Niklas Hjalmarsson shocked to be traded but excited to join Coyotes.
The Coyotes enhanced their pool of defensive prospects at the NHL draft this weekend, using five of their nine picks on the position, but the defenseman set to make the most impact the quickest wasn’t among them.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, acquired Friday in a trade with the Blackhawks, immediately upgrades Arizona’s blue line, giving it a legit top pairing by uniting Hjalmarsson with Oliver Ekman-Larsson. And although Hjamlarsson was shocked by the news he’d been traded by the Blackhawks – the team he’d spent his entire NHL career with – he’s looking forward to a new challenge with the Coyotes.
“It was a lot of mixed emotions in the beginning there, the first 24 hours,” Hjalmarsson said. “But at the same time, I’m excited for the new opportunity and being part of kind of a rebuild in Arizona with a lot of new faces and a lot of young and promising players. So I’m excited.”
Hjalmarsson, 30, wanted to finish out his five-year, $20.5 million deal in Chicago since he signed long-term to stay there, but his contract did include a modified no-trade clause. He knew his name had popped up in trade rumors, and once the Blackhawks asked for a list of 10 teams he’d accept a trade to, it sunk in he probably wouldn’t be suiting up for Chicago anymore.
“It’s going to take some time to get used to that thought,” said Hjalmarsson, who is under contract for two more years. “At the same time, I’m trying to always be a positive guy.”
Ekman-Larsson was “a little bit” of a factor in Hjalmarsson’s decision to include the Coyotes on his trade list. The two Swedish defensemen played together at the World Cup of Hockey and the 2014 Winter Olympics and although both are left shots, Hjalmarsson is comfortable on either side and will line up on the right next to Ekman-Larsson.
“He’s one of the better D-men in the league, so hopefully I can complement him with just playing my style of hockey,” said Hjalmarsson, who won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks. “At the same time, maybe try to develop a little bit more of a puck-moving element to my game and be more involved offensively. But at the same time, playing defense first has always been my strength. That’s what I’m expecting of myself.”
Arizona also added some potential future options on defense with its draft picks, although that wasn’t a specific plan, as team philosophy targets the best player available.
After drafting Pierre-Olivier Joseph – a slick-skating, two-way defenseman – 23rd overall Friday, the Coyotes selected Filip Westerlund with the 44th pick. The team received this pick from the Flyers, along with Nos. 75 and 108, for No. 35.
“My biggest strength is hockey sense,” said Westerlund, who’s regarded as a poised puckmover.
With the 69th pick, Arizona chose hardworking center/wing Mackenzie Entwistle. Two-way center Nate Schnarr was next at No. 75.
The Coyotes flipped the 78th pick to the Oilers for the 82nd and 126th selections and took right-shot defenseman Cameron Crotty, who’s committed to Boston University, at No. 82. Offensive defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer was taken 108th before Boston College-bound defenseman Michael Karow (126), speedy center Tyler Steenbergen (128) and lanky winger Erik Walli Walterholm (190).
Arizona will host its prospects for a development camp starting Monday at AZ Peoria Ice, a chance for players and the team to get acclimated with each other, but the focus also remains on next season’s roster.
Qualifying offers to restricted free agents are due Monday, with forwards Anthony Duclair, Jordan Martinook, Nick Cousins, Alexander Burmistrov, Peter Holland and Josh Jooris among the team’s RFAs. All of these players except Duclair are eligible for arbitration. General Manager John Chayka had yet to decide whom he would qualify as of Friday.
The window to interview unrestricted free agents opens Sunday, and while Chayka plans to utilize it, it’s possible the Coyotes don’t make a splash July 1 when free agency opens, with Chayka saying they’ll use an “aggressively selective” approach.
They addressed a few key holes Friday with their pair of significant trades, also bringing in center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta from the Rangers. The Coyotes didn’t strike any more deals Saturday but certainly ended the weekend with a much better outlook than they had at the outset Friday, as uncertainty loomed amid the departures of goalie Mike Smith, captain Shane Doan and coach Dave Tippett.
Luring free agents could be a challenge without a coach in the picture, but any potential pitch may be helped along by the roster improvement.
“I think we got a lot of really good things going on here,” Chayka said. “So just keep the traction going.”