NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes have met with Joe Pavelski
According to the latest NHL rumors, the Arizona Coyotes have had discussions with pending UFA forward Joe Pavelski and his camp.
The Arizona Coyotes are searching for some goal scoring. They were the only NHL team during the 2018-19 season to have zero players with at least 20 goals. Moreover, the Coyotes finished 27th out of the 31 teams in goals. According to the latest NHL rumors, they have met with pending free agent Joe Pavelski.
This report comes from Craig Morgan of The Athletic. Last season, Pavelski scored 38 goals and picked up 64 points. Alex Galchenyuk and Brad Richardson tied for the team lead in goals with 19, so he’d be a significant upgrade there.
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However, it’s not that simple. Nothing ever is. Pavelski turns 35 years old in July. While he’s still an excellent player and should remain productive for the next two seasons, age is rarely kind to forwards. And once old age catches up to you, it’s not pretty.
Pavelski would be a significant risk for the Coyotes. Anything more than a three-year deal would be asinine. Just look at how Patrick Marleau‘s three-year contract is going. The Toronto Maple Leafs needed to give up a first-round pick just to get rid of the last year. History is not on Pavelski’s side.
That said, he’s one of the smartest players in the league. Pavelski has extremely quick reflexes and has great hand-to-eye coordination. This makes him lethal at deflections. Pavelski has been a physical player, but at 35 years old, he might not be able to be that physical anymore.
Also, the Coyotes are going to have a hard time getting any big-name players to come to them. Their credibility around the league isn’t very good. That said, with new ownership, the Coyotes might finally be ready to spend some money.
Arizona would have to overpay to get Pavelski. But if they’re looking to add a goal scorer, they’re not going to find a better one in free agency than him unless they’re willing to take a huge risk with Matt Duchene.
Duchene scored 31 goals last season, but has 58 goals over the past two years, the same number as Pavelski. Also, it’s worth noting Duchene is much younger than Pavelski, as he is the San Jose Sharks captain’s junior by seven years.
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Pavelski would love to stay with the Sharks, the only team he has ever known. However, they are in a bit of a cap crunch. Pavelski would likely have to leave money on the table to return. Two years ago, the Sharks were in a similar situation with Joe Thornton and Marleau. One has to wonder how it will end this time around.