There have been numerous Arizona Coyotes trade rumours hitting the desert floor in Arizona of late. With the new hiring of Bill Armstrong as general manager things could get interesting. When he applied for the job, Armstrong had prepared a 90-page plan for the team over the next five years. What is intriguing most Coyotes’ fans is who will be traded and who will stay. Right now, the list of players staying put may be considerably shorter than its counterpart.
And don’t think that other teams aren’t aware of the Coyotes situation. They could attempt to take advantage of an organization in a bit of turmoil. Perhaps Armstrong will settle things down, but if he wants to get this team back into the playoffs again he will need to consider some deals to get there.
Arizona Coyotes Trade Rumours Swirling
What makes even considering trading your two best players has much to do about finances, contracts, and just upgrading your team. Armstrong knows that and he needs to see what deals are out there for his two star players. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been the subject of trade rumours for weeks. One sticky point is his contract worth $8.25 million over the next seven years.
One speculated landing place for OEL is the Edmonton Oilers. Wouldn’t head coach Dave Tippett of the Edmonton Oilers love to add OEL to his roster? Just imagine having someone like him dishing off passes to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, or running the power play. Meanwhile, Darcy Kuemper has just two years remaining on his contract worth $4.5 million a year. If Armstrong gets out his outline, it’s curious if the trade listed below would be covered in there.
Arizona Trade Rumours – Kuemper Trade Proposal
Latest Rumblings blog: Staal, Dumba, Reimer, Palmieri, Eriksson and more:https://t.co/0qSuxfq14V
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 17, 2020
LeBrun’s article (subscription required) states: “Among the many Carolina targets, I believe, is Darcy Kuemper. And here’s what’s so interesting about that in my mind. Can you think of a team that’s in more dire need of cheaper players than Arizona? Word out of the desert is ownership wants to cut payroll in a serious manner. You’re not getting Kuemper for Reimer straight up. But if the Canes add in another asset to the deal, it makes you wonder if there’s not a fit there.”
If an OEL trade doesn’t happen, Darcy Kuemper’s name has been mentioned innumerable times as is someone the team can deal and gain some much-needed draft picks. But, how about a team like the Carolina Hurricanes? While they have both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer, they intend to upgrade their goaltending which means one of them is expendable.
The great thing about acquiring Reimer is his true salary will be just $850,000. That’s due to him already receiving most of his $3.4 million salary in the form of a bonus. Now, to receive a very good goalie of Vezina type quality, the ‘Canes will need to sweeten the pot. They need to throw in either their 2020 first-round 13th overall draft pick or a couple of second-round picks to make it work.
Bill Armstrong Has Already Begun to Make Changes
All about culture change now in Arizona. https://t.co/abyNmJyJJ5
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 22, 2020
In a presser for the local press to meet Armstrong today, he announced that long time assistant general manager/director of scouting Lindsay Hoffard has been let go. Of course, Armstrong is very well versed in scouting as he held the same position while with the St. Louis Blues. This move indicates that Armstrong has someone in mind for the job and wants that person in place to assist with the draft next month. Armstrong will not, by agreement with the Blues, be able to participate in the draft this year.
To any outside observer, this could mean that Armstrong is on the hunt for draft picks and since the Coyotes have some assets to deal for those picks, things could be happening… and soon.
In Other News
Per @CraigSMorgan, Niklas Hjalmarsson will not waive his no-move clause at this time https://t.co/vlunaIkCsy
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 21, 2020
It was announced yesterday that Niklas Hjalmarsson wants to stay in Arizona and will honour his no-movement clause in his contract. The Colorado Avalanche were also rumoured to have some interest in Hjalmarsson. His contract is good through next season. After that, who knows? All of this gives one the impression that this team is going through some changes. Some may be good while others may not.
Then, there’s the arena mess, which continues to fester. It seems that the team is late paying the rent due to Gila River Arena. This has happened before and is not a good indicator that the team is financially stable even with a new billionaire owner in Alex Meruelo. And yet another pressing issue would be, are the Coyotes going to give up on the concept of keeping Taylor Hall and just trade his rights before the season expires? They gave up quite a bit to acquire him.
New Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong: I didn’t come to the desert to get a tan
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 22, 2020
So, we should know shortly more news on any Arizona Coyotes trade rumours and what they entail. Fasten your seat belt, things could get bumpy.
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