Needing depth down the middle, the Arizona Coyotes made the move to acquire Jordan Weal on Friday evening. The Coyotes sent Jacob Graves and a 2019 sixth round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers. The team expects Weal to join the team Saturday when they take on the Edmonton Oilers.
OFFICIAL: #Coyotes Acquire Weal from @NHLFlyers for Graves, 6th Round Pick in 2019 NHL Draft https://t.co/FZHWqtTOzC
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) January 11, 2019
Jordan Weal Heading To Arizona
It had been tough for Weal to get consistent playing time while with the Flyers this season. In 28 games thus far, Weal was averaging about 13:57 minutes on ice. The points were not coming either as he only has three goals and six assists so far.
The ice time is likely to increase for Weal when he joins the Coyotes. The team placed Brad Richardson on injured reserve hours before acquiring Weal. He will have big skates to fill as Richardson leads the Coyotes in goals (11) and ranks first in faceoff percentage (54.7).
The former AHL MVP has not been able to find a role while in the NHL. With the Los Angeles Kings and Flyers, Weal has only appeared in 134 games since being drafted in 2010. He has 19 goals and 23 assists overall. His best season came during 2017-18 when he posted 8 goals and 13 assists, both career highs.
“He’s a very hard worker and he can skate,” Head Coach Rick Tocchet said of Weal, who has played 134 NHL games, all but 10 for Philadelphia. “He plays that center position, which we’re lacking depth at right now, so we’re excited to get him. There’s some offense to his game and I think he’s got a good hockey IQ, which I like.”
In order to acquire Weal, the Coyotes needed to shed a contract so he could fit on the roster. Graves was included in the deal to give them the spot. Graves has not yet made it to the NHL since he was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016. He most recently had two goals and five assists with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL.
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