Offseason Roundup: Arizona Coyotes
Over the next month, theScore's NHL editors will review all the offseason moves for each team around the league.
The Phoenix Arizona Coyotes are the beginning of a new era after a prolonged battle with bankruptcy and years of league ownership. The team, formerly the Phoenix Coyotes, became the Arizona Coyotes this offseason - a seemingly superficial change that carries a lot of symbolic weight.
The name of the Coyotes home arena also changed from Jobing.com Arena to Gila River Arena.
But names aren't the only thing changing for Arizona. The Coyotes appear to be rebuilding after missing the playoffs for a second straight season following the franchise's first Conference Finals appearance in 2012. Veterans like Radim Vrbata and Mike Ribeiro are gone, likely to be replaced by younger players within Arizona's system.
Offseason Overview
Ribeiro signed a four-year deal with the Coyotes last offseason, but the team decided to buy him out after just one season on June 27. Vrbata, who was one of Arizona's more reliable offensive players for the last six seasons, joined the Vancouver Canucks as an unrestricted free agent.
The Coyotes also lost backup netminder Thomas Greiss to free agency, replacing him with Devan Dubnyk, who was available for the bargain price of $800,000. Dubnyk has plenty of NHL experience, which will come in handy should starting goaltender Mike Smith miss more time due to injuries.
Arizona acquired a new center two days after buying out Ribeiro, trading a sixth round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Sam Gagner. Gagner is an intriguing 25-year-old who is on pace to play his 500th NHL game in the coming season, but he never settled in with the Edmonton Oilers despite showing flashes of offensive brilliance.
Aside from Gagner, the Coyotes will be looking to their youth to take the next step and fill holes in their roster. Rookies such as Max Domi, Henrik Samuelsson and Lucas Lessio are expected to challenge for NHL ice-time.
Arizona used the 12th-overall pick at the 2014 NHL entry draft in June to select Brendan Perlini, adding a tall, skilled winger to their prospect cupboard. The Coyotes also drafted Ryan MacInnis - the son of former All-Star defenseman Al MacInnis - in the second round, continuing the trend of drafting along hockey bloodlines they started by selecting Samuelsson and Domi in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Key Additions
Sam Gagner
Joe Vitale
Devan Dubnyk
Key Departures
Radim Vrbata
Mike Ribeiro
Thomas Greiss
2014-15 Outlook
Losing Vrbata and Ribeiro will hurt Arizona's offense and questions about Smith's durability in net make competing in a tough Pacific Division far from a sure thing.
Still the Coyotes possess enough talent and upside to end their playoff drought. Their enviable defensive unit remains intact, led by Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, while younger forwards Gagner and Mikkel Boedker should benefit from an increased role on offense. Expect Arizona to compete for a wild-card spot behind the three California teams in its division.