According to Craig Morgan of arizonasports.com, former Arizona Coyotes' right wing Radim Vrbata, 35 will sign a one-year contract with the team today.
Now, it has been confirmed by cbssports.com and Craig Custance of ESPN that he has indeed signed a one-year, $1 million contract to be back with the Coyotes.
Vrbata loves playing in Arizona
The unrestricted free agent, who played out his two-year $10 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks had played two previous times for the Arizona hockey club.
His best season was the 2011-12 when he teamed up with playmaker Ray Whitney. He came through with 35 goals and 62 points that season. After he left the desert to join the Canucks, he signed his lucrative two-year deal to play with the Sedin twins.
He again found success scoring 31 goals and 63 points, which amounted to a career-high for him. For whatever reason, Canucks Head Coach Willie Desjardins split up Vrbata and the Sedin twins, and it really hurt Vrbata's production. He fell to just 13 goals and 27 assists last season.
Can Vrbata provide some scoring punch?
The Coyotes had been searching for another scoring winger, and Vrbata has already proven he is a sharpshooter. He will also be a shot in the arm for the Yotes' power play, as he has scored 27 power play goals in the last three seasons. His man advantage goals amounted to 42 percent of his total goals over that period of time.
His veteran leadership will also be an asset for the young team the Coyotes are putting on the ice.
What it will mean for young prospects like Christian Fischer, Nick Merkley, Conor Garland and Brendan Perlini is they may be forced to wait another year to make it to the NHL. Of that group the only player who may have been close to making the opening night roster is Fischer.
He had a good game in the red-white intrasquad game and is a big kid at 6' 2", 212 pounds. He will more than likely play for the Tucson Roadrunners, and you never know with injuries, etc. he could be called up to the big club to show what he can do.
He may even be considered to fill the spot Shane Doan has now on the right wing, once (and if) the legend Coyote decides to walk away from the game.
Time to start packing, again
Vrbata is still back in his home in the Czech Republic with his wife and three children. With his eldest child getting ready to start school soon he knew a decision about where he would play had to come soon.
He reportedly had the interest of at least four clubs, and if he didn't get a contract by about this time, he would have stayed home and played in Europe, or just called it quits. But, he still has the itch to play some more, and with a couple of good linemates, he may be back to scoring 20-25 goals again.
Apparently, the knee injury Vrbata suffered near the end of the season which sidelined him for 13 games, was not a factor in signing him.