Arizona Coyotes Acquire Antti Raanta, Derek Stepan
The Arizona Coyotes aren’t finished just yet. The team has completed a trade that would bring both Antti Raanta and Derek Stepan to the desert from New York, with a return of defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft. The Rangers now own two selections in the first round, a place they haven’t found themselves in many years.
Arizona has clearly green-lit some big changes in the last few weeks, parting ways with Shane Doan, Mike Smith and Dave Tippett, while now trading away Connor Murphy, Laurent Dauphin, DeAngelo and their top pick. It’s time to compete in the desert, as they’ve brought in a top pairing defenseman, a solid center and starting goaltender just in the last few hours. While there will undoubtedly be some hand-wringing in the price they paid, it is a bold move by GM John Chayka and Owner Andrew Barroway to signal the rebuild has come to an end. 
Stepan, 27, is locked into a long-term deal that will cause a $6.5MM cap hit for the next four years. The interesting part, especially for the Coyotes, is that the salary is substantially lower than that, dropping all the way to $5MM in the last two seasons. For a team cash-strapped team like the Coyotes, every dollar counts. Stepan is a legitimate top-six center, but there is some debate over whether he’s really an answer on the first line. Now in a division with Connor McDavid, Anze Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf among others, he’ll face the same problem he had in New York; his offensive performance just isn’t as good as the centers around him.
Stepan is a lock for 50+ points every year and is a solid two-way player capable of improving his linemates play, but with an extremely young group behind him down the middle in Arizona, he’ll face some tough matchups on a nightly basis in the Pacific division. Hoping that he’ll take the next step may be a long-shot, though he obviously gives more hope than another new prospect.
On the other hand, Raanta has been highly touted as the next Cam Talbot and is on an extremely team-friendly $1MM deal for next year. He will hit free agency after that, making an extension likely this summer if the Coyotes believe he—and not Louis Domingue—is their next starting goaltender. Raanta has a career .917 save percentage in the NHL and is coming off a .922 this season, making him look more than ready to take the next step. At 28, he has filled in admirably for Henrik Lundqvist in the past and should be a solid replacement for (if not upgrade on) Mike Smith this season.
For the Rangers, owning their own first-round pick was foreign territory enough. The team hasn’t selected in the first round since 2012 when they picked Brady Skjei, and will now pick higher than 10th for the first time since 2004 (Al Montoya). That should provide them with a pretty solid player, and give them an opportunity to start refilling the system with young talent.
DeAngelo will also be a part of that, though the 21-year old has been known to have “attitude” issues before. Any problems off the ice will be dealt with by the Rangers as they try to develop the 2014 19th-overall pick. With incredible offensive ability, DeAngelo has never been able to put it together in his own end and thus has had trouble finding a role in the NHL. In 39 games this season, the defenseman posted 14 points but a -13 rating. Part of that is because of how bad Arizona was, but there has never been much positive to say about his work in the defensive zone.
Darren Dreger of TSN was first to break it.
Minor Transactions: 1/8/2016 (Updated)
With some teams preparing for their mandatory mid-season break, GM’s are trimming their rosters, reassigning waivers-exempt players to the minors to ensure they can continue to play during the off time. Additionally, teams bank additional cap space during the hiatus by moving players off of the big league roster. We’ll monitor all of today’s roster transactions in this post and update throughout the day.
- (Update) 5:30pm: With T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson both dealing with injuries and unable to practice today, the Washington Capitals have recalled forward Paul Carey from Hershey of the AHL, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Both Oshie (upper-body injury) and Wilson (lower-body injury were hurt in the team’s 1 – 0 win over Ottawa last night. Carey has already seen action in three games with Washington but has not registered a point. He currently ranks third in scoring for Hersey with 25 points.
- The Nashville Predators have placed defenseman Petter Granberg on waivers, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The 24-year-old Swedish blue liner has appeared in nine games this season for the Predators but has not recorded a point and has averaged just under nine minutes a game. Granberg was originally acquired by Nashville from Toronto via waivers in November of 2015. After failing to make the team in training camp he was waived on the last day of September and after clearing the team assigned him to Milwaukee. Nashville recalled Granberg from the AHL on November 26th. It’ likely he will again clear waivers and remain in the Predators organization.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to do the backup goalie shuffle, again sending Antoine Bibeau to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and recalling Jhonas Enroth, reports James Mirtle of The Athletic. Bibeau has appeared in just two games, winning one and losing one, while putting up excellent overall numbers – 1.98 GAA and 0.927 Save %. Enroth has posted a record of 0-3-1 in four starts, with a GAA of nearly four. It’s likely the move was made so that Bibeau can stay sharp playing in the minors and he will again be recalled from the Marlies when the Leafs return to action Friday.
- The Arizona Coyotes assigned Laurent Dauphin, Brendan Perlini and Anthony DeAngelo to Tucson of the AHL, the team announced via their Twitter account. Dauphin has tallied three points in 21 games for Arizona and is averaging 11 minutes per game filling in on the team’s bottom line. Perlini, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in 15 games, scoring four goals and five points. DeAngelo, acquired via trade from Tampa Bay this past summer, has tallied three goals and nine points in 20 games in his first taste of NHL action. Again, it’s likely the assignments were made to ensure the trio continue to play during the break.
Anthony DeAngelo Receives Three Game Suspension
As rumored earlier today, Anthony DeAngelo of the Arizona Coyotes will face a three-game suspension for his abuse of official David Brisebois on Saturday night. He’ll be eligible for return on January 13th against the Winnipeg Jets.
After an altercation with the Flames’ Sam Bennett, DeAngelo argued with Brisbois and tried to forcefully remove himself from the linesman’s grasp. DeAngelo was given a match penalty for it during the game, and will now sit out for almost two weeks because of a schedule quirk for Arizona.
[Gif of the incident via Scouting The Refs]
Remember that DeAngelo was also suspended for eight games back in 2014 for violating the OHL’s abuse/diversity policy. The comments that caused his suspension were directed at a teammate in this case.
Despite his trouble with suspensions, DeAngelo remains a top prospect for the Coyotes, who acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round pick (37th overall) this summer. His high upside has trumped any personal issues he’s had in the past, though this new offense is a serious one.
DeAngelo has nine points in 20 games in his rookie season this year, playing almost 19 minutes a night. He’s been a big part of their powerplay thus far, and has huge offensive upside to his game.
Pacific Notes: Fowler, Garbutt, Demko, Coyotes
After being heavily mentioned in trade rumors over the offseason, Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler is off to a strong start this year with 17 points (7-10-17) through 28 games. As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register notes, head coach Randy Carlyle has certainly taken notice, stating that Fowler is as important to Anaheim as Brent Burns (San Jose) and Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) are to their respective clubs, certainly high praise given the stature of those other blueliners.
Not only is Fowler leading the way offensively from the back end, he’s averaging a career high 23:58 per game of ice time, including regular minutes on the top power play and penalty kill.
While it has been speculated that Fowler and his $4MM cap hit would have to be moved for salary cap reasons, the long-term concussion for fellow blueliner Simon Despres has given the Ducks enough wiggle room for the time being. Even when he returns (which isn’t likely to happen for quite a while yet), he’s too valuable to Anaheim for them to realistically consider dealing him any time soon.
Still with Anaheim, after clearing waivers on Friday, forward Ryan Garbutt has been assigned to their AHL affiliate in San Diego, the team announced.
Other news from the Pacific Division:
- With goaltender Ryan Miller leaving Thursday’s game with what is believed to be a lower body injury, the team announced via Twitter that they have recalled top prospect Thatcher Demko from Utica of the AHL. Demko is off to a decent start in his first professional season after spending three years at Boston College. He has a 7-5-1 record in 14 appearances with a 2.59 GAA and a .909 SV%.
- The Coyotes announced that they have recalled center Laurent Dauphin and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo from their AHL affiliate in Tucson. Dauphin has played in 18 games with Arizona so far this season, notching a goal and an assist while DeAngelo made a strong impression in his first call-up last month, picking up seven points (2-5-7) in just 11 games. Dauphin’s recall comes on the heels of Max Domi being placed on injured reserve.
Arizona Coyotes Recall DeAngelo, Gaudet From AHL
According to Sarah McLellan of AZCentral, the Coyotes have recalled Anthony DeAngelo and Tyler Gaudet from the AHL. In a set of corresponding moves, the team has moved Michael Stone and Martin Hanzal to injured reserve to make room.
Stone can’t seem to get healthy this season, as the latest injury comes just four games after he returned from knee surgery this summer. An unrestricted free agent this summer, Stone will have to try and get back and prove that he can be an effective puck mover once again. For Hanzal, it’s not the first time he’s seen the press box with an injury. The 29-year old forward hasn’t played in more than 65 games in a single season since 2009-10.
For DeAngelo, getting into a game would represent his NHL debut as the 21-year old was only drafted in 2014. He went 19th overall that year, and proved last season that he could compete at a professional level. With 43 points as an AHL rookie, he ranked seventh among all blueliners. As a right-handed shot, he may get his chance sooner than later; the Coyotes are currently dressing four lefties.
While DeAngelo figures to be a big part of the Arizona future, Gaudet is just hoping to make an impact at the NHL level. The undrafted forward has bounced back and forth for the past couple of seasons, mostly playing bottom-six minutes in both leagues. With three points in sixteen career NHL games, he’s expected to just provide some energy to the fourth line, if he gets into the lineup at all.
Pacific Division Notes: Rodin, Gryba, Bennett, Coyotes Prospects
In need of additional scoring punch up front, the Vancouver Canucks were hopeful Swedish winger Anton Rodin would earn a big league job and contribute some secondary scoring to the lineup. He has impressed during camp but now it looks as if his NHL debut will be postponed as the 25-year-old winger is experiencing soreness and swelling in his surgically repaired knee. Rodin suffered a severed tendon last year while playing in the Swedish Elite League and as Iain MacIntyre of the Province writes, it’s believed that Rodin has simply aggravated the knee by playing too much hockey in a relatively short period of time this preseason.
GM Jim Benning indicated Rodin will be held out of the lineup for up to a week to allow for rest and rehab.
“The injury got aggravated and so he’s going to have to take a step back. We’re going to give him a few days or week off here to get the swelling down, and from there just rehab so he’s a 100 per cent for us. We’re going to need him at 100 per cent.”
MacIntyre notes that Rodin is averaging a point-per-game through five preseason contests and has demonstrated an ability to protect the puck and to play in traffic against bigger opponents during exhibition games. The 2009 second-round pick has some experience in North America, skating in 111 games with Chicago in the AHL, scoring 14 goals and 41 points. He returned to Sweden in time for the 2014-15 season and would go on to win the Swedish League’s MVP in 2015-16.
Fortunately for Vancouver, the injury doesn’t appear serious and it looks as if Rodin will only be out a short time. It could threaten his availability to play in the season opener and as such, his absence could come into play as the Canucks look to finalize their roster.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- After signing Kris Russell to a one-year contract, the Edmonton Oilers have given fellow blue liner Eric Gryba permission to speak with other clubs in an attempt to land a job, tweets Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal. This would seem to suggest Gryba, who is in camp with the Oilers on a PTO, will not make the Edmonton roster. If Gryba fails to find a spot in another organization, Gregor believes he could continue to skate with the team, though of course he would be doing so without a contract. Gryba spent the first three years of his NHL career with Ottawa before a 2015 trade sent the defenseman to Edmonton. He appeared in 53 games in 2015-16 with the Oilers and tallied one goal and six points.
- It’s looking more and more likely the Arizona Coyotes will break camp with a few rookies among their ranks, writes Sarah McLellan of AZ Central. Dylan Strome was expected to make the team and fill a scoring line pivot role and has done nothing in camp to change that line of thinking. Recently he’s been skating with Lawson Crouse and Anthony Duclair on the team’s second line. Speaking of Crouse, the Coyotes value his grit and toughness though it’s still likely he doesn’t start the season with Arizona. Laurent Dauphin could force his way into a 4th line role and has evidently earned the trust of his teammates with his hard work. McLellan also notes the team is still giving looks to forwards Christian Dvorak and Christian Fischer along with blue liners Jakob Chychrun and Anthony DeAngelo. Whatever happens it seems quite possible that several rookies will be suiting up for the Coyotes in 2016-17.
- Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett appears poised for a breakout campaign as a sophomore in the NHL, writes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald. Bennett, who scored 18 goals and 36 points in 77 games as a rookie, is already well on his way to earning the trust of new head coach Glen Gulutzan due to his responsible two-way play this preseason. The 20-year-old pivot has also made an impression on veteran winger Troy Brouwer, with whom he has skated with this preseason: “He’s a good player. He sees the ice well and he reads the game well, which is a tough thing and a unique thing to have, especially at 20 years old. I think he’s the type of player, under this coach, who is going to have a lot of responsibility and it’s really going to elevate his game.” Gilbertson notes that with Johnny Gaudreau still unsigned and not playing, Calgary has struggled putting the puck in the net scoring just nine times in seven games. If Gaudreau is out for any extended period of the regular season, Bennett could help fill the scoring void created by his absence.
Roster Crunch: Arizona’s Defense Corps
With training camps well underway, there are plenty of interesting battles for roster spots throughout the league. One of the more intriguing ones is happening in Arizona as the Coyotes now find themselves with a plethora of defensemen battling for a spot on their back end. Here’s a closer look at their blueline battle.
Locks
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – He is undoubtedly their number one defenseman and will be used in all situations. He’s also on a cap friendly deal for a top rearguard coming in with an AAV of just $5.5MM for the next three years.
Alex Goligoski – New GM John Chayka wasted little time with the former Dallas Star. He acquired his negotiating rights and quickly inked him to a five year, $27.375MM contract to be another anchor for their back end.
Connor Murphy – The former first rounder has seen his ice time increase each season and he surpassed the 20 minute average last year. He also signed a long-term deal this offseason, getting an average of $3.85MM over the next six years.
Zbynek Michalek – After rejoining the Coyotes last offseason, Michalek spent most of the year in a third pairing role, one he’s likely to reprise this season. While he could potentially be deemed expendable, he carries a cap hit of $3.2MM which may be difficult to unload in the current market and it’s unlikely that they would bury his contract in the minors given their status as a low-budget team.
Luke Schenn – Chayka brought the 26 year old in on a two year deal this offseason with a decent value at $1.25MM per year. While he projects as a third pairing player, it’s unlikely he’s going to get pushed off the roster so quickly after signing with the team.
Michael Stone – Stone had a career year last season and spent a lot of time on Arizona’s top pairing. While he may not have as big of a role this year, he’s a sure fire bet to start in their top four.
That’s six blueliners that are pretty much locks to start the season with the Coyotes, leaving them one or two (at most) spots to fill from a group of six other defensemen who could conceivably make a run at one of those positions.