Yotes Notes: Deadline Deals & Prospering Prospects

The 2024 NHL trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror, and though the Arizona Coyotes weren't buyers like they had hoped to be when the season began, General Manager Bill Armstrong and his team made moves that will help the team for years to come.

In all, Arizona traded three players away: defensemen Troy Stecher and Matt Dumba, as well as forward Jason Zucker. In return, the Coyotes received a 2027 fourth-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick, and a 2024 sixth-round pick.

Though the drafts are years away, Armstrong and his team may not have to wait that long to use them. Certainly, they can wait and make the picks -- there's something to be said about having the forward-thinking mentality in stocking up for drafts that are years away -- but those assets can also be used to trade up in a future draft or included on a package that could bring in a marquee player at a key moment for the club.

Time will tell, but with 33 selections over the next three drafts alone, including 20 in the first three rounds of those, the Coyotes have many options to mull over in the coming years.

The picks that have been made are continuing to pay dividends for the organization, as the Coyotes boast some of the top players in nearly every league in the world. Josh Doan (AHL; 38 points in 55 games), Aku Räty (AHL; 32 points in 41 games), Daniil But (KHL; 21 points in 55 games), Dmitriy Simashev (KHL; 10 points in 63 games, plus-10 rating), Sam Lipkin (NCAA; 34 points in 34 games), Conor Geekie (WHL; 86 points in 48 games), Jeremy Langlois (QMJHL; 57 points in 57 games), and Julian Lutz (USHL; 50 points in 37 games) have all opened eyes this season.

The pipeline stacked full of prospects combined with an asset cupboard that's bursting at the seams has set the Coyotes up for long-term success, which has been the vision for the team since Armstrong took over as GM.

On to the show!

The Week in Review

Tuesday, March 5 | vs. Chicago Blackhawks | 5-2 Loss
STATS | RECAP

The Coyotes ran into a red-hot Blackhawks power play, which converted on four of its five opportunities en route to the win. Michael Carcone and Nick Bjugstad scored for Arizona, which had its two-game winning streak snapped in the loss.

Thursday, March 7 | vs. Minnesota Wild | 5-2 Loss
STATS | RECAP

Clayton Keller and Michael Carcone turned a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 lead by scoring a goal seven seconds apart in the third period, but the Wild ultimately rallied with the game’s final four goals – including two empty-netters – to skate away with a 5-2 win.

Friday, March 8 | vs. Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 Win
STATS | RECAP

The Coyotes stifled Detroit in the first meeting between the two this season in what became Connor Ingram’s sixth shutout of the year. That mark is tied with Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry for the most in the league, helping Arizona to its first win at Mullett Arena since Jan. 22.

The game also marked the return of Christian Fischer, who played 398 games with Arizona after he was selected in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

Jack McBain, Alex Kerfoot, Logan Cooley, and Nick Bjugstad scored for Arizona, which won for the third time in five games, while ending its three-game homestand on a high note. Ingram’s 28 saves effectively shut the door against Detroit, which is in the thick of a playoff race.

Sunday, March 10 | at Chicago Blackhawks | 7-4 Loss
STATS | RECAP
The Coyotes jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Clayton Keller, but the Blackhawks ultimately rallied in a six-goal second period to grab the lead before going on to win 7-4. It was the final game between the two teams this season, and Arizona finished 1-2-0 against Chicago.

Nick Schmaltz finished with three points, and the 28-year-old has nine points over his last six games.

Down on the Farm

Tucson Roadrunners (31-19-3-2, 3rd Place, Pacific Division)
- 1-1-1-0 Last Week
- March 5 vs. Calgary Wranglers, 5-4 Loss (Overtime)
- March 6 vs. Calgary Wranglers, 4-3 Loss (Shootout)
- March 9 at Coachella Valley Firebirds, 7-2 Loss

The Roadrunners kept pace with the Pacific Division-leading Firebirds with a 1-1-1-0 week, and rank fourth in the Western Conference with a .609 winning percentage. Though nothing is a given, the team is closing in on a playoff spot, which will provide valuable experience for the organization as some of the Coyotes’ top prospects continue to grow and mature.

John Leonard, Justin Kirkland, and Milos Kelemen scored in Tucson’s win over the Wranglers, while goalie Dylan Wells made 32 saves to preserve the game for the Roadrunners.

Team Leaders
• Points: Doan (38)
• Goals: Doan (22)
• Assists Räty (20)
• GAA: Villalta (2.77)
• SV%: Villalta (.905)

Lipkin continues to excel with Quinnipiac, where he won a national championship over Logan Cooley’s Minnesota Golden Gophers just one season ago. He is averaging a point-per-game in the NCAA for the second straight season following last year’s 43-point output, where he was named to the ECAC’s All-Rookie Team in addition to earning Rookie of the Year honors.

Bear’s Necessities

“What you saw today is that group has grown up since last year. They were focused on the task. They were not shaky." André Tourigny on the Coyotes' 4-0 win just hours after the trade deadline passed.

What to Watch For

Tuesday, March 12, at Minnesota, 5 pm MST
Arizona continues its three-game road trip in Minnesota on Tuesday, in what will be the fourth-and-final meeting between the Coyotes and Wild this season. Arizona won the first meeting 6-0 on Jan. 13, but Minnesota has won the last two, both at Mullett Arena, 3-1 on Feb. 14 and 5-2 last week.

The Wild have won three of their last four games, with the lone 2-1 loss coming against the Avalanche in overtime. They remain in the Western Conference’s playoff race, six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the second Wild Card position.

Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 70 points on the season, while Joel Eriksson Ek (60), Mats Zuccarello (54), Matt Boldy (52), and Brock Faber (37) round out the top five. Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury have split time in net this season, as the former is 17-15-4 with two shutouts, a 3.26 GAA and .804 SV%, while the latter is 14-11-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .900 SV%.

The Wild rank 18th in the league with 3.09 goals-for per game, while allowing the 11th-most (3.28). Their power play is 16th with a 21.88 percent conversion rate, while their penalty kill is 29th with a 74.21 percent success rate.

Thursday, March 14, at Detroit, 4 pm MST
The Coyotes and Red Wings wrap up their season series in Detroit following the Desert Dogs’ 4-0 win last week, and Detroit will be desperate for a win considering it has dropped out of the playoff picture after dropping five consecutive games.

The Wings are tied with the New York Islanders for the second-and-final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Isles have a game in hand and have won six straight.

Captain Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat are tied for the team scoring lead with 54 points each, but Larkin remains sidelined with an injury that is expected to keep him out for at least another week. Lucas Raymond (51), Shayne Gostisbehere (41), and Daniel Sprong (39) are close behind.

Alex Lyon has made the most appearances in net this season, posting an 18-12-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.93 GAA and .908 SV%. James Reimer is 6-7-2 with a 3.05 GAA and .904 SV% this season.

Lyon was in net when the Coyotes and Red Wings faced each other last week.

Detroit has one of the top offenses in the league, ranking sixth with 3.42 goals-for per game, but the Wings do allow the 10th-most goals, at 3.48. Their power play also ranks 10th (23.01), while their 80.30 percent penalty kill is 12th-best.

Saturday, March 16, vs. New Jersey, 2 pm MST
Arizona and New Jersey met at Prudential Center in the Coyotes’ first game of the season, a 4-3 shootout victory for the Desert Dogs, and will meet for the final time this season on Saturday. The Devils have seemingly dropped from the playoff picture , but are still just a modest six points back from the Wild Card positioning despite posting a 3-7-0 record over their last 10 games.

New Jersey plays at the Rangers and Stars on Monday and Thursday, respectively, before traveling to the desert for Saturday’s tilt.

Jesper Bratt recorded two goals and an assist for the Devils in the first game between Arizona and New Jersey, but Vejmelka’s 33 saves made the difference for the Coyotes, who rallied from a late 3-2 deficit to ultimately tie it up and force overtime.

Bratt leads the Devils with 64 points this season, followed by Jack Hughes (61), Nico Hischier (49), Timo Meier (34), and Luke Hughes (32). The Devils were recently very involved in the trade market, acquiring goalies Jake Allen and Kaapo Kohkonen at the deadline. Those acquisitions compliment Nico Daws, who is 9-11-0 with a 3.26 GAA and .891 SV%.

New Jersey is 12th in the league with 3.30 goals-for per game, and it gives up 3.48, which is the sixth-most in the league. Their 22.45 percent power-play percentage ranks 14th, while their penalty kill is 18th-best with a 79.06 percent success rate.