Arizona Coyotes Shed Aging Veterans, Enter 2016-17 With Fresh Outlook
Parting is such sweet sorrow, but Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka’s willingness to make the tough moves has the Coyotes in much better position to compete in 2016-17.
Throughout 2016, the Arizona Coyotes have shed a lot of names that were near and dear to fans or who had otherwise enjoyed a long tenure in the NHL.
Some of those moves happened before John Chayka was fully in charge.
Mikkel Boedker, for example, turned down a lucrative offer from the Coyotes and was summarily traded. He ended up signing for a million less than the rumored deal he had on the table in the desert.
Others, such as veteran center Boyd Gordon, defenseman Nicklas Grossmann, and bottom-six forward Kyle Chipchura were allowed to walk because their services were easily (and more cheaply) covered by younger, faster players with higher upside.
There were also the cases of Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek.
Vermette was waived and bought out and now plays for the Anaheim Ducks. Michalek was waived earlier this week to give the Arizona Coyotes roster flexibility for the first few weeks of the season.
In a few short months, John Chayka has shed five established players and replaced them with younger, better options.
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With Gordon and Vermette gone and two center spots open, roster space was created for Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak. Laurent Dauphin will play into that mix as well.
The absence of Nicklas Grossmann creates opportunity for Kevin Connauton and, more importantly, Jakob Chychrun. Michalek being waived plays into all of these new names on the roster as well, though only from a roster numbers perspective.
This is before we even consider the signings of Alex Goligoski and Jamie McGinn, who figure to provide a sizable improvement to their respective slots in the lineup.
Several of those players who left or may yet leave were beloved in the Valley. One was a Stanley Cup champion.
All are past their prime.
One hallmark of a good organization is knowing when to cut ties with aging veterans to give someone else a shot. The Arizona Coyotes organization did a bad job of that under Don Maloney.
Chayka seemed intent to change that reputation in one offseason.
John Chayka and Dave Tippett decided to open the season with five rookies on the roster. Tipp once had the reputation of being unwilling to play the kids.
Sometimes people change. Sometimes they are pegged incorrectly.
These gentlemen, along with a strong commitment from the Arizona Coyotes’ ownership group, have put a concerted effort into building a better roster. A competitive roster.
They may be playoff bound. They could fall short of last season. That remains to be seen.
What’s changed is the approach. No longer will the Coyotes have to rely on a lucky month or two in order to remain playoff relevant like they did last season.
Chayka and company are charting out sustainable, long-term growth.
I suggest you follow their lead and invest in the Coyotes future now.
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