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Arizona Coyotes Sign Jason Zucker

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The Arizona Coyotes have made some noise on the free agent market, inking winger Jason Zucker to a one-year $5.3MM deal per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Yesterday evening, Craig Morgan of PHNX put out an article detailing General Manager Bill Armstrong’s approach to the opening up of free agency. Grabbing a quote, Armstrong said, “Our approach in free agency is to make our team better for tomorrow, but not worse in three to four years. We don’t want the deals that we do today to take away from deals that we could be doing when we’re really good so there’s some short-term deals to be had.”

Keeping that frame of reference in mind, this deal for Zucker entirely fits the mold of what the Coyotes are trying to accomplish. Not only does this deal make the team better in the short-term, but the ability to trade Zucker at the deadline for assets is important for the team as well in the midst of their rebuild.

In a career that will now span over 13 seasons, Zucker has only played for two teams, the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins. Acquired at the 2019-20 deadline by Pittsburgh, Zucker did not take off offensively until this past season. Reaching his highest scoring totals since the 2017-18 season, Zucker scored 27 goals and 21 assists in 78 games for the Penguins this year.

Zucker immediately becomes one of the team’s best forward options, able to play both sides of the wing. Primarily leaning heavily into goal-scoring, Zucker should benefit well from the high-level playmaking ability of Clayton Keller on the opposite wing. Zucker is also a physical player as well, throwing 197 hits last year in Pittsburgh, giving Arizona the opportunity to move him anywhere throughout the lineup.

Unless his plays completely fall off the rails, or the Coyotes take a major leap in the standings next year, it is unlikely that Zucker will finish the year in Arizona. In the meantime, the Coyotes improve in the short-term, while also adding to their trade arsenal come next trade deadline season.

Troy Stecher Returning To Arizona Coyotes

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Defenseman Troy Stecher is returning to the Arizona Coyotes on a one-year deal worth $1.1MM, per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg.

Bringing Stecher back into the fold provides the Coyotes with a defenseman with more than 250 games of NHL experience, and he immediately becomes the most veteran player slated to take a spot in their top six. It also gives the player some familiarity after he’d played with four different teams in the past two seasons.

At one point a very solid two-way defender, Stecher’s play largely fell off with Arizona after signing as a free agent before last season, posting just seven assists in 61 games. He did, however, show signs of life after a late-season trade to Calgary, where he matched his point total with the Coyotes in just 20 appearances, although he still didn’t quite manage to capture his previous level of proficiency on the defensive side of the game.

He should slot right back into a third-pairing role, battling for playing time with Victor Soderstrom, Joshua Brown, and Michael Kesselring among Coyotes right-shot defenders.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Cameron Crotty

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After deciding not to issue him a qualifying offer, the Arizona Coyotes have kept defenseman Cameron Crotty in the organization regardless. The team announced a one-year, two-way contract for the 24-year-old today. Per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, he’ll earn $775K in the NHL and $90K in the minors next season.

Standing at a rather imposing 6-foot-3 and weighing 212 pounds, Crotty maintained a bottom-of-the-lineup role for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners last season, playing in 64 games. The Ottawa, Ontario product registered a goal and 12 assists for 13 points, a career-high.

Crotty has spent the last three seasons in Tucson since completing his collegiate career at Boston University, amassing six goals, 20 assists, and 26 points in 164 games from 2020-21 onwards. He was selected by the Coyotes in the third round, 82nd overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft directly out of the CCHL, a Canadian Junior A league.

He’ll be a restricted free agent again with arbitration rights in 2024.

Arizona Coyotes Targeting New Year's Day For New Arena Proposal

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Speculation regarding a potential reunion between the Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has been put to rest. A league source tells Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic that the 34-year-old is expected to hit the free-agent market this Saturday.

Some had wondered whether a Shattenkirk return made sense for Anaheim, given the patchwork state of their largely inexperienced defense. Aside from longtime Duck Cam Fowler, none of Anaheim’s projected top six defensemen to start the year are over the age of 25, and Simon Benoit leads the rest in NHL games played with 137. Shattenkirk is finishing up a three-year, $11.7MM deal he signed with the Ducks in 2020, and he won’t command a raise on his previous AAV of $3.9MM. Still a serviceable defender, there are much worse options out there for teams looking to bolster their second or third pairings and special teams units.

After lifting the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020, Shattenkirk went on to record 14 goals, 63 assists, and 77 points in 212 games with the Ducks, averaging 20:37 per game and posting a -37 rating across three seasons.

More from the West:

  • The Arizona Coyotes remain engaged in discussions regarding potential locations for a new arena, focusing on six sites in the East Valley of the Phoenix metro area, according to team president Xavier Gutierrez. The Coyotes aim to avoid a public referendum, as experienced with the unsuccessful Tempe proposal, and plan to present their finalized plan to the NHL by January 1, 2024. Gutierrez emphasized the team’s commitment to constructing a state-of-the-art facility that encompasses an arena, practice rink, entertainment venues, retail shops, and more, with the goal of providing a premier fan experience – all things the team was hoping to achieve with their failed entertainment district-type plan in Tempe.
  • Speculation continues around the future of the Vancouver Canucks defense corps after the team bought out Oliver Ekman-Larsson earlier this month. Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Canucks have an expected interest in Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, who will likely become a free agent on Saturday. Seravalli also believes the Canucks have engaged in discussions regarding a potential trade involving Tyler Myers, which would clear an additional $6MM of cap space by moving the final season of the 33-year-old defenseman’s contract.

Arizona Coyotes Re-Sign Ryan McGregor

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced a one-year, two-way contract extension for pending restricted free agent Ryan McGregor. The financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

The former captain and star forward for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, McGregor was a sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2017 draft. He didn’t earn an entry-level deal with Toronto, but did manage to get an ATO with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. After his final OHL campaign in 2019-20 McGregor signed an entry-level contract with the Coyotes.

McGregor, now 24 years old, scored 18 point in 34 games in his first pro season with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. After he missed most of the 2021-22 campaign due to injuries, McGregor managed to get into Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin’s lineup 59 times, scoring 18 points.

He set a career-high of 12 goals in that span, and while he remains a long way from NHL viability this extension gives McGregor another year to develop his game in the AHL. He’ll now have an extra year to distance himself from his past injury issues and hope to make a sustained push for a greater role in the Roadrunners’ lineup.

Poll: What Has Been The Most Impactful Pre-Draft Trade?

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The 2023 NHL Draft is now only three days away, and there has already been a flurry of activity in the NHL trade market. Yesterday, we saw the Colorado Avalanche acquire Ryan Johansen from the Nashville Predators, and the Arizona Coyotes acquire Sean Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings. Following up on those deals, there is heavy expectation that the St. Louis Blues will acquire Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Carolina Hurricanes will add back Anthony DeAngelo to their lineup. If yesterday didn’t bring enough action, it’s also expected that the Kings are close to acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets.

After losing Nazem Kadri to the Calgary Flames last offseason, the Avalanche had a very difficult time replacing the void left by Kadri on the team’s second forward line. Throughout this past season, Colorado originally tried to patrol Alex Newhook in that role, but after failing to live up to expectations, J.T. Compher was thrust into that role. Compher did excel, scoring 17 goals and 35 assists this season, the best statistical performance of his career. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, Compher is set to enter unrestricted free agency, and Colorado may not have the cap space to retain him.

By acquiring Johansen from the Predators, the Avalanche clearly wanted to make an outside move to complete their second line. This past season, Johansen did not play particularly well, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists in 55 games, having his season ended by a foot injury in February. However, the year prior, Johansen was a proficient offensive player in Nashville, scoring 26 goals and 37 assists.

Sticking in the Central Division, the expected acquisition of Hayes for the Blues should fill the void left behind by Ryan O’Reilly last season. Hayes has very much had an up-and-down career, having much of his time spent in Philadelphia hampered by injuries. This past season, he did have the best offensive output so far with the Flyers, scoring 18 goals and 36 assists in 81 games. It was well known that Hayes and head coach John Tortorella sparred quite consistently, and it was becoming more and more clear that his time in Philadelphia would be coming to an end.

In Los Angeles, the Kings’ trade of Durzi largely indicated that the team was trying to move out money to acquire better talent. In Durzi, Los Angeles largely had a defenseman that was exceptional at moving the puck but was not as responsible on the defensive side of the game. He did score 38 points last year for the Kings, but the underlying defensive metrics were not positive. Opening up $1.7MM with that trade, it has now been reported that the Kings are expected to acquire Dubois, as well as sign him to an extension. Not only will this move allow the Kings to strengthen their second line, but by being able to move Phillip Danault to the third-line center position, Los Angeles may be one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference.

Lastly, the Hurricanes are bringing back a familiar face, as reports indicate that Carolina and Philadelphia are working on a trade. Last offseason, the Hurricanes felt that DeAngelo’s asking price on his next contract was too rich for their blood, and moved him to the Flyers for three draft picks. By acquiring DeAngelo, Carolina now has four defensemen set to hit unrestricted free agency next season, even though it does strengthen their blue line for next year.

After all the moves up to this point, which player do you think will have the biggest impact on their next team?

Arizona Coyotes Extend Connor Ingram

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June 25th: The Coyotes have officially announced the deal. In regards to the signing, General Manager in Arizona, Bill Armstrong, said, “Connor is a good young goaltender who played well for us last season. He and Karel Vejmelka provided us with a strong goaltending tandem. We look forward to having him back between the pipes.”

June 24th: Set to hit restricted free agency this summer, the Arizona Coyotes have done a bit of work to give them some clarity in net, signing Connor Ingram to a three-year extension. The deal will be a three-year, $5.85MM contract extension, paying Ingram a total of $1.95MM each season in the NHL.

Most importantly with Ingram’s deal, it actually buys out two years of potential unrestricted free agency for the netminder. Already having Karel Vejmelka signed until the 2024-25 season, the Coyotes will likely roll with these two for next year at the very least. Ideally, Arizona would like goaltending prospect Ivan Prosvetov to make the full-time leap to the NHL but must have felt that the young goaltender still needed a bit more seasoning at the minor-league level.

Originally drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ingram never managed to make the jump to the NHL in southwest Florida. He was traded to the Nashville Predators during the 2018-19 season, spending much of his time with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Last season, he finally managed to make the jump to the professional league in Nashville, posting a 1-2-0 record in three games, achieving a .879 SV% and a 3.71 GAA.

Before the start of this past season, Ingram was waived by Nashville, being claimed by the Coyotes. Now playing in the net for a statistically worse team, Ingram had the benefit of having much more access to ice time than he previously had. In 27 games for the Coyotes, Ingram went 6-13-8, earning a .907 SV% and a 3.37 GAA, much better numbers than his cup of coffee with the Predators a year prior.

It is most likely that Vejmelka will once again be the starting goaltender in Arizona at the beginning of next season, but Ingram does give the team a reliable backup option. There is absolutely no indication that the Coyotes are planning for contention next year, so Ingram can take this time to boost his stock for his next round of free agency in three years.

Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports was the first to report that the Arizona Coyotes had extended Ingram. 

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report the contract details for Ingram. 

Coyotes Acquire Sean Durzi

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The Coyotes are expected to be buyers this summer, looking to add pieces that might be around for a few years.  They’ve found one of those players as they have acquired defenseman Sean Durzi from the Kings.  Los Angeles receives a 2024 second-round pick (Montreal’s) in return.  Arizona GM Bill Armstrong released the following statement about the move:

Sean is a reliable two-way defenseman who has good vision and contributes offensively. He will be a very good addition to our blue line and we look forward to having him on our roster this season.

The 24-year-old had a strong sophomore season in 2022-23, picking up nine goals and 29 assists in 72 games for the Kings while logging just shy of 20 minutes a night.  That was good enough to finish second on Los Angeles in scoring by a defenseman behind only Drew Doughty.  His production, however, dipped in their opening-round loss to Edmonton as he scored just once while seeing his ATOI drop by nearly four minutes.

Durzi has one year left on his contract with a more than reasonable $1.7MM AAV.  On top of that, he has two more seasons of team control after next year, meaning that he will be under Arizona’s control through the 2025-26 campaign.  He will immediately become the Coyotes’ top-paid blueliner, a sign of how much change their back end has undergone recently.  A right-shot defender, Durzi could be counted on to play on Arizona’s top pairing next season, depending on what else they accomplish in the coming weeks.  That should give him a chance to have a bigger role offensively which could set him up quite nicely for a significant raise on his current contract.  Getting a player in that role for a future second-rounder is certainly a nice piece of business for Armstrong, especially since they still have eight second-rounders over the next three drafts.  Even after the move, Arizona has some work to do to get to the cap floor let alone coming anywhere close to next year’s projected Upper Limit of $83.5MM.

As for the Kings, GM Rob Blake is dealing from a strong spot as Los Angeles has some promising offensive blueliners in their system.  Jordan Spence had a dominant year at AHL Ontario with 45 points in 56 games and could be ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL.  Meanwhile, Brandt Clarke, who spent the first few months of this past season with the Kings, finished up strong with OHL Barrie and could push for a full-time role in 2023-24.  Both players are on entry-level contracts at about half of Durzi’s cost, meaning the move not only lands them what projects to be a decent second-rounder a year from now but also frees up some cap flexibility.  With the swap, they now have a little over $9MM in cap space, per CapFriendly, with at least four roster spots to fill including a starting goaltender.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report (Twitter links) both that Durzi was going to Arizona and the draft pick return.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

No Truth To The Josh Bailey To Arizona Rumor

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Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets is reporting that the NHL and NHLPA will not be negotiating a higher increase to the 2023-24 NHL salary cap meaning that it appears the cap will be set at $83.5MM. The $1MM increase will be a disappointment to a lot of teams that are pressed up against the cap, while teams with ample room under it will have an opportunity to weaponize their space and acquire assets for bad contracts.

Two weeks ago, Joe Smith of The Athletic laid out the case for a larger cap increase this offseason but it appears the NHL and the players association have opted for one more season with a modest increase. The players are expected to pay off the debt they incurred from the 2020-21 and with that there are a lot of people in the hockey community who believe that the cap could increase by more than $4MM for the 2024-25 season, which would be an absolute boon for players hitting free agency 12 months from now.

In other evening news:

  • Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports tweeted today that there is no truth to the rumors that the Arizona Coyotes have interest in New York Islanders forward Josh Bailey. While a cap dump to Arizona does make sense for the Islanders given Bailey’s recent play, they might have to cough up significant assets in order to facilitate a trade to move on from Bailey. The once productive forward struggled last season posting just eight goals and 17 assists in 64 games and has become a regular on most pundits lists of players who will be bought out. Bailey’s contract was frontloaded so while his cap hit will be $5MM next season, his actual salary owed is just $3.5MM.
  • The KHL’s Admiral Vladivostok announced today that they have signed Canadian forward Tyler Graovac to a one-year contract. The Brampton native was drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild and spent four seasons in their system split between the AHL and NHL putting up 12 goals and three assists in 84 NHL games. He will be entering his third season in the KHL after spending last year with Podolsk Vityaz where he put up nine goals and 11 assists in 49 games.

Coyotes Sign Michael Carcone To Extension

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In a press release, the Arizona Coyotes have announced that they have signed forward Michael Carcone to a two-year, $1.55MM contract extension. It will be a one-way deal for Carcone, who was scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in a few weeks.

Without many games under his belt at the NHL level, Carcone could still see some ice time for the Coyotes this upcoming season in case of injury to the typical roster. Signed out of juniors by the Vancouver Canucks back in 2016, Carcone has played 30 games in the NHL, all in Arizona, scoring six goals and three assists.

Even though Carcone hasn’t been much of a factor for the Coyotes, it is quite easy to tell why Arizona felt the need to extend him before the offseason even started. Not only was he one of the best scorers in the AHL this season, he was statistically the best. In 65 games for the Tuscon Roadrunners, Carcone scored 31 goals and 54 assists, earning him the John B. Sollengerger Trophy.

As well as earning top-scorer honors in the AHL this year, Carcone was also one of three forwards on the 2022-23 AHL First All-Star Team at the season’s end. Eliminated by the eventual Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds in the first round of this year’s Calder Cup playoffs, Tuscon should still be in good shape with Carcone on the roster.

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