Coyotes could be looking for trade partner

Friday, 06.01.2012 / 1:07 PM

By Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor / Combing the 2012 NHL Combine

Share with your Friends


Combing the 2012 NHL Combine
Coyotes could be looking for trade partner
TORONTO -- Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney told NHL.com that he's happy with the 27th pick of the first round, but said there's a good chance he will move the pick.

"We're probably more inclined to move the pick one way or the other," he said. "A lot of this stuff gets talked about and dealt with on the draft floor. You look at what might be there. What's the value of dropping some to get an extra pick or two? Does that make sense? Or is there a guy that's sitting there that you might have in your top 12 sitting there at 19 or 20, you say maybe we throw something together to get up. For me, it's really exploring where we can go with it."

Maloney said he's willing to move the pick because the 2012 NHL Draft is considered deep in defensemen, and he feels that's a position of strength in his organization.

"We have a lot of defenseman in our system, young defenseman, that we feel really good with where we're at," he said. "This is a strong [defense] draft. It may be looking at how the forward group is shaping up. If there's a forward that we felt is sliding to a point where we can give up something to get him, that would be my initial thought on that. We're looking hard at a couple of those forwards we like."

Maloney wasn't ready to name names, but said there are four players he and his staff have targeted as players they really like.

However, he said he's not married to the idea of drafting a forward.

"We may get to our pick and it's an average forward and a real good defenseman, and we'll take the defenseman," he said. "That's the attitude we have."

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK
 
2012 NHL Draft
NHL.TV™ › SHOP.NHL.COM › NHL AUCTIONS › FOLLOW ON: FACEBOOK TWITTER