Offseason Checklist: Arizona Coyotes

The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound.  It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Arizona.

This season went more or less as expected for the Coyotes.  After blowing up their roster over the summer and further cementing their status as a team committed to a long-term rebuild, expectations were low heading into the year and they lived up to them, finishing last in the Western Conference.  It seems quite unlikely that their direction will change (beyond playing out of a college arena for next season) and their checklist reflects that as a result.

Add A Second Goalie

One of the bright spots this season was the unexpected emergence of Karel Vejmelka between the pipes.  Originally viewed as extra depth, he played his way onto the opening roster and things only got better from there.  That earned him a three-year contract extension at the trade deadline and secured part of their goalie tandem for the next few years.

The other half of that pairing remains a work in progress, however.  Ivan Prosvetov has struggled in his limited NHL duty, Josef Korenar had a particularly rough season in the minors, and waiver claim Harri Sateri had just a .866 SV% in his six appearances down the stretch.  Suffice it to say, the ideal partner for Vejmelka isn’t currently in the organization.

There are two routes the team can take to fill this spot.  They can look to add a veteran free agent which is what they did this year when they signed Carter Hutton although setting their sights a little higher this time around would make sense.  There are several veteran netminders available once again and adding one of those on a short-term contract would solve the issue in the short term and is a perfectly reasonable way to go.  But how attractive will the team be with the direction they’re headed and the fact they won’t be playing out of an NHL-sized facility for a while?

On the other hand, as a team that has shown a willingness to take on unwanted contracts, that has to be a route worth exploring as well.  There are some higher-priced starters out there with deals that their teams wouldn’t mind getting out of and it stands to reason that they could tack on some draft picks or prospects as compensation for taking the contract off their hands.  That could lead to some longer-term stability at the position with some extra future assets as well.

Chychrun Decision

Last summer, there was an expectation that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was going to be on the move but it never materialized.  Then, during the season, reports surfaced that he was available but that the asking price was quite high with those reports mentioning the price as at least three first-round elements or more.  He then suffered an ankle injury about a week and a half before the trade deadline which put an end to any thoughts he might be moved.

But now it’s the offseason when it’s easier to trade players with term remaining on their contracts and Chychrun has three years remaining on his deal with a $4.6MM AAV.  GM Bill Armstrong stated at the end of the season that a trade involving his top defenseman was something they were going to explore which will only further add fuel to the fire.

However, beyond the summer often yielding more flexibility in roster building, the same problems that existed during the season are still there now.  The asking price is almost certain to remain extremely high and while there was speculation that there were teams willing to meet it, the fact a trade didn’t occur means either that wasn’t the case or the price went even higher.

The other is that Chychrun isn’t exactly coming off a strong season.  Few Coyotes had good years in 2021-22 but the 24-year-old took a step back although he still managed to put up 21 points in 47 games.  There’s certainly a good enough track record to indicate that he can return to form but him getting back to that form in an Arizona uniform would strengthen their negotiating position.

As a result, their biggest decision of the summer is deciding Chychrun’s future.  Do they take the best offer they can get for him now or roll the dice and see if he can play his way into increased trade value?  At this point, a trade is probably the best move for everyone involved.

Crouse – Trade Or Re-Sign?

One Coyote who did have a strong season was winger Lawson Crouse.  The 2015 first-round pick had an increased role under head coach Andre Tourigny and responded with career highs in goals (20) and points (34) despite missing 17 games due to injury.  He also contributed physically with nearly 2.8 hits per game.  That’s a nice platform year heading into his first year of arbitration eligibility as a restricted free agent.

The 24-year-old still has two years of RFA eligibility remaining since he didn’t get to the 40-game mark in his second professional season in 2016-17 which stopped him from accruing a year towards the seven needed to reach UFA status.  A power forward in the prime of his career with a couple of years of team control remaining – that’s the definition of a key part of Arizona’s future plan…or a key trade chip.

The market rate in terms of salary for a core power forward is always quite pricey and it’s probable that Crouse’s camp will be looking at Josh Anderson’s contract (seven years, $5.5MM AAV) as a comparable in any long-term discussions.    Is that a price Arizona will want to pay?  It’s certainly steep given his track record but at the same time, he’s young enough to still be part of the core when they eventually emerge from their rebuild.

Or, should they cash in when his trade value is probably at its highest?  Is there a team out there willing to part with a high-quality prospect to get a young power forward?  There probably is.  While they’d be running the risk of moving him a little too early (another year like this one in 2022-23 would only increase his trade value), it’d ensure they’d get a solid return and an asset that might line up closer to their young core.

While Chychrun will dominate the discussion surrounding the Coyotes over the next little while, deciding what to do with Crouse is going to be a big part of Arizona’s offseason.

Keep Stockpiling

There will come a time when the Coyotes have too many picks and prospects; they’re already looking ahead to 2024’s draft class with some of their moves.  They’re not there yet though.  What do all rebuilding teams need to do?  Stockpile young assets.

Arizona is starting to run out of significant trade chips, especially if Chychrun and Crouse are moved.  However, they can still leverage their cap space.  We saw them take on undesirable contracts several times last summer and even got a quality piece in Shayne Gostisbehere who could be a trade chip closer to the 2023 trade deadline.  They’ve taken on contracts in the past for players on LTIR and recently did so with Bryan Little.  They can still afford to do that to add more picks and prospects and with there being some uncertainty about the level of attractiveness as a free agent with their arena and competitiveness situation, it certainly would help them fill out their roster for next season.

Eventually, some of their picks and prospects will need to be consolidated to help them take some steps forward.  Until then, when it comes to future assets, the more, the merrier.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.