Coyotes Prepare to Sell Before Trade Deadline and Continue Rebuild
With the Arizona Coyotes out of playoff contention, they are expected to be sellers before the NHL Trade Deadline. Defenseman Matt Dumba and forward Jason Zucker are likely to be moved as potential rentals.
Coyotes Plan to Move Dumba and Zucker
The Arizona Coyotes know they are going to be sellers before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. on Friday. Defenseman Matt Dumba and forward Jason Zucker, who are eligible to become unrestricted free agents after this season, are the most likely players to be moved as potential rentals. How many trades the Coyotes make beyond that is to be determined, but general manager Bill Armstrong is firm on the approach they will take.
"There's people calling on everything right now," Armstrong said before the Coyotes defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 at Capital One Arena on Sunday. "So, you just go through the process and our goal is to go through this deadline and keep our core together here and move forward and take another step. That's the biggest thing."
Building a Strong Core of Young Players
The Coyotes have seen young players like rookie forwards Logan Cooley, 19, and Dylan Guenther, 20 and rookie defenseman Michael Kesselring, 24, establish themselves this season and join a group that also includes forwards Clayton Keller, 25, Matias Maccelli, 23, and Lawson Crouse, 26, and defenseman J.J. Moser, 23, and goalie Connor Ingram, 26.
"We've got some good pieces that we like … and we want to take a step with those guys," Armstrong said. "So, you can start to see the core coming together. It's an exciting time for us in a sense that our core is starting to come together, and we'll continue to bring young players in every year."
Adding Pieces for the Future
The Coyotes (25-31-5) were contending for the Stanley Cup Playoffs before losing 14 consecutive games (0-12-2), a slide that ended with a 5-3 win at the Ottawa Senators on Friday. They're 17 points behind the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators, who are tied for the first wild card from the Western Conference. That's made it easy for them to decide to try to add more pieces for their future rather than, potentially, holding onto veterans such as Zucker, 32, and Dumba, 29, for a playoff push.
"I've always said from the get-go that our team has led us in the direction we're going," Armstrong said. "Obviously, we'll see what transpires on that day and the days before that. We'll see what we can move and where we can gain some assets."
