The Arizona Coyotes have acquired the rights to negotiate with Alex Goligoski ahead of the unrestricted free agency period on July 1st. In return the Dallas Stars get the Coyotes fifth round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Alex Goligoski’s Negotiating Rights Traded to Arizona
Sounds like negotiating rights for Alex Goligoski on the move to Arizona.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 16, 2016
This Season
Goligoski, 30, is coming off the second best season of his career. He scored five goals and 37 points for the Stars (’13-14: 6G, 42P). He saved his best for last in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring four goals and seven points in 13 games. Involved in the 2011 James Neal and Matt Niskanen deal with Pittsburgh, he has spent the past five seasons with the Stars. His Dallas career totals 385 regular season games, as. well as 19 more in the playoffs. Goligoski has scored seven goals and 21 points in 34 career playoff games.
Goligoski is known to be durable. He has played 80+ games four times in his career, including the last three seasons in a row. He’s been a pretty solid possession player playing for two high-octane offenses in Pittsburgh and Dallas, averaging a 52% CF% over his career. He has a 53% CF during the last two years with the Stars. While he is not known as a goal scoring defenseman, Goligoski has posted five 30+ point seasons over his career.
Goligoski’s old contract was signed in January of 2012, and paid him an average of $4.6 million per season over four years. The Coyotes have $36 million in current cap space. They now have eight free agent defensemen, five of whom are restricted free agents. 27-year old geeneral manager John Chayka has some pieces to play with, as well as some decisions to make.
What He Brings
Goligoski brings a veteran presence to the Coyotes. The team has a relatively young blueline with just two players over 30-Nicklas Grossmann and Zbynek Michalek. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (24), Connor Murphy (23), Klas Dahlbeck (24) and Michael Stone (26) are young pillars of the team. This trio, along with the others, will benefit from Goligoski’s presence. Goligoski will be looking up at all of them though, as the blueline brigade is 6’2″ and up, while the Grand Rapids native is just 5’11” and 185 pounds.
Future in Arizona
With Max Domi and Anthony Duclair already making noise; along with Dylan Strome, Brendan Perlini, Christian Dvorak and Nick Merkley on their way, Goliogski could be part of another high-octane offense in the coming years. For Chayka, the main objective is now reeling him in.
Contract and Cap info courtesy of CapFriendly
Main Photo:
