Coyotes get creative in stockpiling young talent
GM Chayka acquires Crouse by taking on hefty Bolland contract
How’s that saying go again — cash is king?
For the Arizona Coyotes, it’s more like cap space is king.
The small-market team, which ranked second-last in attendance last season, might not make much actual money when it comes to generating revenue. But because they also don’t spend much money, the Coyotes have found a curious loophole in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement by acquiring other teams’ problem contracts if they are packaged with top prospects.
It all started in 2015, when Chris Pronger was traded to Arizona three years after the Hall of Fame defenceman played the final game of his career. But the trend has really ramped up this summer. First, the Coyotes acquired Pavel Datsyuk from Detroit, even though he is playing in Russia. And on Thursday, they picked up the Dave Bolland from the Florida Panthers. According to his agent, Bolland might never play hockey again.
Combined, Datsyuk and Bolland account for US$13 million in cap space.
That might seem like a lot for two players who won’t even dress for a single game, especially considering Bolland has three years remaining on a contract that pays him US$5.5 million annually. But in return, the Coyotes have made out like bandits.
By taking on the final year of Datsyuk’s US$7.5-million cap hit, the team was able to swap first-round picks with the Red Wings; they used that pick to select highly regarded defenceman Jakob Chychrun. And while Bolland’s contract is more of a commitment, Arizona, which also had to give up second- and third-round picks in the deal, was able to acquire forward prospect Lawson Crouse, the Panthers’ 11th overall pick in 2015.
“Cap space is an asset,” said first-year Coyotes GM John Chayka, who is showing a shrewd ability to exploit the rules to stock the cupboards with young talent.
“That’s what we’re after. At this stage of our organization, we’re still trying to collect and identify and develop core pieces. We feel that those guys are guys that have a real good shot of being core pieces for a long term.”
Indeed, the Coyotes have acquired so many top-end prospects that you could call them Team North America 2.0.
They already have Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, who last season combined for 96 points as rookies, as well as Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a 25-year-old defenceman who might be in the Norris Trophy conversation if he weren’t playing in the desert. And waiting in the wings are Clayton Keller (No. 7 overall pick in 2016), Dylan Strome (No. 3 pick in 2015), Nick Merkley (30th overall, 2015), Brendan Perlini (12th, 2014) and Christian Dvorak (58th, 2014).
With The Hockey News having ranked the Coyotes No. 1 overall in its latest Future Watch magazine — Strome was listed as the NHL’s top prospect, while Dvorak was ranked 10th and Crouse ranked 17th — a Stanley Cup might not be too far away.
“It’s a good young core for the future,” Strome, who is at BioSteel Camp with Domi and Crouse, told Postmedia News on Thursday. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’s so exciting,” Domi said. “We have a lot of young guys in the system and now we have Lawson, too. Everyone knows how talented (Crouse) is. He’s going to be a special player for us for a while.”
In Crouse, the Coyotes believe they have found a power forward to complement the team’s skilled forwards. A two-time member of Canada’s world junior team, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound winger is a man trapped in a teenager’s body. Crouse can skate, hit and score, as he showed with 23 goals and 62 points in 49 games with the Kingston Frontenacs last season.
“He’s a unique guy,” added Chayka. “Usually when you add someone with the type of size that he has, you usually give up a little in skating or you give up a little in skill ... in our opinion, he’s a guy that’s rare to find.”
The 19-year-old, who had been hoping to steal a spot with the Panthers, seems extra-motivated now that he’s been traded.
“It’s the first time in my entire career being traded,” said Crouse, who said he received high-fives and hugs from Domi and Strome when he arrived at the rink on Thursday. “Now that I’ve had a couple of hours to think about it, I’m in a really good spot and I’m looking forward to showing them what I’m made of.
“I’m going to make the most of this opportunity.”
Certainly, the Coyotes are making the most of theirs.