for the second straight day with a full face shield, reports Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. That would suggest he’s on pace to return in time for the start of the first round of the playoffs. Couture took a puck to the mouth on March 25th and has been out since then. As for Joe Thornton, head coach Peter DeBoer had no update on his knee injury, and is continuing to call him day-to-day.
- The Flames will rest several regulars tonight in their final game of the season, notes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. Included among them is blueliner Mark Giordano which will allow 2015 2nd round pick Rasmus Andersson to make his NHL debut. Andersson has been up with the team for nearly a month but has yet to get into a game. Also expected to sit tonight are forwards Mikael Backlund and Kris Versteeg as well as defenseman Deryk Engelland.
Snapshots: Doan, Graovac, Hellberg
Shane Doan will be on all the blooper reels for the next while. The Arizona Coyotes captain is fine after colliding hard with Jakob Chychrun in warm up last night, and missing most of the first period. According to Dave Vest of NHL.com, he team had checked him for a concussion, but ruled that he had just had the wind knocked out of him.
I didn’t know it was him that hit me. I was looking back at [Oliver Ekman-Larsson] and got hit. I had no idea who it was that hit me … I haven’t been hit that hard in a long, long time.
The Coyotes ended up winning a 1-0 game over the Colorado Avalanche in a battle between the worst teams in the NHL. It couldn’t have started in a way more fitting to what was to come, with the next wave of the Coyotes literally checking the old guard out of the way.
- As expected, the Minnesota Wild have officially recalled Tyler Graovac from Iowa of the AHL. After Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reported yesterday that Martin Hanzal was sick with the flu and wouldn’t be with the team for the next two games, Graovac was the easy call up. As Russo points out, it will be interesting to see if Graovac figures into the lineup immediately for one of Jordan Schroeder or Ryan White or if he’s just there for insurance.
- The New York Rangers have sent Magnus Hellberg back to the AHL despite not having two healthy goaltenders at the NHL level. With Henrik Lundqvist out two to three weeks, Hellberg is expected to be the backup behind Antti Raanta for the next little while. The Rangers are off until Friday, but so are the Hartford Wolfpack which makes this move very interesting. It may be just a paper transaction to save Hellberg’s NHL salary for a few days, but either way it will be answered later this week when they make a move to bring someone up.
Deadline Notes: Rangers, Red Wings, Coyotes
The New York Rangers missed out on Kevin Shattenkirk last night when he went to their division rival—and opponent tonight—the Washington Capitals. The team has been rumored to be after a right handed defenseman and may be in even more dire straits as Dan Girardi is out tonight following an ankle injury. Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports that with him out and Kevin Klein still dealing with a back injury, the Rangers are down to just five healthy defensemen with the team. They’ll bring up Steve Kampfer for tonight’s game, but may need a more permanent solution.
While the Rangers may not have acquired Shattenkirk, they have been linked to Brendan Smith of the Detroit Red Wings and could look within their division for a player like Kyle Quincey. Though neither bring the level of play the new Capitals’ defenseman does, both could help provide depth as they get healthy.
- Bob McKenzie of TSN mentioned Smith today on Twitter, saying that it is decision day for the Red Wings. If they do want to extend him, McKenzie believes it would take at least three years at $3.5MM. The Wings recently extended Nick Jensen for two more seasons and have said they want to do the same with Smith. If they can’t get it done today though, they should seriously consider moving him and trying to bring him back in the summer. That team needs as many assets as possible going forward, and with the defense market getting pretty thin, they might do quite well.
- Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports writes that though Shane Doan is still available, he is unlikely to move before the deadline. According to Morgan, teams only view him as a 13th or 14th forward, instead of the capable winger he still believes himself to be. While obviously anything can change in the next 28 hours, perhaps he will finish his career with the franchise (but not team) that drafted him.
- McKenzie also mentions that the Tampa Bay Lightning have likely approached Valtteri Filppula and asked to waive his no-trade clause. Filppula poses a real problem for the Lightning both with their cap crunch and expansion draft plans.
Snapshots: Miller, Chayka, Dorion
Ryan Miller was the topic on the mind of Pierre LeBrun of ESPN yesterday, when he discussed the possibility of the goaltender waiving his no-trade clause to move at the deadline. Today, Rick Dhaliwal of 1130 News in Vancouver reports that Miller’s agent Mike Liut will talk to his client about the possibilities this week, but that nothing is decided as of yet.
Miller has just five teams that he can be traded to without his permission, and with the news that the Los Angeles Kings will be soon getting Jonathan Quick back, the three we know of—Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim—don’t seem to need a goaltender. If he is acquired at the deadline it will likely be because he’s waived his clause to pursue another chance at the Stanley Cup.
- Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News writes that John Chayka isn’t even close to finished after dealing Michael Stone earlier this week. He has so many assets that he could move at the deadline—like Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan—that he’ll likely be one of the busiest GMs this week. Indeed, Chayka himself admitted today on Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports) that he’d had discussions on some big deals. The trio of rentals mentioned above are likely to move, but the Arizona GM could also move Anthony Duclair, Jamie McGinn or Tobias Rieder if he chooses to.
- We learned today that Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion had been getting calls on Curtis Lazar, but what did those deals look like? He joined TSN today (video link) and said that other teams have been trying to “fleece” him. Obviously teams are looking at his single point this season and thinking that they could get a former first-round pick at an all-time low value. Dorion for his part still believes he will be a very good NHL player, and it’s just an unfortunate set of circumstances this season.
McKenzie’s Latest: Coaching Vacancies, Coyotes Rentals
In a series of tweets after appearing on NBCSN, Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that both the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers will likely seek permission from the Boston Bruins to interview Claude Julien for their coaching vacancies. Though Julien is just couple of days removed from the job in Boston, many people feel like he’ll immediately bounce back and helm one of the open teams.
McKenzie adds that the New York Islanders, who fired Jack Capuano last month will not talk to Julien about their vacancy, instead happy with Doug Weight for the time being. Julien would be an interesting option for the Golden Knights, who have made it known that they want a big name for their first coach. Ken Hitchcock and Gerard Gallant are also available, though McKenzie reported this week that Hitchcock is currently just enjoying his time off.
Julien has been the coach of the Bruins since 2007-08, and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2011. After back to back seasons out of the playoffs, and an up and down 2016-17 the team decided to move on. He’s been to the playoffs in 9 of his 14 seasons (though some have been partial) and is generally regarded as one of the best coaches in the league.
McKenzie also responded to a report that three Arizona Coyotes officials (including GM John Chayka) are in attendance at tonight’s Chicago Blackhawks-Minnesota Wild game saying that the Coyotes are trying to market their rentals. A matchup between two Western Conference contenders would be a great place to do that, though Chicago GM Stan Bowman has said multiple times that they will likely be very quiet at the deadline do to cap issues.
The Coyotes have a number of expiring contracts, including Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Michael Stone. Several of those if not all, are likely to move before the deadline. Stone is an interesting case though, as his relative youth (26) could still fit in with the rebuild of the Coyotes. His health is a concern, as is the inconsistent play this season but he should still command a hefty price on the free agent market and would be a solid addition for many teams around the league at deadline time.
Latest From Garrioch: Julien, Doan, Coyotes, Shattenkirk, Duchene
While many are wondering if the Bruins will opt to replace Claude Julien as head coach, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that team owner Jeremy Jacobs has played a big role in keeping him around. On the flip side, he notes that team president Cam Neely wouldn’t mind a change being made. Julien is the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and is in his tenth season behind Boston’s bench. The Bruins currently find themselves in a playoff spot but they sit just one point ahead of Toronto who have five games in hand so it likely won’t be long before they’re on the outside looking in.
Garrioch also covered several league-wide topics in his Insider Trading column. Here are some of the highlights although the full column is worth a read:
- While it’s far from a guarantee that Arizona right winger Shane Doan decides to agree to a deal, it sounds like he may be staying in the Pacific Division if he does move as he would prefer to not have to go too far. Anaheim, San Jose, and Los Angeles are believed to have interest in the 40 year old. After a 28 goal 2015-16 campaign, Doan’s offensive production has slowed down considerably this year as he has just five goals and 12 assists in 51 games. Accordingly, he would be a bottom six forward if he does eventually agree to a move.
- While it’s well-known that the asking price for Coyotes center Martin Hanzal is quite high, GM John Chayka has also put a very high price tag on some of their other rental players including right winger Radim Vrbata, center Ryan White, and defenseman Michael Stone. As of yet, no one’s willing to meet the prices and it’s worth remembering that the playoff bonuses in Vrbata’s contract will be absorbed by whoever acquires him which should affect his value. Stone’s likely to fetch a decent return as one of the better rental blueliners but the price for White, a fourth line center, shouldn’t be too high.
- One team in the Eastern Conference received permission over the last two weeks to talk to St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk regarding a contract extension. However, that deal fell through. It has been suggested over the past few weeks that it’s much more likely that Shattenkirk will have to be dealt as a rental and not in a sign-and-trade deal which would undoubtedly yield a better return for the Blues.
- The Lightning are among the teams to express an interest in Matt Duchene. Given who they have to re-sign this summer (including forwards Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat), it seems difficult to imagine that they’d be able to keep them and add Duchene’s $6MM cap hit although it’s also possible that one of those players could be of interest to Colorado GM Joe Sakic in a possible deal.
Trade Candidates: Shane Doan
Shane Doan is in his 21st season in the NHL, every single one spent with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix-Arizona Coyotes franchise. During that time he has appeared in more than 1,500 regular season games and potted 400 goals. His resume is certainly impressive, however Doan hasn’t been part of a Stanley Cup championship team and if he has designs on winning one he may have to finally move on from the only organization he has ever known.
Arizona’s season is all but officially over. With just 38 standings points, the Coyotes rank 29th in the league, ahead of only Colorado and are 17 points out of a wild card spot. Essentially, they have no chance to make the playoffs and along with the aforementioned Avalanche are one of the only obvious trade deadline sellers in the NHL. Clubs in this situation generally look to deal proven veterans, particularly ones that are pending free agents, for futures and Doan perfectly fits the mold of player often traded at the deadline. But given his standing within and commitment to the organization, it’s possible Doan remains in the desert.
Contract
As mentioned above, the 40-year-old Doan is on an expiring contract and comes with a cap hit of $3.876MM this year and $1M worth of games-played bonuses which will count against next year’s cap. Presumably a team acquiring Doan would assume a prorated portion of the cap charge resulting from any bonuses met.
2016-17
Doan has struggled this year, netting just four goals a season after finding the back of the net 28 times in 2015-16. A huge decrease in shooting percentage – 3.8% in 2016-17 versus 16.5 the prior season – and less ice time have been factors for his suffering goal scoring production. He tallied 12 man-advantage goals and 17 points in 2015-16 while averaging better than three minutes per game on the power play. That average is down to 1:24 this season and unsurprisingly he has netted one goal and three points with the man-advantage.
Season Stats
50 GP – 4 goals, 12 assists, 16 points, -5 plus-minus rating, 36 PIM, 105 SOG, 15:15 ATOI
Potential Suitors
It might be easier to list the teams who wouldn’t have some level of interest in Doan. Anyone looking for size and bite on the wing and a veteran presence in the room would love to have the longtime Coyotes captain on their roster. A young team like Edmonton could use some additional experience, perhaps, but already boasts plenty of size on the wing in the persons of Milan Lucic, Patrick Maroon and Zack Kassian. The Blackhawks are known to be looking at top-six wingers and while Doan’s lackluster production wouldn’t seem to address that need, the opportunity to play with Jonathan Toews could spark the veteran winger. Montreal is also believed to be interested in adding size to the lineup and have already been linked to Doan’s teammate, Martin Hanzal.
Likelihood of Trade
Doan holds a NMC in his contract and it’s going to be entirely up to him if he wants to leave the desert. In the past he’s resisted overtures from other clubs, both via trade and as a free agent, due to family reasons but this may well be his final NHL season and subsequently his last shot to win a Cup. However, Doan’s role has decreased this season and it’s clear the Coyotes are looking toward the future. It may well be time for Doan to accept a trade to a team with a reasonable chance to win a championship. At this point it’s probably a coin toss whether he is traded or sticks with Arizona.
Pacific Notes: Burrows, Doan, Domi, Donskoi
While his name has been in trade rumblings for several years now, Vancouver winger Alex Burrows isn’t particularly worried about whether or not he gets traded by the March 1st trade deadline, he told Sportsnet’s Carol Schram. Burrows has a full no-trade clause and at this point he hasn’t been approached about waiving it, nor has he gone to the team to ask for a move.
With 16 points (7-9-16) in 44 games this season, the 35 year old would likely represent a bottom six upgrade for some teams at the deadline. However, with a cap hit of $4.5MM, the amount of teams that will be able to afford him will be limited.
The Canucks are still in the playoff hunt as they sit just three points out of a Wild Card spot. However, it doesn’t seem likely that Burrows will be back next season so it will be interesting to see if they approach him about waiving his no-trade clause even if they stay in the postseason race.
More from the Pacific:
- While the report last month that suggested Coyotes right winger Shane Doan might be open to a trade had many speculating about where he could go, GM John Chayka noted in an interview with 98.7 FM Arizona Sports that there haven’t been any discussions on that front for several weeks. He added that the trade deadline still a month away, there’s no rush on either side to see if there’s a potential move to be made or if he wants to stay in Arizona.
- Still with the Coyotes, left winger Max Domi practiced for the first time on Wednesday as he recovers from a broken hand, notes Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. Domi has been out of the lineup since late December with the injury. Dave Vest of Arizona’s team site adds (Twitter link) that Domi will be a game-time decision tonight against Chicago. The sophomore forward is fifth in scoring on the Coyotes despite playing in just 26 games this season, collecting 16 points. His point per game total is the highest on the team.
- Sharks right winger Joonas Donskoi is dealing with a re-aggravation of an upper body injury he suffered back in early January against Calgary, reports CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. Donskoi has played in just three games since then and is not with the team in Vancouver for their matchup tonight. He’s expected to be out for another week, adds Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 24 year old isn’t having the success he had in his rookie season where he put up 36 points in 76 games; he has just six goals and nine assists through 45 contests this year.