Josef Korenar Signs In Czechia
The Arizona Coyotes won’t have Josef Korenar as an option in net next season, as the young netminder has signed a two-year contract with HC Sparta in Czechia. The team will still be able to retain his rights with a qualifying offer, but won’t see him on this side of the ocean for a while.
Korenar, 24, was acquired from the San Jose Sharks along with a second-round pick in exchange for Adin Hill and a seventh last summer, after he had made his underwhelming NHL debut in the 2020-21 season. This year he saw some time with the Coyotes as well, appearing in two games and stopping 32 of 35 shots he faced for a .914 save percentage.
The trouble was more in the minor leagues, where Korenar was shelled behind a bad Tucson Roadrunners team and even saw a bit of time in the ECHL. With Karel Vejmelka‘s emergence in the Arizona crease, it seemed likely that the undrafted Korenar would eventually take his talents somewhere else.
In this case, it is back home, where he’s played sparingly since his junior years. The Sharks signed him in 2017 after a strong season with the Lincoln Stars, and he’s played nearly 100 AHL games in the years since. While his rights will be held with a qualifying offer, this may be the last we see of Korenar in the Coyotes organization, as they will expire when he turns 27, just a year after this new contract is complete.
Arizona Coyotes Moving Forward With Tempe Arena Plan
The Tempe City Council has voted to move forward with the Arizona Coyotes and continue negotiations over the development of the proposed arena and entertainment district. While this does not mean an arena deal is agreed to, it is obviously a positive step forward for the Coyotes as they look to find a more permanent home.
The team released the following statement on last night’s decision:
We are extremely pleased that the Tempe City Council has voted to proceed with negotiations on development of the Tempe Entertainment District. Having heard all the facts, they have recognized the incredible opportunity that this project presents — not only for the Coyotes but also for the city of Tempe. We look forward to taking the next steps to turn this exciting vision into a reality.
One note from the meeting that stood out, as Katie Strang and Sean Shapiro of The Athletic write, is that while addressing the team’s long-term vision, Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez suggested ownership is looking at “additional teams to own” in the area. The session–which lasted more than eight hours–also included several financial pledges from Coyotes ownership, messages from Shane Doan and Clayton Keller, and Gary Bettman indicating that if the proposal went forward, the team would sign a 30-year non-relocation document.
The Coyotes are set to play the next three seasons at Arizona State University, in a 5,000-seat facility that has drawn the ire and ridicule of many hockey fans across the country. If this plan moves forward with Tempe, the team would be looking forward to a much more realistic long-term home.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Ronald Knot
June 1: The Coyotes have officially announced the contract, with general manager Bill Armstrong releasing the following statement:
We are very pleased to have Ronald join our organization. He is an experienced defenseman with great size who will add depth to our blue line.
May 31: It appears the Arizona Coyotes have added to their depth, signing free agent defenseman Ronald Knot to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 season (link). The contract is worth $750K at the NHL level and $150K at the AHL level, but does guarantee Knot a minimum of $200K either way. The signing comes at an otherwise quiet time around the league as the playoffs reach their halfway point, however for the rebuilding Coyotes, which have an uncertain future in regards to their rink, an opportunity to bring in a free agent with upside, who could compete for ice-time with the NHL club makes plenty of sense.
At 27 years of age, Knot is no longer a prospect, however a lengthy and solid career in Europe, primarily in Czechia, shows the veteran defenseman is a consistent performer on the back end who could possibly translate his game to the NHL. Knot has played parts of eight seasons in Czechia, debuting with Slavia Praha before moving onto Mlada Boleslav, Chomutov Pirati, and most recently Liberec Bili Tygri in 2019-20 and 2020-21. After recording just 11 points in his first 114 games in Czechia, Knot broke out in 2018-19 with Chomutov, putting up 17 points in 51 games, then another 29 in 101 games over two seasons with Liberec. This season, Knot took another step forward, signing with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik of the KHL and despite stepping up to the KHL level, his production remained roughly the same, recording 17 points in 49 games.
Internationally, Knot has represented Czechia on several occasions, most recently playing in four games at this year’s Olympics and was a member of their team at the 2014 World Junior Championship. Unlike many signings at this time of year, Knot is not a player Arizona will now hope to develop over the next few years; a seasoned veteran in Europe who has proven his game could translate by jumping to the KHL, the Coyotes will give Knot a chance to impress and show that his game can once again translate and work in North America. Though he may not necessarily be a regular for Arizona this year, he will have plenty of eyes on him and a chance to impress an organization in the midst of roster turnover.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Ivan Prosvetov
The Arizona Coyotes have inked goaltender Ivan Prosvetov to a one-year contract, avoiding restricted free agency this summer. The young netminder is coming to the end of his entry-level contract and would not have had arbitration rights. General manager Bill Armstrong released the following statement:
We are very pleased to sign Ivan to a contract extension. He is a big, athletic goaltender who is very talented. We look forward to continuing to watch him develop.
Prosvetov, 23, has made a handful of appearances at the NHL level already, entering the net three times in each of the last two seasons. Selected 114th overall in 2018, the Russian-born netminder had already come to North America to play in the NAHL and USHL before his draft, and then spent the 2018-19 campaign in the OHL. That meant getting him into the organization was no issue, though the results have not followed in the years since.
Through those six NHL appearances, the 6’5″ goaltender has just an .858 save percentage, but it’s his performance at the minor league level that is perhaps more concerning. He posts an .880 save percentage in 45 games this season for the Tucson Roadrunners, a step backward from the numbers he put up in his first two go-rounds. While there is obviously still plenty of potential, Prosvetov will need to start delivering results if he’s to really be in the Coyotes’ plans for the NHL level.
Tempe Set To Discuss Coyotes Arena Plan Next Month
There could be some potential clarity coming on the post-Arizona State University living situation for the Arizona Coyotes. The City Council of Tempe, AZ is set to discuss the team’s proposed arena and entertainment district plan in a June 2 meeting, according to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan.
Earlier this year, the Coyotes closed on a multi-year agreement to play their home games at the new multipurpose arena at ASU. With the capacity at this arena expected to be under 5,000 fans, it’s painstakingly obvious that this isn’t a long-term solution. The team, however, still doesn’t have a solid future after the agreement with the school ends.
Enter Tempe, where the Coyotes have been trying to forge a home for years. The entire point of the ASU agreement is to hopefully build a relationship with the Tempe community, demonstrating to the city that the struggling team is worth housing.
The team is locked into ASU for three seasons with the option for a fourth. If the team wants to ensure they’ll be able to stay in the desert at the end of that deal, time is starting to tick on the Coyotes to get the city of Tempe to approve an arena deal.
Dmitrij Jaskin Receiving KHL Interest
After two very strong seasons with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL, winger Dmitrij Jaskin decided to give the NHL another shot in 2021-22 as he inked a one-year deal with Arizona worth $3.2MM, a surprisingly high sum given his performance in his first NHL stint. Unfortunately, things didn’t go too well and his agent Gleb Chistyakov told Sport-Express in Russia that four KHL teams are showing interest in bringing the pending unrestricted free agent back to Russia.
The 29-year-old got off to a slow start this season with the Coyotes, notching just a single assist in 12 games despite averaging nearly 15 minutes a night. That’s a far cry from being better than a point-per-game player as he was in his two seasons overseas when he finished second and fourth in league scoring. Unfortunately for him and Arizona, Jaskin then suffered a season-ending injury in a knee-on-knee collision with Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki in a game in mid-November.
As a result of his early struggles, the injury, and his limited production in his first NHL stint between St. Louis and Washington, it’s hard to envision Jaskin receiving NHL offers that are anywhere close to what he received from the Coyotes this season. As a result, a return to the KHL where he’d command a top salary makes a lot of sense for him even though it will probably close the door on his NHL career in the process.
Montreal Canadiens Win 2022 NHL Draft Lottery
Beginning this season, the full effect of the changes to the draft lottery rules announced last year are in place. Starting this year, teams can only move up a maximum of 10 spots if they’re selected, meaning teams originally set at picks 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 cannot move up all the way to the first overall pick. A win for one of these teams in the first draft lottery secures the pick for the team that finished last.
The team with the best odds coming in will win the draft lottery for the second straight year, though. The Montreal Canadiens will pick first overall in their own building, the first time such an occurrence has happened since 1985 when the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Wendel Clark at Maple Leaf Gardens. The New Jersey Devils moved up from fifth overall to second overall, bumping down the Arizona Coyotes, Seattle Kraken, and Philadelphia Flyers down one spot each.
The order for the top 16 picks of the 2022 NHL Draft is as follows:
- Montreal Canadiens
- New Jersey Devils
- Arizona Coyotes
- Seattle Kraken
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Columbus Blue Jackets (via Chicago Blackhawks)
- Ottawa Senators
- Detroit Red Wings
- Buffalo Sabres
- Anaheim Ducks
- San Jose Sharks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New York Islanders
- Winnipeg Jets
- Vancouver Canucks
- Buffalo Sabres (via Vegas Golden Knights)
While Shane Wright is still the consensus no. 1 overall selection across public draft boards (and NHL Central Scouting), there’s been recent noise about players like Juraj Slafkovsky and Logan Cooley potentially challenging him for first overall. That’s an upset unlikely to happen, though, as Wright had a terrific second half of the 2021-22 campaign, finishing with 32 goals, 62 assists, and 94 points in 63 games with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. He also has 10 points in eight playoff games at the time of writing. While teams will draft him for his elite playmaking ability, he’s got an underrated shot when he chooses to use it as well. Standout Slovak defenseman Simon Nemec, Czech defenseman David Jiricek, Canadian forward Matthew Savoie, and Finnish forward Joakim Kemell are also names to watch for near the top of the draft board.
Offseason Checklist: Arizona Coyotes
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Arizona.
This season went more or less as expected for the Coyotes. After blowing up their roster over the summer and further cementing their status as a team committed to a long-term rebuild, expectations were low heading into the year and they lived up to them, finishing last in the Western Conference. It seems quite unlikely that their direction will change (beyond playing out of a college arena for next season) and their checklist reflects that as a result.
Add A Second Goalie
One of the bright spots this season was the unexpected emergence of Karel Vejmelka between the pipes. Originally viewed as extra depth, he played his way onto the opening roster and things only got better from there. That earned him a three-year contract extension at the trade deadline and secured part of their goalie tandem for the next few years.
The other half of that pairing remains a work in progress, however. Ivan Prosvetov has struggled in his limited NHL duty, Josef Korenar had a particularly rough season in the minors, and waiver claim Harri Sateri had just a .866 SV% in his six appearances down the stretch. Suffice it to say, the ideal partner for Vejmelka isn’t currently in the organization.
There are two routes the team can take to fill this spot. They can look to add a veteran free agent which is what they did this year when they signed Carter Hutton although setting their sights a little higher this time around would make sense. There are several veteran netminders available once again and adding one of those on a short-term contract would solve the issue in the short term and is a perfectly reasonable way to go. But how attractive will the team be with the direction they’re headed and the fact they won’t be playing out of an NHL-sized facility for a while?
On the other hand, as a team that has shown a willingness to take on unwanted contracts, that has to be a route worth exploring as well. There are some higher-priced starters out there with deals that their teams wouldn’t mind getting out of and it stands to reason that they could tack on some draft picks or prospects as compensation for taking the contract off their hands. That could lead to some longer-term stability at the position with some extra future assets as well.
Chychrun Decision
Last summer, there was an expectation that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was going to be on the move but it never materialized. Then, during the season, reports surfaced that he was available but that the asking price was quite high with those reports mentioning the price as at least three first-round elements or more. He then suffered an ankle injury about a week and a half before the trade deadline which put an end to any thoughts he might be moved.
But now it’s the offseason when it’s easier to trade players with term remaining on their contracts and Chychrun has three years remaining on his deal with a $4.6MM AAV. GM Bill Armstrong stated at the end of the season that a trade involving his top defenseman was something they were going to explore which will only further add fuel to the fire.
However, beyond the summer often yielding more flexibility in roster building, the same problems that existed during the season are still there now. The asking price is almost certain to remain extremely high and while there was speculation that there were teams willing to meet it, the fact a trade didn’t occur means either that wasn’t the case or the price went even higher.
The other is that Chychrun isn’t exactly coming off a strong season. Few Coyotes had good years in 2021-22 but the 24-year-old took a step back although he still managed to put up 21 points in 47 games. There’s certainly a good enough track record to indicate that he can return to form but him getting back to that form in an Arizona uniform would strengthen their negotiating position.
As a result, their biggest decision of the summer is deciding Chychrun’s future. Do they take the best offer they can get for him now or roll the dice and see if he can play his way into increased trade value? At this point, a trade is probably the best move for everyone involved.
Crouse – Trade Or Re-Sign?
One Coyote who did have a strong season was winger Lawson Crouse. The 2015 first-round pick had an increased role under head coach Andre Tourigny and responded with career highs in goals (20) and points (34) despite missing 17 games due to injury. He also contributed physically with nearly 2.8 hits per game. That’s a nice platform year heading into his first year of arbitration eligibility as a restricted free agent.
The 24-year-old still has two years of RFA eligibility remaining since he didn’t get to the 40-game mark in his second professional season in 2016-17 which stopped him from accruing a year towards the seven needed to reach UFA status. A power forward in the prime of his career with a couple of years of team control remaining – that’s the definition of a key part of Arizona’s future plan…or a key trade chip.
The market rate in terms of salary for a core power forward is always quite pricey and it’s probable that Crouse’s camp will be looking at Josh Anderson’s contract (seven years, $5.5MM AAV) as a comparable in any long-term discussions. Is that a price Arizona will want to pay? It’s certainly steep given his track record but at the same time, he’s young enough to still be part of the core when they eventually emerge from their rebuild.
Or, should they cash in when his trade value is probably at its highest? Is there a team out there willing to part with a high-quality prospect to get a young power forward? There probably is. While they’d be running the risk of moving him a little too early (another year like this one in 2022-23 would only increase his trade value), it’d ensure they’d get a solid return and an asset that might line up closer to their young core.
While Chychrun will dominate the discussion surrounding the Coyotes over the next little while, deciding what to do with Crouse is going to be a big part of Arizona’s offseason.
Keep Stockpiling
There will come a time when the Coyotes have too many picks and prospects; they’re already looking ahead to 2024’s draft class with some of their moves. They’re not there yet though. What do all rebuilding teams need to do? Stockpile young assets.
Arizona is starting to run out of significant trade chips, especially if Chychrun and Crouse are moved. However, they can still leverage their cap space. We saw them take on undesirable contracts several times last summer and even got a quality piece in Shayne Gostisbehere who could be a trade chip closer to the 2023 trade deadline. They’ve taken on contracts in the past for players on LTIR and recently did so with Bryan Little. They can still afford to do that to add more picks and prospects and with there being some uncertainty about the level of attractiveness as a free agent with their arena and competitiveness situation, it certainly would help them fill out their roster for next season.
Eventually, some of their picks and prospects will need to be consolidated to help them take some steps forward. Until then, when it comes to future assets, the more, the merrier.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Milos Kelemen
A month after being first linked to him, the Arizona Coyotes have signed Milos Kelemen to a two-year entry-level contract. Kelemen spent this season playing in the Czech league, and will be able to join the Coyotes organization in 2022-23. The deal comes with a cap hit of $817.5K. General manager Bill Armstrong released the following statement:
We are very pleased to have Milos join our organization. He is a big, strong winger with a good scoring touch. We look forward to watching his development next season.
Kelemen, 22, is an undrafted forward that has appeared all over the place the last few years, suiting up in the Czech league, the Slovak league, and the KHL, while also representing Slovakia at the World Juniors and recent Olympics. While some of his performances have been better than others, it was his playoff run this year that was the more impressive, scoring nine goals and 12 points for Mlada Boleslav BK in just 14 games.
Whether he can add anything at the NHL level certainly remains to be seen, but these are the kind of chances that a rebuilding team can take without risk. If he can find a place with the Coyotes, it will have cost them nothing more than the opportunity, and if not, he’ll likely go back overseas. With so few players in the organization signed through next season (and even fewer the year after), Armstrong and the rest of the Coyotes front office will likely be looking to take as many swings as possible to try and find overlooked talent.
Insurance Paperwork And Payout Held Up Weber To Arizona Deal At Trade Deadline
Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri is unsure if he’ll be able to return from his torn ACL in time for next season, relays Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The 26-year-old underwent surgery in late March and recently was able to shed his crutches in April but as he knows from experience, it’s at least six months before he’ll have a chance at playing again. This was the third ACL surgery of Fabbri’s career but the first on his right knee. He will be entering the first season of a three-year, $12MM deal next season on the heels of a pretty good regular season aside from the injury as he had 17 goals and 13 assists in 56 games with Detroit last season.
More from the Atlantic:
- The Maple Leafs have activated goaltender Petr Mrazek off LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). Mrazek suffered a groin injury in late March which pressed Erik Kallgren into duty with Jack Campbell still injured at the time. While he didn’t dress in the second game of their series against Tampa Bay, his return to health will at least give them some extra depth between the pipes. Mrazek had a 3.34 GAA and a .888 SV% in 20 games this season, his first with Toronto.
- The Bruins have signed prospect center Brett Harrison to an ATO, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). The 18-year-old was recently eliminated in the OHL playoffs, paving the way for him to play in the minors with Providence in their playoff run. Harrison was a third-round pick of Boston last year (85th overall) and he had a strong season with OHL Oshawa, notching 27 goals and 34 assists in 65 games with the Generals.
- In an interview with TSN 690 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that an insurance issue prevented the Canadiens from moving Shea Weber’s contract to Arizona at the trade deadline. He cited there was some extra paperwork that had to be completed plus a payout; with so many moving parts in the hours leading up to the deadline, they basically ran out of time. Dreger added that he believes a Weber trade will be able to be done this summer. He has four years left on his deal with a $7.857MM AAV but just $6MM total in remaining salary over that span.