Coyotes ink GM Armstong to multi-year extension

The Arizona Coyotes signed general manager Bill Armstrong to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.

"For the past three years, Bill has done an excellent job restructuring our hockey operations department and rebuilding our hockey team," Coyotes owner, chairman, and governor Alex Meruelo said in a statement. "He has acquired elite talent through the draft, trades, and free agency and has established a winning culture by adding a great coaching staff and other key hockey operations personnel."

"I am confident that under his leadership, the Coyotes will soon become a perennial playoff team, and we will continue to work towards our goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to the Valley," Meruelo continued.

Armstrong was hired as the Coyotes' GM in September 2020. Arizona's 77-116-27 record is the second-worst in the NHL since Armstrong took over.

The 53-year-old had one year and an option left on his original contract, according to PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan. The Coyotes picked up his option and subsequently signed him to a new deal that runs through the 2028-29 campaign, Morgan reports.

"Being the general manager of the Arizona Coyotes is an honor and a privilege and I am very proud of all the hard work that our hockey operations staff, coaching staff, and players have done to improve our organization," Armstrong said in a statement. "We still have a lot of work to do but I firmly believe that we are on the right track to becoming a playoff-caliber team for years to come. We have a very bright future here in Arizona."

Prior to joining the Coyotes, Armstrong was a member of the St. Louis Blues organization for 16 seasons. The Richmond Hill, Ontario native worked his way from an amateur scout to assistant GM by the end of his tenure with the Blues. He won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019.

Arizona signed head coach Andre Tourigny to a three-year contract extension in August.