NHL Trade Rumors: Early trade deadline predictions for each team
By Jeremy Tuch
Arizona Coyotes
Cap Space: $7,468,281
2019 Draft Picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (CHI), 4th, 6th, 6th* (CBJ), 6th (PIT)
Potential UFA’s: Richard Panik, Mario Kempe, Jordan Oesterle, Calvin Pickard, Dave Bolland
Verdict: Buyer
Player to watch: Lawson Crouse
The Coyotes are in a very interesting situation in the standings. They are toward the bottom of the Pacific, but aren’t far out, and have games at hand on their competitors. They don’t score a lot, but their defense and goaltending have been very exceptional. So much so, that it wouldn’t surprise me to see them make a run at a playoff spot come spring time.
The Coyotes have a very young roster, with only three regulars older than 30. They also have a solid amount of cap space available to play with. On top of that, Dave Bolland’s contract expires this season, and he’s sitting on LTIR as dead money, which can be sent to another selling team as cap filler for a big sale contract.
They have plenty of young players and draft picks to send as compensation for landing a solid contributor, for example, Lawson Crouse can be dealt as part of a package to land a nice player on an expiring deal. It’s time for the Coyotes to turn it around and make a run because the division is ripe for the taking.