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Coyotes Still Waiting For The "Right Assets" In Chychrun Talks

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The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Dallas Stars phenom Jason Robertson taking the top spot following his back-to-back hat trick efforts. Robertson had seven goals in three games for the week and now has 46 goals and 100 points in his first 100 NHL contests. While he’s shooting an incredible 20.4 percent this season, the 22-year-old is proving he’s no fluke and should be among the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons for years to come.

The second and third spots went to Nick Schmaltz and Igor Shesterkin respectively, with outstanding weeks of their own. The Arizona Coyotes forward had an incredible seven-point night against the Ottawa Senators and has been playing huge minutes over the last few weeks, really stepping back into the offensive role he carried earlier in his career. Shesterkin meanwhile continued his historic season with three more wins and actually raised his save percentage to .942 on the year. Shesterkin leads in almost every goaltending category so far and has a 28-6-3 record to go with it.

  • The Toronto Six, a PHF franchise that came into existence in 2020, has been sold to a new ownership group that includes former NHL player Anthony Stewart, Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James and former NHL coach Ted Nolan. The Six are currently in first place in the PHF with a 13-2-1 record on the year and are next in action on March 12.
  • The Coyotes still prefer to not trade Jakob Chychrun, according to general manager Bill Armstrong who spoke with The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco, but they won’t be turning down any calls. Armstrong admitted that “if someone were to offer the right assets” they would be interested in moving Chychrun, even if the “preference” is to not. Earlier this season, reports emerged suggesting that the asking price was quite high, an ask that obviously hasn’t been met to this point.

Arizona Coyotes Extend Liam O’Brien

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The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have signed forward Liam O’Brien to a two-year contract extension (link). As per club policy, the terms of the contract have not been made available at this time. O’Brien had signed a one-year deal with the Coyotes back on July 28, 2021, and would have become a UFA after this season. PuckPedia reports that the contract will carry a cap hit of $775K.

O’Brien has been a bright spot for the Coyotes and their fans this year. While he has just two goals and one assist in 37 games for Arizona this season, he does lead the NHL in penalty minutes with 106 and is second on the team with 131 hits. Coyotes’ GM Bill Armstrong described O’Brien as a “hard-working player with great character who is always there to support his teammates.”

The O’Brien extension is the second handed out by the Coyotes this weekend, having extended forward Travis Boyd yesterday. While these players may not be the building blocks of the Coyotes rebuild, the club has made clear that they want to keep parts of their veteran core in place, presumably to help develop and move along the future young core of this team, especially as it transitions to its temporary home at Arizona State University. The extensions also represent a willingness of current Coyotes players who are comfortable signing on to continue their stay in Arizona despite the many changes ahead of them.

Arizona Coyotes Extend Travis Boyd

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When the Arizona Coyotes signed Travis Boyd to a one-year, minimum salary contract this offseason, they certainly did not believe that they were signing their top line center. Yet, that is exactly what has happened in the desert this season as Boyd emerged as the best fit between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz for the rebuilding club. The ’Yotes didn’t want to let the surprise standout slip away as an unrestricted free agent this summer; they have announced a new two-year deal with Boyd, rewarding him with a $1.75MM AAV that becomes the highest of his career.

Boyd, 28, is enjoying a career year in 2021-22 and has only played in 46 games. His 10 goals and 24 points are already career marks and he has reached new heights defensively as well. He is closing in on new highs in assists and games played and it is virtually impossible for his current 16:23 average time on ice not to stand as a career best.  Beyond just personal success, Boyd is also among the top five in per-game goals and points among Coyotes forwards – a place he has never been close to previously in his NHL career.

Of course, Boyd’s role on the Coyotes would not be occurring anywhere else in the NHL but with the league’s most shallow roster. This lends itself to why Arizona’s “No. 1 center” commands only a sub-$2MM cap hit. Nevertheless, Boyd has risen to the occasion for the ’Yotes this season and – while for the good of the franchise the hope is that he does not remain in a first line role for much longer – the team knows they can trust him moving forward.

Arizona Asked For Knight In Chychrun Talks

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One of the most interesting notes in Frank Seravalli’s latest for Daily Faceoff is a report that the Arizona Coyotes brought up Spencer Knight from the Florida Panthers in negotiation for Jakob Chychrun earlier this season. The Panthers have turned down anything regard Knight, according to Seravalli, as the top prospect continues to play in the minor leagues.

It’s natural to wonder about Knight’s future in Florida, given the presence of Sergei Bobrovsky and his contract that extends through 2025-26, but the 20-year-old netminder is still an incredibly valuable asset that’s just getting his feet wet in professional hockey. Through 18 games with the Panthers this season he has a .898 save percentage but his time will come before long.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas met with media today in Hamilton, at the site of the upcoming Heritage Classic game against Buffalo and cleared up some of the trade speculation around his team. The executive is not considering a goaltender addition at this point despite Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek’s recent struggles, and his focus is still on a defenseman, not a forward. With Jake Muzzin still hopefully coming back before the end of the season, Dubas explained that the team isn’t likley to make multiple moves at the deadline.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have made another addition, hiring Adam Nicholas as director of hockey development. The founder of Stride Envy, a skill and skating development company, he has a resume that includes time with the Maple Leafs, the Chicago Steel of the USHL and UMass-Lowell.

Matias Maccelli Coul Get Top-Six Minutes Next Season

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There’s no doubt that the Buffalo Sabres will be sellers once again at this year’s Trade Deadline, but there have been many questions posed about how many desirable assets the Sabres actually have. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta can report, though, that Buffalo is “taking calls” on a good portion of their defense core, including Colin Miller, Mark Pysyk, Robert Hagg, and Will Butcher, who are all pending unrestricted free agents. Miller and Pysyk especially have had good results this season, and could command at least a mid-round pick and pose as solid depth for contending teams. The team has also received interest in power-play specialist and pending restricted free agent Victor Olofsson, per Pagnotta. While it may seem surprising that the Sabres would currently be willing to deal a young forward, it looks like Olofsson’s inconsistency and poor defensive play are making the Sabres front office question his future with the team.

More notes from the league on a sleepy Thursday:

  • Matias Maccelli, who’s torn up the AHL this season with the Tucson Roadrunners, is making his NHL debut tonight for the Arizona Coyotes and rightfully so. He’s not exactly a household name, even among prospect aficionados, but the organization is high on him, said general manager Bill Armstrong in a radio appearance today. He’ll come into the team’s training camp next season with the chance to start the season in the team’s top six. He’s getting a look there tonight, as well, lining up alongside Alex Galchenyuk and Phil Kessel for his NHL debut. Maccelli has 14 goals and 41 assists for 55 points in 42 AHL games.
  • A relative rarity nowadays, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was ejected near the end of the second period from tonight’s game against Pittsburgh after getting into a verbal spat with referee Wes McCauley. It’s something to watch out for in the coming days, as the incident will likely be followed up with a fine from the NHL.

Matias Maccelli Recalled From AHL

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Just three games grace the NHL schedule this evening, including a battle between two of the league’s best goal scorers. Auston Matthews, currently the leader in the Rocket Richard race with 37 goals, heads to Washington to take on Alex Ovechkin (32 goals) and the Capitals. Matthews won his first Rocket last season after Ovechkin had taken home the trophy in seven of the eight previous years. Has the torch been passed? Or does the 36-year-old eventually get his tenth trophy? As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Vitek Vanecek as expected after he got into one conditioning game with the Hershey Bears yesterday. Vanecek has been injured for the past month but is ready to return to the Capitals’ crease and lessen the load on partner Ilya Samsonov.
  • Morgan Frost is once again on his way back to the minor leagues. The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Frost to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he will presumably continue his season in the AHL. The 22-year-old was selected 27th overall in 2017 and has just 52 NHL games to his name so far, recording 30 of those this season with inconsistent results.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Jake Christiansen under emergency conditions, giving them an extra defenseman for tomorrow’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Christiansen, 22, has played in three games for the Blue Jackets this season, his first taste of the NHL.

Central Division

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned Josiah Slavin and Isaak Phillips to the minor leagues, given they don’t play again until Thursday. Phillips is still looking for his first point at the NHL level after making his debut and appearing in four games so far. The 20-year-old defenseman made a meteoric rise through the ranks after being a fifth-round pick in 2020, and has 13 points in 38 games for the Rockford IceHogs this season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Matias Maccelli from the AHL, a fourth-round pick who has dominated in his first year of North American pro hockey. The 21-year-old has 55 points in 42 games for the Tucson Roadrunners, continuing his blistering development since that 2019 draft.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have assigned Dylan Samberg and C.J. Suess to the AHL, suggesting that the former is ready to come off injured reserve and the latter ready to return to minor league action. Samberg hasn’t played a game at either level for more than a month, and will likely need some time to get his legs back under him before getting another chance in the NHL.

Pacific Division

  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from the AHL, after playing yesterday with just 11 forwards. To accomplish it, Kris Russell was moved to long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Malone, signed to an NHL contract partway through the year, has yet to make his season debut for the Oilers.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Santeri Hatakka from the AHL, after Mario Ferraro went on injured reserve. Ferraro is expected to miss six to eight weeks, meaning there could be an extended look for some of the team’s even younger defenders.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Coyotes’ Liam O’Brien Listed As Week-To-Week

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The Arizona Coyotes tweeted today that forward Liam O’Brien is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury that he sustained last Friday during the team’s game versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

Largely a career AHLer, O’Brien has worked his way into a full-time NHL role with the Coyotes this season as one of the few enforcers left in the league. Getting into 37 games with Arizona this year, easily a career-high, O’Brien has two goals and an assist for three points. He leads the league with 106 penalty minutes.

With O’Brien out, it’s likely a chance for veteran Riley Nash to get into the lineup on a more frequent basis as the team tries to showcase him ahead of the Trade Deadline. Claimed off waivers earlier in the season, Nash has two assists in 41 NHL games this year.

It could also be an opportunity for the team’s youngsters such as Jan Jenik or Ben McCartney to earn another call-up from AHL Tucson as the team tries to evaluate which prospects could make the NHL full-time in 2022-23.

Trade Candidate: Phil Kessel

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With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we continue our look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and March 21st.

Over the summer, the Coyotes moved out several veterans and really dove into their long-term rebuilding project.  However, one veteran that wasn’t moved out at that time was winger Phil Kessel.  With playoff-bound teams looking to add some scoring depth between now and the trade deadline, it stands to reason that there’s a good chance that Kessel will be on the move in the coming weeks.

Contract

Kessel is in the final season of his deal that carries a $8MM cap hit.  $5MM of his money owing for this season was paid out in a signing bonus while his base salary is only $1MM.  Toronto is retaining 15% of that amount so Arizona’s cap hit is $6.8MM.  The contract also contains an eight-team no-trade clause.

2021-22

It has been a tough year for many Coyotes as Arizona sits in the basement of the Western Conference.  It wouldn’t necessarily be fair to lump Kessel in with that majority, however.  His goal total is down but his assist numbers are the best they’ve been in the desert.  As a result, he sits second on the team in scoring behind Clayton Keller.

Despite several of their top players moving, it hasn’t really resulted in an increase in ice time for the 34-year-old which is in contrast to their other higher-scoring forwards.  Keller is averaging more than three minutes a game more, so is Lawson Crouse, and Travis Boyd (who wasn’t with Arizona last year) is logging over four minutes a night higher as he has gotten the type of opportunity that eluded him in the past.  Kessel, meanwhile, is averaging 13 seconds per game more than last year.

Unsurprisingly, his utilization is the same as usual – lots of power play time and the rest at five on five.  Wherever he winds up going, that should stay intact as he’s never going to be the type of player that kills penalties and plays in key defensive situations but in offensive areas, he can still contribute.

Season Stats

51 GP, 6 goals, 27 assists, 33 points, -11 rating, 18 PIMS, 109 shots, 17:18 TOI, 48.0 CF%

Potential Suitors

Most contenders don’t have the ability to take on $6.8MM in a trade but Arizona has one retention slot left (Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Darcy Kuemper are the two they’ve used) and with his salary being as low as it is, it’s likely that the Coyotes will be open to using that last slot to retain half of the cap hit to help facilitate a move.  Worth noting, Toronto’s retention means that Kessel isn’t eligible for the double-retention move we’ve seen some teams make the last couple of seasons but there should still be some interest.

In the East, the Rangers have the cap space to go after Kessel.  While shoring up their bottom six is a priority, adding Kessel would allow them to push someone else down into that lower group which would still serve as an upgrade and he’d be an interesting shooter with Artemi Panarin on the opposite wing.  The Panthers seem to be thinking big but Kessel would work as a fallback option, bolstering what is an already very strong offensive squad.  If the Bruins strike out on some of their targets, a reunion with Kessel would make sense in terms of shoring up their production on the wing but would both sides be open to that?

There are more fits out West.  Like the Rangers, the Predators have ample cap space and someone like Kessel would bolster what has been a middle-of-the-pack attack.  The Wild are basically stuck looking at rentals with their buyout penalties looming large for next season and while they’re already one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, they could double down on their strengths and deepen their attack.  The Pacific Division also has some reasonable options.  If Anaheim looks to add, they have ample cap space and could certainly use some extra offensive depth.  The Sharks are currently out but if they can win a few games to get back into the race, they’d be a good fit as well.  The Kings currently have the space right now with their LTIR situation and would benefit from more firepower but their ability to add largely hinges on Alexander Edler’s situation.

Likelihood Of A Trade

There probably isn’t going to be a significant market for Kessel with the contract and as he is someone that’s going to be more of a secondary option than a primary target, it may take a while for it to materialize.  But assuming the acquisition cost winds up in the mid-round pick range, the veteran should be on the move at some point before the deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Arizona Coyotes Extend Dysin Mayo

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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.

Bruins Acquire Rights To Michael Callahan

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The Bruins have added some prospect depth, acquiring the rights to blueliner Michael Callahan from Arizona in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2024.  Both teams have announced the trade.

The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Coyotes (142nd overall) back in 2018 and is in his fourth and final season with Providence of the NCAA.  Callahan is in his third season as captain of the Friars but is having a quieter season offensively with three goals and 11 assists in 34 games.  By comparison, he had 28 points in 34 contests two years ago.  Over his four years with Providence, he has 13 goals and 53 helpers in 134 games.

This move suggests that Arizona either didn’t want to sign Callahan by the August 15th deadline or the blueliner had indicated he didn’t want to sign with them.  By doing this, GM Bill Armstrong recoups a draft pick, albeit one that’s two rounds lower than the one that he was drafted in.  Meanwhile, Boston believes they can sign the Massachusetts native and if they can, that’s a low price to pay for a prospect defender.

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