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Arizona Coyotes Acquire Marcus Kruger from Carolina Hurricanes

By Tyler Samson

RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 14: Marcus Kruger #16 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during warmups prior to an NHL game against the Calgary Flamers on January 14, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JANUARY 14: Marcus Kruger #16 of the Carolina Hurricanes shoots the puck during warmups prior to an NHL game against the Calgary Flamers on January 14, 2018 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Arizona Coyotes have addressed their center depth issue by acquiring center Marcus Kruger from the Carolina Hurricanes

It’s rare to see teams pull off a trade during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, on May 3, the Arizona Coyotes added gritty, veteran forward Marcus Kruger and a third-round draft pick from the Carolina Hurricanes. In exchange, they gave up forward Jordan Martinook and a fourth-round draft pick.

Coyotes general manager John Chayka turned heads by trading away a young component of the Coyotes organization in Jordan Martinook.  This move might seem aggressive, but it was the right move to make.

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For too long, the Coyotes have used their youth as a crutch for their failures. However, things are changing in Arizona. Chayka set the tone when he traded the young gun Anthony Duclair in the middle of the 2017-18 season to the Chicago Blackhawks for an established NHL forward in Richard Panik, along with Laurent Dauphin. He is continuing the trend of trading away young players to acquire pieces that fill the needs of what is important now.

While many fans may be dismayed by Chayka’s bold moves, they are the right moves to make. The Coyotes’ Achilles heel is that they have no veteran presence.  The fact that the Coyotes have no captain assigned just proves how discombobulated they are.

Blossoming stars like Clayton Keller and Christian Fischer need a haul of veteran presence to direct them. Chayka realizes this issue and is solving it by making moves, such as acquiring Marcus Kruger.

The Hurricanes undervalued Marcus Kruger, who spent parts of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.  He is only 27 years of age and already has 446 NHL games under his belt and a Stanley Cup (2015 with the Blackhawks).

Unfortunately, Kruger has been plagued with upper-body injuries which have played factors in his playing career.  On the flip side, he is now healthy and is with a team that could utilize his gritty playing style as well as his leadership.

For people who feel that Martinook provides more value to the Coyotes than Kruger, they must consider he had a 10 point drop-off from the 2016-17 season and saw his ice time slowly diminish.  By trading him, this opens the opportunity for someone like center Dylan Strome to compete for a roster spot.

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With this trade happening before the playoffs have even ended proves the Coyotes are in for a busy offseason.  For fans, they have to be excited and patient with John Chayka and the moves he is making.  The nucleus of the Coyotes team has been formed, now it is time to add the remaining pieces for a playoff team.

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