Christian Dvorak Is Believed To Be Montreal's Top Trade Target
The Canadiens are believed to have identified Coyotes center Christian Dvorak as their top trade target as they investigate their options following the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (audio link). The 25-year-old was the logical speculative target for Montreal in this scenario with Arizona believed to be willing to move him and Dvorak being signed for four more years at $4.45MM while plausibly slotting in on the second line in the role that Kotkaniemi was expected to fill. The asking price for Dvorak was believed to be high at the draft and with Montreal’s hand being forced here, it could even be higher now.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- In a column he penned for the Flyers’ team site, Philadelphia center Tanner Laczynski indicated that he has resumed on-ice activities after undergoing hip surgery back in April. The 24-year-old was limited to just 19 games last season in his first professional campaign split between the Flyers (five games) and AHL Lehigh Valley (14 contests). With the additions of veterans Nate Thompson and Derick Brassard this summer, Laczynski may need to wait for injuries to strike before getting another NHL look next season.
- The left side of Washington’s back end has undergone some changes this summer with Brenden Dillon (trade) and Zdeno Chara (free agency) departing and no one from outside the organization being brought in. As a result, J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington highlights that spot as an area of concern for the Capitals heading into next season with veteran Michal Kempny (who missed all of last season due to injury) and prospect Martin Fehervary (who has just six career NHL games played) as the two lefties behind Dmitry Orlov with veteran Matt Irwin also in the mix. With minimal cap space and them needing to preserve what little they have for in-season recalls, it’s an area that the Caps may not be able to address before the start of the season.
- The Sabres have held recent discussions with RFA center Casey Mittelstadt, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had somewhat of a bounce-back season in 2020-21, recording 22 points in 41 games with Buffalo after spending more than half of the previous year in the minors in between struggling considerably with the big club.
Dylan Guenther Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Arizona Coyotes have signed Dylan Guenther to his three-year, entry-level contract. Guenther was selected ninth overall earlier this summer. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on the signing:
We are very pleased to welcome Dylan to the Coyotes organization. Dylan is an extremely skilled and smart player with a great work ethic. We are confident that he will become a very good NHL player and look forward to watching his development this season.
CapFriendly reports that the deal will carry an AAV of $925K plus an additional $850K in Class ‘A’ performance bonuses each season.
Guenther, 18, played just 12 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings this season, but actually led the league in points-per-game. His 24 points were an impressive total for a player that had just 59 in 58 games in 2019-20, and led to his continued rise up draft boards.
Of course, the Coyotes didn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft when the season ended. The team had been stripped of that selection thanks to scouting violations by the previous management team, a brutal punishment for a team that was struggling to find much success on the ice. The pick that Guenther was picked with came from the Vancouver Canucks in the Oliver Ekman-Larsson deal, and represents a very important selection for the Coyotes.
The young Guenther is likely headed back to the WHL for this season, meaning the first year of his entry-level deal will not be burned. The contract will instead slide forward–unless he manages to make the NHL team–meaning he’s locked up at least through 2024-25.
Poll: Where Will The Arizona Coyotes Play In 2022-23?
Thursday’s report that the Arizona Coyotes will see their lease at Gila River Arena terminated by the City of Glendale has cast a dark shadow over the organization. It’s yet another blow to a team that’s yet to have much solid ground under them since arriving in the desert in 1996. Today, Arizona Coyotes reporter Craig Morgan took a very deep dive into what the Coyotes’ options are moving forward if they are to stay in Arizona. There’s no real clear path forward for the team moving past next season, but options are abundant, varying from the outlandish to the near-probable. It’s widely believed that any situation that keeps them in Arizona involves a short-term stay in a temporary arena starting in 2022-23. That’s because of plans announced last month for a new, privately funded arena in Tempe, a more central location to their season ticket holder base. But with under 11 months until their year-to-year lease in Glendale runs out, Coyotes ownership needs to move quickly to find a temporary solution if they’re to stay in the Phoenix area.
One option, named by Morgan as the most realistic, is a temporary move to the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It would immediately become one of the smallest and oldest venues in the NHL, seating just 13,730 spectators. While it doesn’t seem like a great option in the least bit, there are a few reasons for optimism if Arizona is to create a temporary home here. You can make the argument that it’s been done before, and with great success – the New York Islanders’ recent second stint at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale certainly didn’t inhibit the team’s success on the ice. Throw in a much more preferable location to Glendale, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a temporary move here is a reliable short-term solution for the rebuilding franchise.
But there’s another downtown location that could be a much more creative solution – Chase Field, home of the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Morgan emphasizes that little is known about how hockey would work in the roofed venue, but harkens back to the success of the Thunderdome for the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning. The reality remains that extensive renovations would need to be made in order to make the arena NHL-compatible, even more so than the Memorial Coliseum. It’s a long shot, but a fun idea.
Then there’s always the looming possibility of relocation, murmurings that have persisted for much of Arizona’s history in the desert. If a reliable short-term solution can’t be found, or their longer-term plans to build an arena in Tempe don’t pan out, there’s a more-than-zero chance that the Coyotes will have to find a new home entirely.
So, PHR readers, we turn to you to ask about the future of this Western Conference squad. Do the Coyotes find some stability in Arizona, or is it the end of an era in the Southwest?
[Mobile users, click here to vote!]
Glendale Will Not Renew Arena Agreement With Arizona Coyotes
The city of Glendale, Arizona, home of the Arizona Coyotes, has decided to not renew the operating agreement for Gila River Arena after the 2021-22 season. This essentially is the city kicking the Coyotes out of the rink, with a statement from Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps making it quite clear that the partnership is ending:
We are thankful to the NHL and the Arizona Coyotes for being part of the Glendale community for the past 18 years. The decision to not renew the operating agreement with the Coyotes was not made overnight or in a vacuum. We carefully weighed input from key stakeholders, our expert economist, our arena management firm and our City Council.
In a follow-up report, Katie Strang of The Athletic has Phelps on record explaining that they have “reached that point of no return” and examines the large debts that the franchise owed as of July 29. The city had agreed to forgo an amount owed from last year due to the pandemic affecting the team’s financial situation, as long as the Coyotes agreed to “keep current with all future financial obligations,” which has apparently not occurred.
It is not at all clear what the next step is for the Coyotes. Finding another arena in the area will be difficult, and there have been obvious pushes in the past by places like Quebec City and Houston. The NHL’s long-standing position has been to try and keep the Coyotes in Arizona, but this is just another setback in that goal. Previously, the team has indicated a desire to pursue a new arena deal in Tempe, and the original deadline for proposals was today. That was recently delayed until September 2, and there are considerable hurdles for that plan as well. Phelps told Strang that the Tempe interest was not the reason for the decision to terminate the Glendale arrangement. For now, the team will play out the 2021-22 season in Gila River Arena and Glendale, but their future beyond that is extremely murky.
The Coyotes released a statement a few hours later:
We are disappointed by today’s unilateral decision by the City of Glendale to break off negotiations on a multi-year lease extension agreement. We are hopeful that they will reconsider a move that would primarily damage the small businesses and hard-working citizens of Glendale. We remain open to restarting good-faith negotiations with the City.
Most importantly, the Coyotes are one hundred percent committed to finding a long-term arena solution here in Arizona, and nothing will shake our determination to do what is right for our organization, residents of the entire Valley and, most important, our fans.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Janis Moser
Saturday: The Coyotes have officially announced the signing of Moser. The financial terms were not revealed.
Friday: The Arizona Coyotes have worked quickly to get a recent overage draft choice under contract and ready to transition to the North American game. Swiss defenseman Janis Moser has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the ‘Yotes, according to his most recent club, the NLA’s EHC Biel-Bienne. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Moser, 21, was selected in the second round last month in his final year of NHL Draft Eligibility. Having already aged out of junior eligibility and with his prior pro experience removing him from NCAA consideration, the next step in Moser’s development was either to remain in Switzerland or instead try his hand in the AHL. The two sides seemingly have chosen the latter, as not only did Biel-Bienne announce Moser’s signing, but also wished him luck “in the NHL” and announced that they will begin looking for his replacement. Moser appears headed for the Tuscon Roadrunners next season, at least to begin the year.
Though still a very young player, Moser was actually the captain for Biel-Bienne last season. A native of the city, Moser has played his entire hockey career in the Biel-Bienne system to this point, including previous stints as captain of their U-17 and U-20 junior teams. In 2020-21, already his third full season at the top pro level in Switzerland, Moser was given the honor of captaining his hometown team. Not only that, he also led the team in assists and plus/minus and led all club defensemen in scoring, which included former NHLers Petteri Lindbohm and Yannick Rathgeb. Moser is a mature, well-rounded player with the intangibles that are often underestimated. He could surprise people with his NHL upside, especially given his quick entry into the league.
Coyotes Expected To Add Mario Duhamel To Coaching Staff
The Wild have made some progress in discussions with RFA winger Kevin Fiala, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link). While the 25-year-old didn’t file for arbitration, Minnesota opted to elect to take him to a hearing earlier this month, a move that teams don’t often make as it gives Fiala the right to elect an award that would walk him to unrestricted free agency if he wanted. However, it ensures that he’ll be signed long before training camp. Fiala is coming off a 20-goal, 40-point season that has him well-positioned to earn a sizable raise on the $3MM AAV he had on his bridge deal. Submissions to the arbitrator will be required on Sunday with the hearing scheduled for a week from today so they’ll need to work quickly to get something done.
More from the Central:
- Still with Minnesota, Wild prospect Jesper Wallstedt has opted to stay with Lulea of the SHL, notes Aftonbladet’s Jonathan Nilsson. The 18-year-old was the 20th-overall pick in last month’s draft which gives them the right to assign him elsewhere as entry-level deals for first-round picks supersede existing contracts overseas. However, some more time in the SHL certainly makes sense for Wallstedt, who posted a 2.23 GAA with a .908 SV% in Sweden’s top division last season.
- The Coyotes are expected to retain assistant coaches Phil Housley, Cory Stillman, and Corey Schwab, reports Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider (Twitter link). They will, however, reportedly add to their coaching staff as Morgan adds that Mario Duhamel will also be added. Duhamel, 46, had been an associate coach with OHL Ottawa previously working alongside new Arizona bench boss Andre Tourigny.
Coyotes Hire Larry Pleau As Senior Advisor
The Jets are a team that projects to be quite tight to the Upper Limit of the salary cap. Per CapFriendly, they have just over $6MM in cap room which amounts to roughly $11.35MM once Bryan Little’s LTIR is factored in but they still have to re-sign defenseman Neal Pionk and center Andrew Copp as well, both of whom have arbitration hearings later this month. Accordingly, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that with the strong platform season Copp had – one that saw him notch career highs in goals (15), assists (24), and points (39) – could wind up pushing him out of town. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spent nearly $10MM last month to shore up their back end with the acquisitions of Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon but if Pionk and Copp wind up getting more than they anticipated, it certainly could force their hand into trading someone and selling high on Copp would certainly make some sense for Winnipeg.
More from the Central:
- The Coyotes have added some experience to their front office as they announced the hiring of Larry Pleau as Senior Advisor to the General Manager. The 74-year-old spent the last 23 years with St. Louis with the first 12 of those being as their GM and the last 11 in an advisory role similar to the one he will have with Arizona. GM Bill Armstrong certainly has a long-standing connection with Pleau having worked under him for 16 seasons with the Blues before coming to the desert last year.
- The Wild’s decision to elect salary arbitration for winger Kevin Fiala earlier this week raised some eyebrows as it’s a move that’s rarely made. Michael Russo of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that the team wants to ensure Fiala is at training camp at the start which wasn’t the case two years ago when talks dragged out longer than either side would have liked. While a deal will be done within the next two weeks – his hearing is August 17th – there is certainly some risk that Minnesota is taking as Fiala could simply elect for a two-year award to take him to UFA eligibility in 2023, a move that certainly would hurt his trade value as well if it gets to that point.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Conor Timmins
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
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
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.