Arizona Coyotes Place Crouse, Beagle, Galchenyuk In COVID Protocol
Dec 17: Alex Galchenyuk has also been placed in the COVID protocol, taking another forward out of the mix for the Coyotes.
Dec 16: The Arizona Coyotes announced today that forwards Lawson Crouse and Jay Beagle have entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
Beagle was already out of the lineup with a lower-body injury and has just one goal in 21 games this season. It’s a big blow to the team to lose Crouse as well, who’s been one of the team’s more productive players with 11 points in 28 games. He’s one of just five Coyotes with more than 10 points in 2021-22.
They join Johan Larsson, Dmitrij Jaskin, and Jakob Chychrun as players unavailable for the team, although Crouse and Beagle are the only ones in COVID protocol.
The team’s next game is on the road against Anaheim on Friday, but it’s worth noting Crouse played just last night against the Rangers.
Arizona Coyotes Listening On Jakob Chychrun
In the offseason, the Arizona Coyotes made it clear that they would be going through a full rebuild. They made several moves to take on bad contracts, sold off key players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland, and Christian Dvorak. The one player that seemed untouchable through all of that was Jakob Chychrun, a 23-year-old top-pairing defenseman signed to a very reasonable $4.6MM cap hit through 2024-25. Chychrun seemed to be embracing the organization and was set to become the one core piece that Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong would build around.
Not so fast.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Coyotes are gauging the market on Chychrun, though the ask is “massive.” The insider expanded on that note today on The Jeff Marek Show.
The one thing I asked was ‘has there been a trade request?’ And I was told in multiple places, the answer to that question was no. However, I do think that the Coyotes know that this isn’t easy on Chychrun, this is the prime of his career, and that his value will probably never be higher than it is now.
They are taking calls, they are gauging it. I’ve been told the ask is massive. I’ve also been told although teams admit it’s massive, it’s not making them run away from him.
When Friedman asked Armstrong for a comment, he refused to give one at this point.
Like everyone else in Arizona, Chychrun is not having a good season. After scoring 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games last season, finishing tenth in Norris Trophy voting, he has just two goals and seven points in 26 games this time around. He’s a -29 on the year, easily the worst in the league (Nick Paul is second-worst with a -15) but much of that is due to the fact that Chychrun is playing huge minutes on a terrible team. He’s averaging just under 25 this season, the highest of his career and three more than anyone else on the Coyotes. The players that follow him? Shayne Gostisbehere, who cost the Flyers a draft pick to get rid of, Anton Stralman who cost the Panthers a draft pick to get rid of, and Dysin Mayo, a 25-year-old who is in his first NHL season after years in the minor leagues.
It’s easy to see why Chychrun would generate a huge ask, even in a down year. There was a time during the lead-up to the 2016 draft that he was considered a top-three talent, but a so-so draft year in Sarnia eventually made him fall down the board. Selected 16th overall, he ended up as the fifth defenseman off the board (Olli Juolevi, Mikhail Sergachev, Jake Bean, and Charlie McAvoy went ahead of him). His draft year was immediately forgotten when he stepped directly into the NHL though, playing in 68 games for the Coyotes and scoring 20 points as a rookie. He was physical, mobile, and had offensive upside, the prototypical defenseman for today’s NHL.
In his sixth year now, and Chychrun has been a pillar on the back end for Arizona, suiting up 316 times. He has 48 goals during that stretch, good for 22nd in the league since he entered it, and appeared to take a significant step forward in 2020-21. Given he won’t turn 24 until March and costs just $4.6MM for another three seasons and there’s a good argument to be made that he’s among the most valuable trade chips in the entire league. The Coyotes, who clearly have a plan in mind for the organization since Armstrong took over, aren’t going to just throw away that chip for just any old package.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jakob Chychrun, Ryan Dzingel Day-To-Day For Coyotes
According to the team, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun and forward Ryan Dzingel are both day-to-day with upper-body injuries, suffered in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Both are unavailable tonight as the team plays the second half of a back-to-back at home, this time against Philadelphia.
Chychrun has just seven points through 26 games after back-to-back 10-plus goal seasons. However, he had a long pointless streak to start the year and has been heating up as of late. He’s playing nearly 25 minutes per game, not an easy task for such a flawed Coyotes team.
Dzingel has had injury issues all year, and because of that, he hasn’t found stability in the lineup. Flip-flopping between wing and center, he has just four points through 16 games this season.
Alex Galchenyuk and Cam Dineen likely draw into the lineup in place of Chychrun and Dzingel.
Coyotes Release Statement Regarding Back Taxes
The Arizona Coyotes released a statement in response to the story of outstanding and delinquent bills, including more than $1.3MM in state and municipal taxes:
We have already launched an investigation to determine how this could have happened and initial indications are that it appears to be the result of an unfortunate human error. Regardless, we deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused. We will make sure that by tomorrow morrning, the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever. And we will take immediate steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever possibly happen again.
Katie Strang of The Athletic comments on the statement, explaining that the outstanding tax bill dates back to June 2020, suggesting this is not a few isolated payments that were missed. Chris Johnston of TSN notes that though there is not much concern over whether the Coyotes can pay that $1.3MM debt, the negotiation between Arizona ownership and the city of Glendale over Gila River Arena continues. The city has told the management company to not allow Coyotes workers inside if the bill isn’t paid by December 20, but long before that had also moved to terminate the lease agreement following this season. (Update: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports radio reports that the Coyotes just wired $1.4MM to the Arizona Department of Revenue for back taxes. The team has announced that they are up to date on all bills and tax liabilities.)
- Pierre LeBrun of TSN meanwhile reports from the NHL Board of Governors meetings, noting that Fenway Sports Group is at the event to meet the rest of the executive committee. The vote on the ownership change of the Pittsburgh Penguins is expected to take place, and LeBrun notes that it is expected to be a “rubber stamp” process with no complications. Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News tweeted recently that the value of the Penguins will be set at $915MM for the sale and current owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will retain just a combined five percent of the franchise.
- There’s a new player in the trade bait world, as Jeff Marek debuts his new Rink Fries column for Sportsnet by breaking down what he calls the “players of interest” as the deadline approaches. That list starts with Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano, who could potentially represent a huge chip for the expansion club to play at some point this season. Giordano is on an expiring contract and is now 38, but would be highly coveted at a deadline that could very well have a lack of impact defensemen available.
Glendale Threatening To Lock Coyotes Out For Unpaid Taxes
The Oilers are on the lookout to add some defensive help and would like to add another goaltender, reports ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Edmonton is a bit shorthanded on the back end at the moment with both Duncan Keith and Slater Koekkoek injured and Cody Ceci currently in COVID protocol. That has resulted in Philip Broberg and Marcus Niemelainen both being recalled from AHL Bakersfield and while that works as a short-term solution, getting another proven piece into the mix would certainly help their fortunes.
As for their goaltending, Mike Smith is currently injured and while Mikko Koskinen has done well this season, his track record over his tenure with the team is much spottier so adding some insurance would help. Of course, with minimal cap space and the fact they’re well into LTIR already, GM Ken Holland will have to get creative if he wants to try to add those players now. Otherwise, they may have to wait until closer to the March 21 deadline to make the money work.
More from the Western Conference:
- The City of Glendale is threatening to lock the Coyotes out of Gila River Arena if their unpaid invoices and tax bills tallying more than $1.3MM aren’t paid by December 20th, reports Katie Strang of The Athletic. This is the latest chapter of an ongoing battle between the city and the team with the Coyotes being told to look for other places to play with their lease agreement not being renewed. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports suggests (subscription link) that Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a facility that was built in 1965 and was home to Phoenix’s WHA team in the 1970s, could be a landing spot for the team while they wait for their desired Tempe home to be built.
- The Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario announced that head coach John Wroblewski has taken a personal leave of absence for an indefinite period of time. Assistant coaches Chris Hajt and Craig Johnson will split the coaching duties in Wroblewski’s absence.
Nick Schmaltz And Jay Beagle Could Return This Weekend
Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and interim GM Stan Smyl held a press conference today following the sweeping changes that were made late Sunday. Aquilini told reporters, including Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there is no timeline to try to find a replacement and that they will conduct “a thorough and exhaustive search” to find the right candidate. It’s a similar line to what Chicago and Anaheim have used following their vacancies being created and it would suggest that Vancouver may wait until the offseason when they’re able to speak to candidates currently employed with other teams.
Meanwhile, earlier today, Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reported (Twitter link) that former Montreal GM Marc Bergevin is someone the Canucks are very interested in. When asked about that, Aquilini acknowledged (via Drance) that he hasn’t approached Bergevin about whether or not he’d be interested in the position.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Coyotes should be getting some help on the injury front soon. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (Twitter link) that centers Nick Schmaltz (upper body) and Jay Beagle (lower body) could return from their respective injuries this weekend while center Johan Larsson (lower body) is a couple of weeks away after being re-injured on Friday. Meanwhile, goaltender Carter Hutton has cleared COVID protocol but isn’t yet fully recovered from his ankle injury; with Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood providing decent goaltending in his absence, they’re in a spot where they can afford to be cautious in bringing him back.
- Ducks centers Adam Henrique and Ryan Getzlaf could rejoin the team at some point on their five-game road trip, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. The veterans are having strong bounce-back seasons; Henrique is only five points shy of his total from 2020-21 while Getzlaf has already surpassed his total from last season and sits second in team scoring. Both are dealing with lower-body injuries.
Johan Larsson, Andrew Ladd Exit COVID Protocol
The Arizona Coyotes will have two reinforcements at practice today, as Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that Johan Larsson and Andrew Ladd are out of the COVID protocol. Ladd actually came out of the protocol on Wednesday, Morgan notes, but he didn’t play for the team that night.
After a short winning streak, the Coyotes were once again outclassed in that game by the Edmonton Oilers, allowing 43 shots and five goals against. There are going to be a lot of nights like those even after Larsson and Ladd get back into the lineup.
Neither one is a real impact player at the NHL level at this point, though Larsson should be an interesting trade candidate later this season after carrying such a heavy load for the Coyotes. The 29-year-old forward is on an expiring, $1.4MM contract and has averaged nearly 18 minutes of ice time through his first 15 games. He has failed to score during that time, but was never known for his offensive abilities anyway. As a depth center that can be deployed heavily in the defensive zone, the Coyotes may be able to secure another mid-round draft pick or prospect.
Ladd meanwhile is likely just happy to be back in the NHL after a long absence, playing out the rest of that seven-year, $38.5MM deal he signed in 2016. With one more year on the deal after this one, it would be a hard sale at the deadline for the Coyotes even if the veteran forward showed he can still contribute at the highest level.
Lower-Body Injury For Jay Beagle
The Jets are hoping to have center Paul Stastny back in the lineup on Friday against Minnesota, relays Postmedia’s Scott Billeck. The veteran has been out for a little more than two weeks due to a lower-body injury which put a strong start to his season on hold; Stastny has four goals and four assists in 11 games in the early going while logging over 18 minutes a game. Winnipeg is set to begin a road back-to-back set so it’s possible that Stastny only suits up for one of those contests if they want to ere on the side of caution.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The COVID situation for the Islanders is bad enough at the moment but they got some bad news on the injury front as well as blueliner Noah Dobson is dealing with a lower-body injury, mentions Mollie Walker of the New York Post. It has been a disappointing start for the 21-year-old who has been quiet offensively with just four assists in 14 games while being on the fringes of the top four on their back end. Dobson is a pending restricted free agent and any extended absence – there’s no timeline for a return just yet – would certainly hurt his chances of a long-term deal this summer.
- The Panthers will be without top center Aleksander Barkov for at least another two weeks, notes David Wilson of the Miami Herald. Barkov was able to avoid needing surgery following an injury on a collision with Scott Mayfield last week and at the time, interim head coach Andrew Brunette was only able to provide a week-to-week timeline.
- Coyotes center Jay Beagle has been ruled out for the rest of the week at a minimum due to a lower-body injury, per Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). The team is awaiting further test results to know how long he’ll be out for. The 36-year-old has played in 19 games so far this season and hasn’t recorded a point yet but has won nearly 60% of his faceoffs.
Carter Hutton Placed In COVID Protocol
The Arizona Coyotes have placed Carter Hutton in the COVID protocol, despite him not even being on the active roster. The injured netminder was nearing a return, but now it appears the decision on which goaltenders to carry with the team won’t have to be made for a little while longer.
Hutton joins Andrew Ladd and Johan Larsson in the protocol, but the team did not confirm whether or not he had tested positive for coronavirus. If he did and is experiencing any symptoms, the netminder will be held out a minimum of ten days.
Without him, the team will continue to go with Karel Vejmelka and Scott Wedgewood, a pair that has actually been relatively good for the team so far. In fact, Wedgewood has a .940 save percentage in his six appearances, winning three times. While Vejmelka has a .905, quite a bit better than Hutton’s early-season showing, he still amazingly has a 1-9-1 record on the year.
The Coyotes will take on the Edmonton Oilers this evening, looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Arizona Coyotes
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Arizona Coyotes.
What are the Coyotes most thankful for?
The flat salary cap.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to hit pause on the 2019-20 season, limited attendance figures across the league, and ended the natural rise of the salary cap, teams all around the league were stuck with bad contracts that they could no longer afford. Enter the Coyotes, who used their massive amount of cap space to leverage draft picks and futures out of several transactions this summer. The team now has eight picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft, while their actual salary expenditure comes nowhere near the collective cap hit of the players they accumulated.
Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Anton Stralman, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Andrew Ladd were all considered bad contracts, but the Coyotes welcomed them with open arms if it meant adding future assets. None of those deals last more than two seasons, meaning the Coyotes will be free to do as they like down the road.
Who are the Coyotes most thankful for?
It’s hard to know if Armstrong has what it takes to build a winner, but at least Coyotes fans have a clear plan to cheer for right now. The team is bad this season. It will probably be bad for the next several seasons. But that’s better than, as Armstrong put it recently, making the playoffs “once every four years — if lucky, get by a first round, but most times get beat out.”
There will be a lot of pressure on Armstrong to pick the right players with these draft picks he has accumulated, but don’t forget that the team brought in some help for the rookie GM. Director of amateur scouting Darryl Plandowski was one of Armstrong’s first hires, bringing him to Arizona after 12 years as the assistant director of amateur scouting with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Plandowski and Armstrong weren’t allowed to participate in the 2020 draft for Arizona because of their previous roles but were responsible for the 2021 group that was headlined by Dylan Guenther (9th overall) and Josh Doan (37th).
What would the Coyotes be even more thankful for?
A healthy deadline market.
There’s little doubt that Armstrong and company would be willing to trade almost anyone on the roster at this point, but their deadline prizes include Phil Kessel, Ryan Dzingel, and Ilya Lyubushkin, among others. Perhaps a player like Gostisbehere, who is experiencing a renaissance in the desert, would also fetch a price if the Coyotes retained salary, despite the Philadelphia Flyers spending two draft picks to get him off the books a few months ago. It’s really not about getting prime, franchise-changing assets at this deadline, but any small piece that can add to the pile would be appreciated.
One thing to note is that because they retained salary on Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Darcy Kuemper already, the Coyotes can’t just trade everyone at a slashed cap hit. They can only retain salary on one more contract for this season–though, Kuemper’s retention expires at the end of the year so they can do it a couple of times again in 2022-23.
What should be on the Coyotes’ Holiday Wish List?
Draft picks, draft picks, and maybe another few veterans?
Quite frankly, the Coyotes don’t want to be good next year. They don’t want to add a young player that breaks out in 2022-23 and leads them to challenge for a playoff spot. They’re stripping it down to the bones and with the 2023 Draft being so impressive (at least at the top), they want to be in the mix for the first-overall pick.
In fact, they actually may turn into something of a buyer at the deadline, if only to take on even more bad money in the form of overpaid veterans. A player like Brett Connolly, currently buried in the minor leagues for the Chicago Blackhawks but still costing them $2.375MM against the cap, is a perfect target for a team like the Coyotes. He could fill out a spot on their team next year without the risk of really turning them into a contender, and potentially even be flipped at the 2023 deadline if things go well. There are many players like this around the league, all which could be collected if Armstrong still wants to weaponize his cap space further.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images