How the trade deadline has impacted the Coyotes so far
As the NHL trade deadline picks up and wreaks havoc on teams, the Arizona Coyotes have been hit the hardest at the blue line.
Ahead of Friday’s deadline, the Coyotes dealt defensemen Jakob Chychrun and Shayne Gostisbehere Wednesday for draft picks.
Chychrun went to the Ottawa Senators for a conditional first-round draft pick in 2023, a conditional secondround selection in 2024, and a secondround pick in 2026. Gostisbehere went to the Carolina Hurricanes for a thirdround draft pick in 2026.
It was evident that Chychrun would likely depart given his desire to join a contending team. Gostisbehere had an inkling that he’d be joining a new team with the year he was having on an expiring contract.
Add in the team’s desire for securing a prime spot in this year’s draft lottery and the dominoes were set to fall.
“Our aim was more to acquire draft capital at this point,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said. “As you’ve seen last year in the draft, we were able to walk out with three first rounders and a host of other picks. We were looking to do the same here and this will give us a chance for two fairly high picks in the first round of the draft.”
The conditional first round pick from the Senators is top-five protected, meaning if the pick were to be within the top five selections of the 2023 draft, it will shift to 2024 and become unprotected. As of Thursday, the Senators (30-26-4) are 22nd in the league and are five points behind a playoff spot.
“You can really make some hay when you do that as an organization like we did last year. We’re looking to do it again this year,” Armstrong said. “It also helps us plan out the rest of our rebuild in adding picks in 2024 and 2026. That just helps further stock our picks for our future drafts.”
With Chychrun and Gostisbehere now gone, the offensive production takes a massive hit among the defensemen. Gostisbehere led all Coyotes defensemen with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 52 games. Chychrun tallied 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists) in 36 games and was second amongst defensemen in scoring.
As the team continues to focus on the rebuilding efforts this season, it will be time for younger defensemen like J.J. Moser and Juuso Valimaki to fill those voids.
Moser and Valimaki lead with 22 points and have made positive strides this season. In Gostisbehere’s absence from an injury earlier last month, Valimaki took over his spot in the top power play unit and has five power play points since. Valimaki was extended to a one-year, $1 million contract on Jan. 24. Moser is on the second year of his three-year entry-level contract.
The team planned for Nick Bjugstad’s trade to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Jack McBain filled in at center on the second line the last two games after Bjugstad was held out. With Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli, McBain connected for a goal on Tuesday vs. the Chicago Blackhawks.
Draft picks the Coyotes have acquired at the deadline:
2023 first round selection (from Ottawa Senators for Jakob Chychrun)
2023 fifth round selection (from Vegas Golden Knights for Dysin Mayo)
2023 sixth round selection (from Columbus Blue Jackets for Jon Gillies)
2024 second selection (from Washington Capitals via Ottawa Senators)
2025 third round selection (from three-team trade with Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers)
2026 third round selection (from Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Shayne Gostisbehere)
2026 second round selection (from Ottawa Senators)