Coyotes Limited In Options In Terms Of Buying Or Trying To Reset Roster
Some teams are clearly in win-now mode while others are rebuilding. Some are on the way up and others on the way down. Then there are those stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place and ProHockeyTalk’s James O’Brien suggests that the Coyotes qualify for that latter category with a team that falls shy of contending but can’t do much to try to rebuild either. Without their first-round pick from the fitness testing violation penalty, the idea of blowing things up loses a lot of its luster but it also takes away the opportunity to also dangle it to try to add to the roster. Their cap situation isn’t particularly strong either and they don’t have the ability to take on bad contracts as they once did. As a result, it may be a little while before new GM Bill Armstrong can really put his stamp on his new team while he waits for more than $30MM in expiring contracts to come off the books.
More from the Central Division:
- Blackhawks center Dylan Strome could see his negotiations delayed following the departure of his agent Mark Guy, suggests Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times. Guy has left Newport Sports Management after spending more than 20 years there to move to the auto industry. Both GM Stan Bowman and head coach Jeremy Colliton have indicated a willingness to re-sign Strome but until the restricted free agent finds new representation, those talks will probably have to be shelved for the time being.
- Jets winger Kristian Vesalainen has been viewed as a forward with top-six potential since being drafted back in 2017 but he hasn’t lit it up much since then and lacks the all-around game to play on a lower line. Accordingly, as he told Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press, he’s using his time on loan to HPK in Finland to prioritize shoring up his play on his own end in the hopes of earning an opportunity to break camp with Winnipeg in a limited role. The 21-year-old had 12 goals and 18 assists in 60 games with AHL Manitoba last season.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Arizona Coyotes
It’s Thanksgiving this week in the United States and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.
What are the Coyotes most thankful for?
New management.
2020 has not been good to the Coyotes. The team was docked draft picks for improper prospect testing, had their general manager leave the team right before the postseason began, and then watched Taylor Hall—who cost three prospects and two high draft picks—leave in free agency only to sign a one-year deal in Buffalo, a team that has had even less on-ice success in recent years. Then what was left of their scouting department, running the draft without input from their new GM, selected a player that was immediately in the middle of a public relations firestorm, with the team eventually renouncing his rights. The Coyotes would end up with just four players from the 2020 draft, none selected higher than 142nd.
It was just blow after blow to an organization that seemed to be headed in the right direction after securing new, stable ownership last year.
Now, thankful for Bill Armstrong finally taking the reins of the front office, the Coyotes have a long way back. Armstrong has already made an important move, even if it did fly somewhat under the radar in NHL circles. The Coyotes secured the employment of Darryl Plandowski, who had served as assistant director of amateur scouting in Tampa Bay. Plandowski is very well-respected across the industry as a leading scouting mind and hopefully will be able to turn around a department that had caused catastrophic penalties for the organization, not to mention the fact that out of the last four Coyotes drafts (not including 2020), only Jakob Chychrun, Clayton Keller, and Barrett Hayton have actually made it to the NHL. Armstrong and Plandowski have a ton of work to do.
Who are the Coyotes most thankful for?
Jakob Chychrun.
It seems clear now that Keller isn’t going to become the franchise-leading, game-changing offensive presence that the Coyotes hoped they were going to get when they selected him seventh overall in 2016. It’s not that Keller is a bad player, far from it. But since scoring 65 points in his rookie year and finishing third in Calder voting, he hasn’t taken any real developmental steps—even seeing his scoring totals go down in each following season. Keller is only just beginning an eight-year extension signed last September, which will carry a $7.15MM cap hit through the 2027-28 season. Even if he does get back on track and improve his offensive totals, that deal doesn’t leave a lot of chance for excess value.
But all is not lost. The Coyotes had another first-round pick in 2016, this time 16th overall. That’s where they selected Chychrun, who, despite dealing with injury, has developed into a legitimate force on the blueline. Now four years into his NHL career, Chychrun looks like he will be a horse for the Coyotes as an all-situations defender that can log huge minutes. He averaged more than 22 minutes a night in 2019-20, reaching a new career-high in goals with 12 and points with 26 despite playing in just 63 games. Unlike Keller, Chychrun’s long-term deal, this time signed in 2018, looks like a steal for the Coyotes moving forward. Not only does he carry just a $4.6MM cap hit through 2024-25, but the deal is also heavily back-loaded, meaning Chychrun will only actually earn $3.3MM in salary this season. With the financial environment so uncertain, value like that is hard to come by in the NHL.
What would the Coyotes be even more thankful for?
A seller’s market at the trade deadline.
The Coyotes made the postseason this year and have their sights set on it again, but it’s plain to see that this iteration of the team will have a hard time actually contending for a Stanley Cup. However, they may be able to build a new wing for their prospect cupboard if they decide to sell off some assets at the deadline. Derek Stepan, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers, Jordan Oesterle, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Antti Raanta are all pending unrestricted free agents, and though many of them have big cap hits, the actual salary owed by deadline time will be relatively low. If Armstrong plays his cards right, he could potentially add a massive wave of draft picks and prospects to the organization, provided there is a market for this group of veterans (and he’s willing to sell).
What should be on the Coyotes’ holiday wish list?
Draft picks.
There are good prospects in the Arizona system, make no mistake. Hayton is already ready for primetime and Victor Soderstrom is among the handful of best defensive prospects in the league. But you can’t just punt on an entire draft class unless you’re already one of the elite teams in the league. Not only did Arizona come away from this draft without any sure-fire NHL prospects, but they don’t have their first or third for the 2021 draft either. There’s no way the organization will be able to climb the NHL ladder with that kind of gap in development, meaning they need to find a way to add picks this season. Whether that’s through selling off expiring deals or even potentially trading their captain, it’s imperative for Arizona to get back into the early rounds.
Last year’s Thankful series can be found here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Arizona Coyotes
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Arizona Coyotes
Current Cap Hit: $84,270,284 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Barrett Hayton (two years, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Hayton: $1.75MM
Once considered a team full of young players, the Coyotes have changed their image over the last few years and have only one young player on their team under a cheap entry-level deal with only a handful of entry-level players that are even close to joining the team. Hayton, however, could be ready for a breakout season after spending the season with the team last year. Unfortunately for Hayton, he would have benefitted the most with one year in the AHL, but wasn’t eligible to play there, so instead of returning him to his junior team, the Coyotes kept him around. He only appeared in 20 games (although he did miss time with a shoulder injury at the World Juniors), but showed enough potential that he should be an everyday player next season. A big year from the 2019 fifth-overall pick would be a boost to the team’s center position.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Derek Stepan ($6.5MM, UFA)
D Alex Goligoski ($5.48MM, UFA)
F Marian Hossa ($5.28MM, UFA)
D Niklas Hjalmarsson ($5MM, UFA)
G Antti Raanta ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Jason Demers ($3.94MM, UFA)
D Jordan Oesterle ($1.4MM, UFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($1MM, UFA)
F Conor Garland ($775K, RFA)
F John Hayden ($750K, RFA)
F Dryden Hunt ($700K, RFA)
For a team that is looking to cut salary, the team has a lot of money coming off the books next year, suggesting the team could look drastically different in just one year. Some of those players could find themselves to be trade bait when the trade deadline comes around. The most interesting decision the team might have to make is what to do with Stepan, however. The 30-year-old was brought in from New York to stabilize their top line three years ago. He had four straight seasons of 50 or more points while with the Rangers and posted a 56-point season with the Coyotes in 2017-18. However, his production has taken a dive over the past two years as Stepan posted just 35 points (in 72 games) in 2018-19 and then dropped even further last year with just 28 points in 70 games. A team leader, the Coyotes have to hope that Stepan can return to form this season or the team could choose to move on from him.
The team’s defense is loaded with several high-priced veteran blueliners and almost all of their contracts come up next season, including Goligoski, Hjalmarsson and Demers. Goligoski is 35, but is still playing major minutes for Arizona and could be a candidate to return at a slightly lesser deal. Hjalmarsson is 33, but has seen his game break down a bit as he has dealt with numerous injuries the last couple of years, including a fractured fibula that cost him 43 games last year. The 32-year-old Demers also averaged more than 20 minutes of ATOI per game. The team may keep one or two of those players, but likely will not keep all three.
The team will also want to evaluate the play of Raanta, who has showed flashes of dominance, but also has dealt with injuries and inconsistent play at times as well. Raanta did play well last season, posting a .921 save percentage in 33 games and gives the team several options in the net. Raanta could easily be re-signed to new deal or could be a trade candidate as well.
The team will also finally be free of Hossa’s $5.28MM contract the team took on years ago.
Two Years Remaining
F Phil Kessel ($6.8MM, UFA)
G Darcy Kuemper ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tyler Pitlick ($1.75MM, UFA)
F Lawson Crouse ($1.53MM, RFA)
F Johan Larsson ($1.4MM, UFA)
F Christian Fischer ($1MM, RFA)
The team brought in Kessel to bring in the firepower that the team needed as goal scoring remains one of the team’s biggest weak points. Unfortunately, the first year with Kessel didn’t turn out to be the big acquisition that the team was hoping for. After an 28-goal, 82-point season in 2018-19, the 33-year-old saw quite a decline in his play with just 14 goals and 38 points in 70 games. That’s way below what they were hoping for and Arizona has to hope that Kessel can return to form this year in hopes of increasing his value if the team wants to move him at the trade deadline or next offseason when he has just one year left on his deal.
Kuemper has become the Coyotes’ top asset as the 30-year-old has been nothing short of dominant over the past two years and remains on a manageable contract. His name came up in trade speculation this offseason, but with so many free-agent goalies available, Arizona didn’t get the offers it was hoping for. That could change down the road. Yet at the same time, Kuemper might be worth keeping around down the road.
Three Years Remaining
None
Ekman-Larsson Could Still Be Traded To Bruins
The Arizona Coyotes, attempting to free up some salary during the offseason, tried to trade their top defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. With a no-movement clause embedded within his eight-year, $66MM contract, Ekman-Larsson only gave the team two teams, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, he would be willing to accept a trade to and refused any other suggestions. It proved to be a challenging task for new general manager Bill Armstrong and with no quality offers from either team, the Coyotes opted to keep him in house.
However, Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty writes that there remains a chance that the Boston Bruins could still end up with Ekman-Larsson. While the Canucks have since acquired Nate Schmidt to augment their defensive corps, the Bruins still have a number of holes in their defense after the departure of Torey Krug to St. Louis and with the uncertain status of veteran Zdeno Chara. The team only has three established top-four players in Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo and are hoping veterans Kevan Miller and John Moore can bounce back or youngsters Urho Vaakanainen or Jakub Zboril can step up and establish themselves as full-time players next season.
However, if the team can’t get some of those defensemen to take that next step, the Bruins might be more open to re-engage with Arizona about trading for Ekman-Larsson. With Krug gone, it’s likely that McAvoy and Grzelcyk would see a jump in their offensive numbers next year, but the team could definitely benefit from a player who has scored 10 goals of more for six straight years (would have been seven had the league not been shut down due to COVID-19), as well as two 20-goal seasons.
While Ekman-Larsson gave Arizona a window of time earlier in the offseason to send him to either Vancouver or Boston, that window has closed. However, in a recent interview with Coyotes’ insider Craig Morgan (subscription required), Ekman-Larsson suggested he’d still be open to being traded.
“That’s a question for (GM) Bill (Armstrong) to be honest with you,” said Ekman-Larsson. “There’s not much I can do about it. I’m just trying to stay in the moment. I know everybody says that but I really had a good offseason. I worked out really hard to show that I wanted to be here, wanted to get better and hopefully that transfers into the stuff on the ice. I feel really happy that I am here but if that day comes where they ask again, I will deal with it then.”
Haggerty writes that the likely timeline for a trade would be closer to the trade deadline as the Bruins want to give Vaakanainen and Zboril a chance to prove that they can handle everyday NHL duties first. If one or both can step up and prove themselves, then the team doesn’t have to do anything. However, with many questions if they are potential top-four options down the road, the team could choose to add Ekman-Larsson for their stretch run.
Boston has approximately $6.7MM in available cap space, which sounds good if they want to go out and get Ekman-Larsson. However, the Bruins still have to work out a deal with restricted free-agent Jake Debrusk and still hope to bring Chara back, if he so chooses. That likely will use up their remaining cap space. Haggerty writes for Arizona to make the trade work, the Coyotes would have to take back Moore’s contract. The veteran still has three years at $2.75MM and potentially another contract. Boston would almost certainly have to include a prospect like Vaakanainen as well.
Snapshots: Ryan, McConnell, O’Connor
In a candid interview with Craig Custance of The Athletic, new Detroit Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan spoke about the buyout that ended his time in Ottawa and the free agent process this fall. In one particularly revealing moment, Ryan explains that there was a genuine interest in signing him from around the league, including from some Canadian teams, but that he and his wife decided that because he is getting closer to retirement they wanted to stay south of the border and start setting up their long-term family situation.
Ryan still believes that he has some high-level hockey left to play and told Custance that the opportunity in Detroit was what interested him so much. The Red Wings have plenty of openings in the top-six as they continue their rebuild, giving Ryan a chance to play the scoring role he has always held. The 33-year-old forward has scored 254 goals in his 833-game career, including cracking the 30-goal threshold in four consecutive seasons early in his career.
- The Arizona Coyotes have named Devan McConnell as the team’s high performance director, hiring him to “maximize performance, minimize injury risk, optimize fitness and nutrition levels and execute comprehensive training regiments for all Coyotes and Roadrunners players and club prospects.” McConnell served in a similar role with the New Jersey Devils for part of last season and spent several years with UMass-Lowell.
- Drew O’Connor, who signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in March after his college season ended, was actually loaned to Manglerud in Norway on October 26. He has yet to play, serving out a quarantine first, and will be returned to North America for NHL training camp later this winter. O’Connor will be joined by Blake Christensen, who signed an AHL deal with the Bakersfield Condors for 2020-21 but has also been loaned overseas for now.
Negotiation Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Bertuzzi, Gushchin
While the Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade rumors dominated the pre-free agency headlines, the Arizona Coyotes’ star defenseman ultimately stayed put. Now, the ‘Yotes captain tells AZ Central’s Jose Romero that this was the result that he had hoped for:
I have a clause in my contract, a no-trade, no-move clause. At the same time, I did not want to stand in the way if the organization felt otherwise. That’s how I am as a person. It was more that if they wanted to remove me, I set up the two clubs as an alternative, but, as I said, I wanted nothing better than to continue in Arizona so it feels good that it turned out the way it did.
Ekman-Larsson didn’t stand in the Coyotes’ way of making a trade per say, but the longest-tenured Coyote provided as little flexibility as he could while seeming open to a deal. Ekman-Larsson provided Arizona with just two teams he would accept a trade to, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, and also set a deadline of October 9 for a deal to be completed. While the team reportedly had talks with both Boston and Vancouver, no deal could be reached in time and Ekman-Larsson stayed put. While he admits that even being available on his own terms was uncomfortable, Ekman-Larsson feels happy to still be a Coyote and has moved past the whole situation. Arizona meanwhile will have to find another way to solve their current salary cap crisis.
- While there is a negative correlation between reaching a salary arbitration hearing and the number of seasons that player spends with his team after the fact, Tyler Bertuzzi remains on good terms with the Detroit Red Wings, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Bertuzzi tells James that all is well, even after the player was critically examined by his own team in front of an arbitrator, who seemingly agreed with an award closer to where the Red Wings filed. Bertuzzi went so far as to say the process “went smoothly” and stated that it was “nothing personal at all.” Congratulations are due to Detroit and GM Steve Yzerman on not only winning the arbitration battle, but maintaining such good terms with the subject. Bertuzzi’s experience with an arbitration hearing is far from the norm.
- Daniil Gushchin, selected in the third round by the San Jose Sharks earlier this month, had previously signed with the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs this summer after the team picked him fourth overall in the 2020 CHL Import Draft. This seemingly marked the end of his consideration of going the collegiate route as well as his time in the USHL. Yet, with the OHL season delayed, Gushchin’s USHL club, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, have revealed that their star forward is still very much in the mix for the 2020-21. It is possible that the Ice Dogs have negotiated a loan of Gushchin to the Lumberjacks until OHL training camps open, but it also may be that the skilled forward has simply found himself a place to play. So long as Gushchin stays in the USHL this season and does not suit up in the OHL, he would maintain his NCAA eligibility and could still wind up joining a college program, many of whom had interest before he committed to Niagara.
Arizona Coyotes Renounce Draft Rights Of Mitchell Miller
October 30: A day later, the University of North Dakota has also decided to drop Miller from their hockey program. In a statement, the school explains that Miller can remain a student at UND if he chooses, but will not be playing hockey.
October 29: The Arizona Coyotes have decided to reconsider their decision to draft Mitchell Miller. Selected 111th overall, Miller was the team’s first pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft after they were without selections in each of the first three rounds. Recently, Mitchell’s 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate has received widespread attention with reports in The Arizona Republic and The Athletic.
Today, Arizona has decided to renounce the draft rights to Miller. In a statement, Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez explained:
We have decided to renounce the rights to Mitchell Miller, effective immediately. Prior to selecting Mitchell in the NHL Draft, we were aware that a bullying incident took place in 2016. We do not condone this type of behavior but embraced this as a teachable moment to work with Mitchell to make him accountable for his actions and provide him with an opportunity to be a leader on anti-bullying and anti-racism efforts. We have learned more about the entire matter, and more importantly, the impact it has had on Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. What we learned does not align with the core values and vision for our organization and leads to our decision to renounce our draft rights. On behalf of the Arizona Coyotes ownership and our entire organization, I would like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. We are building a model franchise on and off the ice and will do the right thing for Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family, our fans and our partners. Mr. Miller is now a free agent and can pursue his dream of becoming an NHL player elsewhere.
Mitchell’s history was well known before the draft. The 18-year-old defenseman, who is a freshman at the University of North Dakota, sent a letter to every team in the league apologizing for the incident, indicating that he regretted it and had changed his ways. As Aaron Portzline reported for The Athletic, however, that letter did not sway every team, with some “feeling unconvinced of his remorse.”
Recently hired GM Bill Armstrong was not allowed to take part in the Coyotes draft this year because of an agreement with his former employer the St. Louis Blues. He originally indicated that the team would be providing a “second chance” for the young defenseman and hoped he would use the new platform to “raise awareness about bullying and discourage this type of behavior.” Armstrong released a new statement today:
I fully support our decision to renounce Mitchell Miller’s draft rights. It was a unique situation for me not being able to participate in this year’s Draft and we were going through a transition with our scouting department. Mitchell is a good hockey player, but we need to do the right thing as an organization and not just as a hockey team. I’d like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family for everything they have dealt with the past few months. I wish them all the best in the future.
Miller is now an unrestricted free agent. Though he can sign with any team, currently doing so would make him ineligible to play at North Dakota.
Why Taylor Hall Will Be The Can’t-Miss UFA In 2021 That He Expected To Be In 2020
Taylor Hall is certainly not complaining about making $8MM this season. Considering that the flat salary cap has depressed the market to the point that only four unrestricted free agents have signed deals with an AAV of $6MM or more this off-season – and Hall is the only forward to do so – the talented winger is likely content with his pact with the Buffalo Sabres. For now, that is. Heading into the 2019-20 season, even $8MM seemed like a low cap hit for Hall’s next deal and no one would have guessed that he would settle for a one-year deal. This was not the free agent frenzy and massive long-term deal expected for the Hart Trophy winner. However, one year could make all the difference.
Hall, 28, is one of the few players in the NHL who should not be content with an $8MM valuation. The 2010 first overall pick, Hall has scored at a rate of .9 points per game over his ten-year career, including four seasons at over a point per game and no seasons below .74 since his rookie year. A five-time 20-goal scorer, including 39 tallies (and 93 points) in his 2017-18 MVP season, Hall is a proven scorer in the NHL. A player who has also proven that he can excel on poor teams in which he is the undisputed best player, Hall has managed all of this production through rebuilds with the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils. The ceiling is limitless of what Hall could do on a talented contender.
Given the New Jersey Devils’ rebuild status entering the 2019-20 season, Hall had long been speculated to hit the open market once his contract expired. The Devils pursued a contract extension with their star forward, but to no avail. Perhaps Hall’s injury-plagued 33-game season in 2018-19 played a role in the Devils reluctance to ante up or maybe it was Hall who decided he had done enough for rebuilding squads. Regardless of the reason, Hall was traded in December. However, rather than joining a legitimate playoff team, Hall joined the fringe Arizona Coyotes and again took on the responsibility of being the team’s best player. The result of the whole season was 52 points in 65 games, a strong season for most but a disappointment for Hall as a steep drop-off in per-game production compared to his prior two seasons.
With an injury dominating his 2018-19 campaign and poor results (by his standards) to show for 2019-20, Hall’s MVP status had taken a hit two years removed from winning the Hart. It showed on the open market, as teams were not willing to hand out a long-term, big-money deal to a player that they would not have hesitated to hand a blank check not long ago. The flat cap also didn’t help, as teams have been risk-averse this off-season and not willing to sacrifice cap space by getting into bidding wars. Hall still had multiple offers, but by all accounts they were one-year or short-term offers at below market value.
How does the superstar winger rebound? It begins with the team he decided to sign with. Although it seemingly came out of nowhere, Hall’s decision to join the Buffalo Sabres could prove to be a stroke of genius. Joining Jack Eichel on the Sabres’ top line, Hall with finally play with an elite center for the first time in his career. Eichel’s per-game scoring numbers have improved in each of his five NHL seasons and he has been a point-per-game or better for two years in a row. With Hall at his side, that trend will only continue. Barring an injury, both players have 100-point upside this season.
There is one factor that could interrupt the dynamic scoring potential of Hall and Eichel and that is a trade. Even with the dangerous duo, the Sabres are still unlikely to challenge for a playoff spot and Hall may find himself back on the trade block at the 2021 deadline. However, another smart move made by Hall and his camp was to get a No-Movement Clause on his one-year deal. Unlike the moves to New Jersey and Arizona that Hall had no say in, if a trade is made this year, it will have to be with his approval. Aware of now the deadline move to the Coyotes failed to help his market value, Hall will be careful to choose a team where he can continue to score while finally making a deep run in the playoffs.
Once he is finally a free agent once more, and almost certainly coming off a strong season barring unforeseen circumstances, Hall will also benefit from a market with less competing talent. The 2021 free agent class does not have an Alex Pietrangelo to overshadow Hall. Alex Ovechkin is the biggest potential name, but he will almost certainly re-sign with the Washington Capitals and if not will not command a major deal at 35 years old. Other top forwards include Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jaden Schwartz, Tomas Tatar, and veterans like Ryan Getzlaf, David Krejci, and soon-to-be Buffalo teammate Eric Staal. These are all fine players, but no one to rival Hall barring a breakout season. The defense and goalie markets are lacking any star players in their prime that could attract suitors away from spending on Hall.
Not only will he likely standout as the top free agent available, but Hall will also have more suitors who can afford his services. With more notice and time to plan for cap management, even a long-term, possibly double-digit AAV deal for Hall will be easier for teams to swallow. The need could be greater as well; the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft threatens to strip a number of teams of scorers and they may turn to Hall as the best possible replacement. Expansion also adds one more team to the mix, as the Seattle Kraken could not make a bigger splash in their first season than adding the free agent market’s biggest name.
And what about the possibility that Buffalo wants to keep Hall beyond this season? It may have been a different administration in charge, but the Sabres just recently showed a willingness to pay up for a player that they had invested in when they signed Jeff Skinner to an eight-year, $72MM contract after acquiring him via trade. While the Sabres may already have $19MM invested in Eichel Skinner per season for years to come, they were willing to include Hall to make that $27MM this season and might not shy away from $30MM+ per year for their top three forwards.
The future is bright for Hall one way or another. It may not have been the off-season result that he or anyone else expected at this time last year, but at this time next year Hall will very likely beginning the next stage of his career on a lucrative long-term deal. How he gets there will be one of the best stories to follow in the coming NHL season.
Jan Jenik Loaned To Kettera
After loaning Ilya Lyubushkin back to the KHL, the Arizona Coyotes have sent another player abroad today. This time it’s Jan Jenik who has been loaned to Kettera of the Finnish second league.
Jenik, 20, was actually injured at the World Juniors this season and ended up playing in just 27 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL. A third-round pick (65th overall) in 2018, he was one of the most dynamic players in the whole league during that short period, racking up 22 goals and 56 points.
That performance certainly has a lot of excitement surrounding the Czech-born forward, who was actually ranked 98th in Corey Pronman’s recent list of the top players under 23 for The Athletic. Getting him back on the ice is a huge deal for his development, even if it does come in an uncertain time for professional hockey players.
Because of his age, Jenik’s entry-level contract is not actually eligible to slide forward another season, meaning the Coyotes will burn the first year no matter where he plays. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if he gets a chance in training camp to potentially push for a spot in the NHL right away, or ends up in the AHL, which recently announced they are targeting a February start date.
Ilya Lyubushkin Loaned To KHL
The Arizona Coyotes have loaned defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin back to his old KHL club, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, until NHL training camps open in a few months. Lyubushkin signed a new contract with the Coyotes earlier this month and is expected to challenge for a full-time roster spot in 2020-21. For now, he’ll go back to the place that put him on NHL radars in the first place.
Undrafted, Lyubushkin worked his way up the depth chart with Lokomotiv, playing five seasons in the KHL before signing an NHL contract in 2018. The 26-year-old provides almost no offense—he is still looking for his first NHL goal, 92 games in—but does represent a physical presence that is basically unmatched in Arizona. Even while playing in only 51 of the team’s 70 games and averaging just over 14 minutes a night this season, he led all defenders in hits with 151.
When he signed his one-year contract, he joined four other defensemen on the roster that will become unrestricted free agents in the 2021 offseason. Lyubushkin, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers and Jordan Oesterle are all on expiring deals, meaning if new GM Bill Armstrong wants to shake up the roster there will be an obvious opportunity on the blue line.
Lybushkin meanwhile will get a chance to go back to the organization that developed him, even if it is on a short-term loan. He played more than 300 games in the KHL before coming over, recording nearly 400 penalty minutes in the process.