The Arizona Coyotes had, by all accounts, an excellent draft. Now, they need to sign some free agents and/or make some trades to mold this team into a playoff contender.
There are still some free agents out there available for the Yotes to grab, and it all starts getting crazy July 1 when free agents can sign with whomever they wish.
Kyle Okposo
The first free agent the Coyotes should consider is Kyle Okposo, 28 of the New York Islanders. His salary cap hit is $2.8 million, and he will be courted by many teams, due to his high level of play. With an annual salary of $4.5 million and a cap hit if $2.8 million, he is well worth about $6 million, and will probably be offered that much.
His numbers from last season display that crystal clear. He collected 22 goals and 42 assists. He's a good possession player with a 50.6 CF%. His size is formidable at 6' 0", 217 pounds. Needless to say, he would be an excellent addition to the Coyotes forward line and even a possible replacement at Shane Doan's right wing spot when the captain decides to hang up his skates.
If GM John Chayka can't come to an agreement soon with center Martin Hanzal, whose contract expires after this upcoming season, then Hanzal may be traded.
It's not clear if the Islanders would have interest in Hanzal because while he is a huge center, he misses quite a few games due to injury. Even after missing about half the 2014-15 season due to back surgery, he still only managed to play 64 games, missing 18 due to injuries. He plays a physical game, and can take up a lot of room in front of the net, so it may interest the Islanders to trade for him.
Frans Nielsen
Another Islander who is eligible for free agency tomorrow is Frans Nielsen, who is four years older than Okposo. Nielsen had 20 goals, 32 assists in 81 games last season. He threw in seven power play goals, and showed his defensive ability by blocking 90 shots.
In his ten-year NHL career, he is averaging 0.64 points a game, and the Coyotes could use that consistency, and experience.
His salary cap hit is only $2.75 million, with a salary of $3.5 million but he was offered a contract already by the Islanders and turned it down. He is a valuable player, in that he plays on the power play, kills penalties in addition to his regular shift.
If the Islanders had to choose between losing Okposo or Nielsen, they would probably choose the latter.
Since Nielsen is a center, and the Coyotes have an excess of players (Antoine Vermette, Hanzal, Boyd Gordon, Kyle Chipchura, Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak) at that position, it's questionable if they need another center... unless they trade one of the two who are free agents July 1. Chipchura seems to be expendable, and they didn't tender him an qualifying offer. Same with Gordon. Hanzal has been rumored to be traded for the last couple of weeks.
Kevin Shattenkirk
It seems like every team wants this guy, and for good reason. He scored 14 goals, with 30 assists, as well as six power play goals. His CF% is at 52.4%, which means he's a good possession defenseman.
He's been rumored to have been traded by now, but the St. Louis Blues seem to want too much in return. The problem most interested teams are plagued with is that Kevin Shattenkirk is demanding a salary of $6-7 million. His contract does not expire until after the 2016-17 season, so he is officially not classified as a free agent.
As is the case with many teams, St. Louis is attempting to clear some cap space to sign players. So, he may stay or he may go, at this point.
With the influx of defensemen that the Coyotes drafted last Friday, including right handed shooting Anthony DeAngelo, they have increased their depth on the blue-line. He was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning when they traded their 37th overall pick to acquire DeAngelo. GM John Chayka feels he may have a shot to make the final roster this season.
They also drafted Jakob Chychurn by taking Pavel Datsyuk's contract from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange to move up to the 16th selection position. Whether he will be ready to jump to the NHL this season is debatable. If he plays one season on the team's AHL affiliate Tucson Roadrunners, and can come up the following season when Zbynek Michalek's contract expires, that may be a plan.
That leaves them with the choice of going after Shattenkirk, or just wait to see how the young players develop.
One thing is certain, if the Coyotes acquire Shattenkirk their blueline will be awesome. It will include Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Connor Murphy, Alex Oligosky, Michael Stone, Anthony DeAngelo, Kevin Connauton, Zbynek Michalek, and Klas Dahlbeck.
How's that for depth?
It's doubtful the team will keep D-men Nicklas Grossmann or Jarred Tinordi at this point.
Thomas Vanek
Vanek has been around, playing for four different teams, but he is a solid performer, with a 0.79 points per game average. He is 32 years old, and maybe demanding in the vicinity of his current salary of $6.5 million. Although, he may be forced to accept less, since his numbers are decreasing. Still, he managed 18 goals, 23 assists in 74 games. A salary more in the $5 million range may be more realistic.
Where it gets interesting is, the Minnesota Wild have inquired about Martin Hanzal, and the two teams could come to an agreement to trade players. The Coyotes may need to throw in another player, perhaps a prospect such as Brendan Perlini would do.
The depth the Yotes have at the center position allows them to trade Hanzal for a winger or a defenseman, as their needs demand.
The Coyotes final roster will look very different this upcoming season, and with a few tweaks, they could be in the hunt for that valued playoff berth.