Coyotes Reportedly Unable To Work On Contract Talks; Sam Lipkin To Decide Soon About Turning Pro
The Coyotes have a lot of work to do contract-wise on their back end for next season as none of their regulars are under contract for 2024-25. However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link) that the team does not have the green light to start working on contracts for next season at this time. As has been well documented, their arena situation is once again in some question for a few more months at least, pending a possible land purchase which would be late in the spring. It was also reported after the trade deadline that GM Bill Armstrong wasn’t able to retain salary, limiting the returns they received on Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. At this point, it’s far from a must to begin extension discussions at this point in the season but if those internal restrictions continue into the offseason, it could be something to keep an eye on.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Still with the Coyotes, prospect Sam Lipkin is expected to decide between turning pro or returning for his junior year within the next 24 hours, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was the second-last pick in the 2021 draft, going 223rd overall but has outperformed his draft stock, scoring 78 points in 78 games over his first two seasons with Quinnipiac, yielding a contract offer from Arizona. Quinnipiac’s leading scorer (Collin Graf) is expected to sign soon while their second-leading scorer (Jacob Quillan) signed with Toronto earlier this week; those signings could significantly impact Lipkin’s decision.
- The Blue Jackets intend to keep defenseman David Jiricek up for the remainder of the regular season, relays team reporter Jeff Svoboda (Twitter link). Columbus recalled the 20-year-old yesterday, the latest of a busy series of transactions as it’s his fifth recall of the season. Jiricek has played in 36 games with the Jackets this season, notching a goal and eight assists while averaging a little under 15 minutes a night. He has been more productive in the minors, however, collecting seven goals and ten helpers with the Monsters. Notably, he’s four NHL appearances away from accruing a season toward UFA eligibility. Accordingly, while Columbus might keep him up for the last couple of weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his game action limited as a result.
Andre Tourigny Likely To Coach Canada At Worlds
In an appearance on Sekeres and Price (video link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli discusses the importance of the Canucks avoiding salary arbitration with pending RFA defenseman Filip Hronek. The team may view Quinn Hughes’ $7.85MM cap hit as a ceiling they don’t want to surpass when it comes to spending on their defensemen. However, Hronek has already set career highs in assists (40) and points (45) this season while logging over 23 minutes a night. Arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer, the two sides going to a hearing could push Hronek’s award past the $7MM mark. Accordingly, settling before it gets to that point should be high on Vancouver’s priority list this offseason.
More from the Western Conference:
- Jets center Gabriel Vilardi returned to practice today as he works his way back from an enlarged spleen. Murat Ates of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old is expected to skate with the team every day this week as he works on getting back into playing condition. When healthy, Vilardi has been a key producer for Winnipeg this season, notching 16 goals and 14 assists in just 38 games so far.
- Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny is expected to serve as Canada’s head coach at the upcoming World Championship although it’s not yet official, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. Tourigny served in that role last year, helping lead Canada to the gold medal.
- Avalanche prospect Zakhar Bardakov intends to sign with Colorado and play in North America after next season, his agent Shumi Babaev told Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now. The 23-year-old was picked up from New Jersey in the Kurtis MacDermid trade and had a dozen points in 51 games with SKA St. Petersburg this season. Bardakov’s KHL deal is expiring and Babaev noted that Bardakov intends to play next season in that league; it remains to be seen if that will be with SKA or another organization.
Coyotes Reassign Cameron Crotty
The Coyotes announced they’ve assigned defenseman Cameron Crotty to AHL Tucson. The move is Arizona’s third of the day after recalling winger Josh Doan and returning John Leonard to the minors. Their active roster is now at 13 forwards and six defensemen, including injured center Barrett Hayton (lower-body, day-to-day).
Crotty spent less than 24 hours on Arizona’s roster. The Coyotes recalled him under emergency conditions ahead of yesterday’s 4-2 loss to the Stars, entering the lineup and making his NHL debut in place of Josh Brown, who was out with an illness. He posted a -1 rating and recorded four shot attempts in 10:03 of ice time.
Returning him to Tucson today could indicate they expect Brown back for their game against the Blue Jackets tomorrow. Crotty is ineligible to stay on the roster as an emergency recall if six healthy defensemen are available.
The 2017 third-round pick has spent most of his professional career after inking his entry-level contract in 2020. The 24-year-old has nine goals, 29 assists and 38 points in 209 career games with Tucson and is producing at a career-best clip with 3-9–12 in 45 appearances this season.
Shortly before his ELC expired last offseason, Crotty inked a one-year, two-way extension ($775K/$90K/$115K) to remain in the desert. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration eligibility this summer if the Yotes issue him a qualifying offer.
Coyotes Recall Josh Doan
10:48 a.m.: The Coyotes have also assigned Leonard to AHL Tucson, per a team statement. The move brings them to 11 healthy forwards on the active roster without Doan, meaning they can bring him up on an emergency loan and conserve a standard recall.
8:00 a.m.: The Coyotes have recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson, GM Bill Armstrong told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports late Sunday night. It’s the first major league callup for the 22-year-old, who Morgan says will make his NHL debut Tuesday against the Blue Jackets.
Arizona has no apparent or suspected absences among their 12 healthy forwards for tomorrow’s game, so this recall is likely a standard one, not an emergency loan. If so, the Yotes have burned their second of four post-trade deadline recalls after papering defenseman Michael Kesselring between leagues on deadline day.
An early second-round pick by the Coyotes in 2021 after going undrafted in 2020, Doan spent the following two seasons at Arizona State University, where he averaged just over a point per game and was awarded the captaincy in his sophomore season. The son of longtime Coyotes captain Shane Doan then inked his entry-level contract in March 2023, joining AHL Tucson on a tryout for the last 14 games of the regular season and their first-round playoff loss to Coachella Valley.
Some viewed the 6’1″ forward as a reach when the Coyotes made him the first overage selection in 2021, but he’s quieted most doubts with a season that should earn him some rookie of the year consideration in the minors. Doan has posted 26 goals and 46 points, leading the Roadrunners in both categories. He is only one of two players to suit up in all 62 games this season, joining defenseman Maksymilian Szuber.
A truly homegrown talent, the Scottsdale-born Doan has only played outside the Phoenix area for two seasons. From 2019 to 2021, he played at the major junior level with the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He’s been a massive part of Tucson’s turnaround this year, as they sit second in the Pacific Division after finishing under .500 in each of the last three seasons.
It’s unclear where Doan will slot into the Yotes’ lineup or how long they plan on keeping him around. A cursory look at their depth chart suggests he may debut in a third-line role alongside Matias Maccelli and Jack McBain, replacing 25-year-old farmhand John Leonard. In a few weeks, though, he’ll play an essential part in helping Tucson win their first playoff series since their Pacific Division semifinal win over San Jose in 2018, which remains the franchise’s only series victory since relocating to Tucson from Springfield in 2016.
Cameron Crotty Recalled On Emergency Basis
Canucks forward Elias Lindholm has struggled as of late and snapped a 15-game goalless streak last night against his former team in Calgary. It appears there’s a reason for those struggles as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night (video link) that the veteran is set to meet with a specialist in the coming days to determine the extent of the undisclosed injury that he is currently playing through. The 29-year-old has just nine points in 22 games since being acquired at the end of January and has been dropped to the third line in recent games, not the type of impact they were looking for from their biggest trade acquisition of the season.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Ducks announced that they recalled goaltender Alex Stalock from AHL San Diego. The 36-year-old had been brought up four times this season but has yet to see game action with Anaheim, instead serving in a short-term backup role. He’ll be reprising that role against Tampa Bay with John Gibson out for personal reasons. Stalock has played in a dozen games for the Gulls this season while playing on a one-year, one-way deal worth $800K, posting a 3.72 GAA with a .894 SV%. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- The Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Cameron Crotty from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis. The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season and this will be his first recall and first game as he took the place of Josh Brown who was out due to an illness. Crotty has three goals and nine assists in 45 games with the Roadrunners this season.
- Predators prospect Adam Wilsby has been linked to SHL Farjestad next season, notes Varlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg. The 23-year-old blueliner was a fourth-round pick back in 2020 and has spent his three-year entry-level deal playing with AHL Milwaukee where he has six goals and eight assists through 49 games so far. A pending restricted free agent, it might make more sense for Wilsby to return home over continuing to play in the minors as he’s likely behind several prospects on Nashville’s organizational depth chart.
- The NCAA revealed the official bracket for the tournament leading to the Frozen Four and the DI Men’s Ice Hockey Championship with Boston College serving as the top seed. Games get underway on Thursday and as teams are eliminated, we’ll start to see some of the more notable free agents start to sign while others will forego the rest of their college eligibility to turn pro.
Nick Bjugstad Recovers From Injury, Nathan Smith Returned From Loan
In an update today on Anaheim Ducks’ forward Trevor Zegras, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reports that Zegras has been a full participant in two straight practices. Although there is still no set timetable for Zegras’ return, two full practices without restrictions indicate that he could be making his return to the lineup very soon.
It has been a season to forget for Zegras, both due to a broken ankle that has kept him out of the lineup for two months, and due to his play on the ice when he has been healthy. Only managing to suit up in 20 games for Anaheim this season, Zegras has scored four goals and seven points overall, while averaging 17:20 of ice time.
When Zegras eventually makes his return to the active roster, he will have much more responsibility upon his shoulders after the team parted with center Adam Henrique at the trade deadline. As Zegras was also mentioned in trade rumors throughout the deadline season, his play down the stretch may impact the offers that the Ducks receive for his services over the summer.
Other West notes:
- After missing the team’s last game due to an illness, the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bruce Cassidy, states that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is feeling better but will be a game-time decision for their game tomorrow night against the Seattle Kraken (X Link). In Pietrangelo’s absence, the team lost an important game to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while still maintaining their grip on the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
- Moving to the Central Division, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that forward Nick Bjugstad will make his return to the lineup tonight for the Arizona Coyotes. This confirms that Bjugstad has shaken off his day-to-day injury designation suffered in the team’s most recent game against the New Jersey Devils. A key offensive contributor for the organization over the last couple of weeks, Bjugstad has scored seven goals and 10 points in his last 13 games for the Coyotes.
- Staying in Arizona, the team has announced they have returned forward Nathan Smith to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Smith was originally recalled via an emergency loan for insurance if Bjugstad could not play tonight. He will return to a Roadrunners team where he has scored nine goals and 27 points in 48 games this season.
Coyotes Likely To Remain At Mullett Arena For 2024-25
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the Coyotes are likely to remain at Tempe’s Mullett Arena for the 2024-25 season (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN). Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo’s current attempt to keep the team in the Phoenix area involves a bid for a public land auction involving a plot in the north part of the city, although the auction won’t occur until June. Next season is the final one in the initial three-year lease the Coyotes signed with Arizona State University to play at the new facility, which also has two one-year extension options.
Daly said the league “probably” wouldn’t have enough time to pivot toward relocation if the bid fails and would punt an effort to move the team to a new market – Salt Lake City is the most likely – to 2025-26. Per Johnston, both Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman did not issue a set deadline on a relocation decision for the franchise, but the former said “it’s getting late” in the process.
The Coyotes’ initial attempt to remain in the market, a multi-use development in Tempe near the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, failed when their proposal was struck down in a public referendum last May. They have since yet to issue a comprehensive plan for a new arena in the region.
Bettman affirmed the league’s faith in Arizona as an NHL market, once again signaling the league will return if relocation becomes a necessity:
We would’ve preferred to be in a new arena by now, but there are certain things that couldn’t be controlled. We would’ve preferred that the referendum in Tempe went the other way, but it didn’t, and so we deal with what we can deal with. Having said that, we believe Arizona, particularly the greater Phoenix area, is a good NHL market. It’s a place we want to be.
In the unlikely event that the Coyotes lose the auction and have no serviceable Plan B lined up, it’s hard to imagine the league issuing them any more patience. If so, the franchise will likely not take advantage of their extension options on the Mullett lease and move to either Salt Lake City or another market with demonstrated interest, such as Atlanta or Houston, for the 2025-26 season.
Bjugstad Listed As Day-To-Day
Defenseman Tyler Myers is one of several Canucks veterans that are set to hit the open market in July and the team won’t be able to afford to keep all of them. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (audio link) that the veteran has told his agent that he’d like to remain with Vancouver. The 34-year-old is in his fifth season with the Canucks and while his $6MM price point is above market value, he’s still logging important minutes, especially on the penalty kill where he ranks second in shorthanded ATOI. While a $6MM contract isn’t likely coming his way this summer, Myers should still command interest from several teams on a multi-year deal which should help land him a contract somewhat close to that price tag.
More from the Western Conference:
- Still with Vancouver, while Canucks fans were likely hoping that top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki would join AHL Abbotsford for the stretch run, that might not be the case. In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link), GM Patrik Allvin indicated that there is a possibility that the 19-year-old could play for Sweden at the Worlds in May. In that case, they’d likely not bring Lekkerimaki to North America and let him vie for a spot on that team. The 15th overall pick in 2022 had 31 points in 46 games with SHL Orebro this season.
- Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom has missed the last week with a lower-body injury but it appears he won’t be out much longer. Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg relays (Twitter link) that the veteran netminder has resumed skating and a return to the lineup on Saturday versus Vancouver is possible. The 34-year-old was featured prominently in trade speculation at the trade deadline thanks to a strong season that has seen him put up a 2.68 GAA and a .910 SV% in 41 games so far.
- Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad is listed as day-to-day and his availability for Wednesday’s game against Dallas is uncertain, notes team reporter Patrick Brown (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has done well in his second stint in Arizona this season, collecting 17 goals along with 20 assists in 67 games so far. The uncertainty over his availability is what resulted in Nathan Smith’s recall earlier today.
Coyotes Recall Nathan Smith
The Coyotes recalled forward Nathan Smith from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on Monday, according to a team announcement. It’s his first recall of the season. The move comes under emergency conditions, meaning the Coyotes may be without a second regular forward in addition to Barrett Hayton (lower-body, day-to-day) for Wednesday’s game against the Stars.
Arizona picked up the signing rights to Smith, 25, in a trade with the Jets in 2022 that saw the Coyotes take on the remainder of center Bryan Little‘s contract, who last played in the 2019-20 season but will not play again due to a ruptured eardrum. The former Minnesota State University standout and 2022 Olympian with the United States signed a two-year entry-level deal shortly thereafter and re-upped on a one-year, two-way deal ($775K/$115K/$165K) upon expiry last summer.
Smith is settling into professional life after a disappointing campaign with Tucson last year. He’s already matched 2022-23’s point total in 16 fewer games and has improved defensively, recording nine goals and 27 points with an even rating in 48 games. He hasn’t played in the NHL since a four-game call-up in March last year.
In 14 career NHL appearances over the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, Smith recorded two goals, two assists, and a -2 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The Tampa native is a natural center but struggled in the faceoff dot during his NHL stints, winning 40.5% of his draws.
Smith is still waiver-exempt, although that will lapse next season if the Coyotes opt to bring him back. If they choose to issue him a qualifying offer, he’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer.
Nick Bjugstad Leaves Game With Injury
Alec Martinez is finally back on the ice for practice for the Vegas Golden Knights a short while after being placed on the team’s injured reserve (X Link). Given that he was not in a non-contact jersey this afternoon, it is reasonable to assume that Martinez should be back in the lineup for the Golden Knights soon.
Once Martinez officially returns to the lineup for Vegas, the team will have a really good problem to have. After acquiring Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames on March 7th, the Golden Knights have put themselves in a position to place Martinez on the team’s bottom-pairing comfortably.
Unfortunately, this return likely spells the end of consistent playing time for either Nicolas Hague or Zach Whitecloud. Unless the team opts to run with seven defensemen, either Hague or Whitecloud will serve as a healthy scratch as the Golden Knights look to hang on to the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Other injury notes:
- After missing the team’s game against the Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury, it appears that Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek may not join the team on their upcoming road trip to California. Joe Smith of The Athletic reported that Eriksson Ek is still considered day-to-day, and the team was waiting to see how he responded to the next couple of days of practice.
- Earlier this evening, when the Arizona Coyotes matched up against the New Jersey Devils, Nick Bjugstad left the game after having only accrued 7:24 of ice time and did not return (X Link). It will be a tough blow to a Coyotes lineup if Bjugstad is unable to play for the foreseeable future, as he has recently been a focal point of their lineup. In the last 12 games, Bjugstad has scored seven goals and 10 points in total, averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per night.