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Arizona Coyotes Sign Conor Timmins

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After acquiring him last month in a deal for Darcy Kuemper, the Arizona Coyotes have signed Conor Timmins to a two-year contract. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the deal will carry an average annual value of $850K. CapFriendly reports that Timmins will make $750,000 in 2021-22 and $950,000 in 2022-23.

Timmins, 22, was the 32nd overall pick in 2017 and looked like he was on the fast track to the NHL after dominating the OHL and the World Juniors through the early part of the 2017-18 season. Unfortunately, he ran into concussion issues that kept him out the entire 2018-19 season, slowing his development in its tracks.

Healthy now and contributing, Timmins played in 31 games for the Colorado Avalanche this year, registering seven assists. He even suited up for 10 playoff games, showing he’d made the jump comfortably to the NHL level. The Avalanche were in desperate need of a goaltender after Philipp Grubauer surprisingly signed with the Seattle Kraken, and Timmins was a price they could reasonably pay given how many other young defensemen they have in the system.

For Arizona though, he represents a brand new kind of asset and a potential long-term partner for Jakob Chychrun. The team has been using veteran defensemen for years, failing to really develop any of their own other than Chychrun and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Timmins comes in at an early enough time in his career that he still represents huge amounts of excess value, if they can coax the best of him out in Arizona. When on his game, Timmins has an elite defensive stick and can move the puck quickly up to his forwards, contributing offensively at times.

At just $850K, he is the perfect mix for a team like Arizona–cheap and young. The team has slashed their payroll dramatically while taking on cap hits that bring them to the lower limit, and need players like Timmins to log big minutes in the rebuild. For the young defenseman, a two-year deal gives him some security while also likely providing him with a chance to play a lot for the Coyotes, setting up a potential payday in arbitration two years from now.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Bokondji Imama For One Year

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The Arizona Coyotes have inked a recent trade acquisition, as the team announced a one-year deal today for forward Bokondji Imama. The deal is a two-way contract, and Craig Morgan reports that it’s worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level.

Imama is inking a deal to join this third NHL organization since being drafted. A bruising, physical winger who’s had some scoring success in the past, Imama was originally drafted in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015. He was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings organization before ever playing a pro game for Tampa, and that’s where he’s spent time before a minor-league swap of players this summer sent him to the desert. Imama’s used his four seasons in the Ontario Reign organization to slowly develop his offensive game while maintaining a physical presence, and he had a career-best 14 points in 31 games this past year.

Imama will inevitably suit up for the Tucson Roadrunners this season, but it’s not inconceivable that Imama will someday suit up for the Coyotes. His physicality could be appealing for a team that will be on the rise in a few years, and Imama could see some more scoring opportunities this year with a depleted Arizona Coyotes depth chart. Increased confidence this season and some scoring development could help ensure that he stays with the organization.

Travis Boyd Signs With Arizona Coyotes

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The Arizona Coyotes signed free agent forward Travis Boyd to a one-year contract, the team tweeted today. Craig Morgan reports that the contract is one-way in nature, and his agent, Ben Hankinson, reports that the deal comes with a cap hit of $750,000.

Boyd, now 27 years old, has yet to truly become a regular in any NHL lineup. With that being said, he’s generally impressed when given the chance. He’s now scored ten points in the NHL for three consecutive seasons, including a 20-point campaign with the Washington Capitals in 2018-19. After impressing again with the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the season (eight points in 20 games), he was picked up by the Vancouver Canucks on waivers, where his game stagnated with just two goals in 19 games.

Boyd will likely be reprising a fourth-line/extra forward role with the Coyotes, but, if he recaptures his offensive touch, could potentially work his way up into third-line minutes and a regular job. It’s a grim outlook for goal-scoring in Arizona, and he could edge out the more defensive-minded Johan Larsson and Jay Beagle for added minutes. How consistently Boyd is able to perform remains to be seen, but it’s a low-risk, solid bet signing for Bill Armstrong and the Coyotes.

Coyotes Re-Sign Dysin Mayo And Blake Speers

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The Coyotes have taken care of two more of their restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of defenseman Dysin Mayo to a one-year, two-way contract and forward Blake Speers to a one-year, two-way deal.  Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.  The team also confirmed the previously reported re-signing of Cam Dineen.

The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2014 (133rd overall) but has spent the entirety of his professional career at the minor league level.  Last season, Mayo played in 35 games with AHL Tucson, collecting a goal and three assists along with 22 PIMS.  While those numbers don’t particularly stand out, he has done enough over his 256 career AHL contests to warrant being qualified last month.

Mayo is waiver-eligible but has cleared in training camp in each of the last two years so there’s a good chance he will pass through unclaimed once again in the fall.  He will serve as depth with the Roadrunners once again and unless he manages to become a regular with the Coyotes in short order, he will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer.

As for Speers, he was acquired from New Jersey as part of the Taylor Hall trade but hasn’t seen any NHL action since his three-game stint in the 2016-17 campaign.  Injuries limited the 24-year-old to just four games with the Roadrunners last season.  He’s also waiver-eligible but a safe bet to clear and will be recallable injury depth for Arizona next season.  Like Mayo, Speers can also become a Group Six UFA next summer.

Coyotes Re-Sign Cam Dineen

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The Coyotes have agreed to terms with one of their remaining free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed defenseman Cam Dineen to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay $750K in the NHL and $90K in the minors.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick of Arizona back in 2016 (68th overall) but has yet to see any NHL action through his first three professional campaigns.  Last season, Dineen played in 22 games with AHL Tucson, notching 10 points in 22 games, just four points shy of his previous career-high in 2019-20 when he played in 57 contests.

Dineen will now be waiver-eligible next season so he’ll have to pass through unclaimed to make it back to the Roadrunners.  That seems like a reasonable expectation but with Arizona’s back end undergoing a major makeover this summer, it’s possible that he could earn himself his first recall at some point in 2021-22.  Dineen will once again be a restricted free agent next offseason.

Coyotes Will Continue To Look For Goalie Help

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Tyler Johnson was acquired by Chicago earlier in the week as a cap dump from Tampa Bay but as he recounted to reporters, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, he was nearly a member of the Blackhawks long before now.  Johnson was never drafted and said that it was “almost a coin flip” between signing with them or the Lightning back in 2011.  The 31-year-old certainly made the wise choice as he won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay and has picked up 361 career NHL points.  After being more of a role player the last couple of seasons, Johnson could have a shot at a top-six spot with Chicago next season and could slot into the spot vacated by Pius Suter who was non-tendered at the beginning of the week and has since signed with Detroit.

More from the Central Division:

  • The four-year contract that the Stars gave Ryan Suter may have raised some eyebrows considering the defenseman is already 36 but if he has his way, he’ll be playing long past this deal. Speaking with reporters including NHL.com’s Tracey Myers, Suter indicated that he believes he can play in the NHL until he’s 45.  That would certainly be an impressive feat, one that hasn’t been done since Chris Chelios (although if Zdeno Chara plays next year, he’ll accomplish that as well).  Suter has logged heavy minutes throughout his career but with the depth that Dallas has in front of him, he shouldn’t have to play as much which would certainly help his chances of playing beyond this contract.
  • While the Coyotes quickly signed veteran goaltender Carter Hutton following their trade of Darcy Kuemper to Colorado, Arizona GM Bill Armstrong told reporters including Arizona Sports’ Austin Nicholson that they will continue to be on the lookout for goalie depth. Alexandar Georgiev of the Rangers and one of the Blue Jackets’ two goalies in Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins are speculative trade targets if they want to make a move to bring in a new starter while Devan Dubnyk and Curtis McElhinney are the best of the healthy UFAs that remain on the open market.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Hudson Fasching, Michael Carcone

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The Arizona Coyotes have signed a pair of familiar experienced AHLers to two-way contracts. The team announced that they have re-signed Hudson Fasching to a one-year deal and added Michael Carcone, on loan with the Tuscon Roadrunners this past season, on a two-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fasching, 26, was a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, but chose to stay put in the desert. The big winger has spent the past three seasons in the Coyotes organization after coming over in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres, but prior to 2020-21 has played exclusively with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners. However, after excellent production for their minor league team, Arizona kept Fasching close by on the practice squad for much of this season. Fasching played in five games with the Coyotes and just two with the Roadrunners. Now more familiar with the team, Fasching may have a chance to win a lineup spot this season on an ever-changing Coyotes roster.

In Fasching’s place in Tuscon this season, Carcone took over as a top scorer for the Roadrunners while on loan from the Nashville Predators. Carcone has always been a consistent contributor in the AHL, but reached new heights this year with 15 goals and 25 points in just 35 games. It was enough to convince the Coyotes to bring him in to the organization officially. Carcone, 25, still has yet to make his NHL debut, but could get a chance over the next two years with the rebuilding ’Yotes.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Darcy Kuemper

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The Colorado Avalanche missed out on retaining their starting goaltender when Philipp Grubauer decided to sign with the Seattle Kraken, but have found a replacement. The Avalanche have traded defenseman Conor Timmins, a 2022 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 third-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Darcy Kuemper. 

The Avalanche can likely afford a price like that, given how many good young defensemen they already have in the organization, but it’s still a lot to pay for a goaltender under contract for just one season. There’s obviously a chance he will sign an extension with Colorado, but until he does, the Avalanche are pushing a few important chips to the middle after losing the bidding on Grubauer. During today’s TSN coverage of the trade deadline, Pierre LeBrun explained that Frederik Andersen was Colorado’s backup plan if they couldn’t re-sign Grubauer, but the former Toronto Maple Leafs netminder couldn’t wait and ended up with the Carolina Hurricanes when a strong offer was tabled.

There was really no other option for the Avalanche after the goalie carousel had stopped spinning today. The team needed a strong, experienced option that could potentially help them contend for the Stanley Cup, and those weren’t readily available on free agency or the trade market. Kuemper was the obvious choice, given his strong play over the last few years and overall NHL resume.

In 242 appearances, the 31-year-old netminder has posted a .917 save percentage, including a .922 in his three years with Arizona. He finished fifth and seventh in Vezina voting the two years previous to this season, and recently led Team Canada to a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship. He will now be asked to carry a heavy load for the Avalanche, splitting time with Pavel Francouz but being the obvious starting option. Kuemper’s never really had this kind of a dominant team in front of him, except perhaps for the start of 2017-18 when he served as the backup for the 45-29-8 Los Angeles Kings. During that 19-game stretch, he posted a 10-1-3 record with a .932 save percentage, numbers the Avalanche hope repeat now that he’s on a Cup contender in Colorado.

For Arizona, today played out perfectly as they waited to move Kuemper until a team was in a desperate situation. The team will not only add another high pick to their overflowing cupboard–they will now pick seven times in the first two rounds of 2022—but also bring in Timmins, a legitimate defense prospect that could very well slide in on the top pairing beside Jakob Chychrun. It’s not that Timmins projects to be that high on most depth charts, but the Coyotes only have a few NHL-level defensemen on the books.

The team has been desperately needing an influx of young talent and GM Bill Armstrong has done exceptional work this offseason to bring it in. The team has used cap space several times to add assets, while also flipping their most valuable pieces for future talent. Kuemper was unlikely to be in net the next time the Coyotes were competitive, so why not move him now when the price is so high.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider was first to report the trade

Ryan Dzingel Signs With Arizona Coyotes

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The Arizona Coyotes have signed another forward to fill out the depth chart this season, inking Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, $1.1MM contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Dzingel, 29, is coming off a forgettable year in which he scored just eight goals and 13 points, splitting the season between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators. That’s two years in a row that he’s had disappointing offensive numbers after his breakout 2018-19 campaign. That season, he scored 26 goals and 56 points, joining the Columbus Blue Jackets at the deadline for a memorable, albeit short, playoff experience. The Blue Jackets pushed all the chips to the middle by acquiring Dzingel and Matt Duchene at the deadline during the final year of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky’s contracts. They managed to sweep the historically good Tampa Bay Lightning but then were quickly dismissed by the Boston Bruins in the second round.

In terms of value contracts, this actually might be one of the best signed today if Dzingel can even approach his previous totals. For the Coyotes, that would be a perfect storm, as they can load up his offensive opportunities only to flip him to a contender at the trade deadline. Arizona is obviously trying to collect as many future assets as possible, and Dzingel appears to just be a means to that end. On a $1.1MM cap hit, he’ll be extremely attractive at the deadline if he can play well during the first half.

Liam Kirk Signs Entry-Level Contract

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Though it was reported earlier this summer, the official announcement of Liam Kirk’s three-year entry-level contract had to wait until today. The Arizona Coyotes have signed the breakout World Championship star three years after drafting him 189th overall. GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on his newest prospect:

We are very pleased to sign Liam to an entry-level contract. Liam played extremely well at the World Championships in Latvia and has earned this contract. He’s a goal scorer with a great work ethic and he is very focused on realizing his dream of one day playing in the NHL. We look forward to watching him continue to develop.

Kirk, 21, was the first player born and trained in England to be selected in the NHL draft. He played for Great Britain at the recent IIHF Worlds, scoring seven goals in seven games, tied for the tournament lead. He spent the 2020-21 season split between Sweden and England after playing two years for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. He’ll now have to show what he can do at the AHL level.

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