The Coyotes don't have a GM, but they are (thankfully) moving in a more "analytical" direction, they are currently in possession of the worst blue-line in the NHL and have absolutely zero competition for that distinction.
OEL is great. Murphy is passable. I can live with Stone, but everyone else is garbage and needs to go. Luckily, the only person signed besides OEL (and Chris Pronger) is Zbynek Michalek, who's salary the team has to eat because he is very, very bad and has declined to the point where a wet towel in the slot would be a more effective defensive presence.
I say keep OEL (obviously) give Michalek the Robidas treatment (i.e tell him that he is injured, suck it up and pay him) re-sign Connor Murphy and trade Michael Stone. Obviously, it would be ridiculous and absurd to even consider bringing back Dahlbeck or Grossmann.
Here are some players the team should target as they rebuild their D. Most of them are UFAs or would be relatively easy to acquire. Two of them are really, really good and just to be upfront, I don't want to hear about how stupid my trade proposals are!!! They're just for fun and we both know I have no clue about what the teams involved would actually consider realistic - but my point here is to point out players the team should target and to try and establish a somewhat realistic price point. But mostly it's about fun.
Here goes:
Cam Fowler
Shea Theordore is 20 years old, a former first round pick and one of the top defensive prospects in the NHL. The Ducks have an excellent group of bluelineres (Lindholm, Vatanen, Fowler and Despres) and while they won't be giving one away, it seems like they are a good team to target for a team with no depth at the position.
Theodore might not be the one they trade - I would guess their first choice would be to move Vatanen, but then again, he's also signed to a pretty cost-effective value-laden contract at $3.75 for the next four years, so who knows? I would pay almost anything for Lindholm, quite a lot for Fowler and I would still pay pretty high for the other three.
The Coyotes have draft picks and forward prospects to move. Of course, how the Ducks do in the Playoffs is going affect what they want, but realistically, considering this year when they are a Cup favorite they didn't even spend to the cap, they might have some issue with whatever number they consider their internal cap next year.
Arizona could definitely help by taking on the contract of Clayton Stoner.
Let's say the Coyotes acquire Cam Fowler for Ryan MacInnis, Chicago's first-rounder and the Coyote's second rounder, plus the Coyotes would take back the contract of Stoner, giving the Ducks over $7 million in cap relief. Not enough? I'd pay more.
Mark Pysyk:
Pysyk is a little-known right shooting defenseman from the Sabres. He doesn't score much, but he plays a fantastic possession game. In the NHL there is a type of defenseman who is extremely cheap but very effective: Psysk is that type. Marincin from the Leafs is another. These are guys who don't really score and don't make very many mistakes. Unless you watch for them specifically, you only hear their name when they screw up. But they are solid, puck moving shot suppressors and a team can get an edge in both acquiring them and in how their salaries barely affect the cap.
He's been a Sabre for parts of four years and never played more than 55 games. He'd likely be available and cheap.
I would offer the Sabres a third round pick. Or an intriguing long shot like Maxim Letunov to get this deal done.
Jakub Nakladal:
Nakladal played for the Flames this year, a rookie at 28. He's a right shot and seemed to post good possession numbers. The Flames are fairly deep on D and he's a UFA the Coyotes should definitely sign. Strong possession numbers relative to his team and a decent, if underwhelming point producer in the AHL and KHL. Like Pysyk he's a low-impact player who is sturdy and provides so much more than the guys that are actively bad now patrolling the Coyotes blue-line.
T.J Brennan:
He's never been given a true shot at the NHL, but is pretty much the AHL Erick Karlsson. The Coyotes should be the team that gives him a shot. He's a UFA and the Coyotes could probably have him if they guarantee him a roster spot. He was a point per game player in the AHL this year and won that league's version of the Norris Trophy.
Kevin Shattenkirk:
This should be the Coyotes top off season priority. He is hands-down, one of the best defenseman in the NHL. He shoots right.
The first thing the Coyotes should do is talk to St.Louis and see if they can talk to him about an extension. If he's amenable, the Coyotes should make him the highest paid player in team history, after trading for him, obviously.
I would offer up Christian Dvorak, Mark Stone and next year's first round pick with no lottery protection. The Blues get a top prospect, a decent replacement and a lottery ticket for a player who is rumoured to be traded way too much to be a part of their long term plans.
Next Season:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Kevin Shattenkirk
Cam Fowler - Connor Murphy
T.J Brennan - Mark Pysyk
7th: Jacob Nakladal
I would say that is perhaps one of the more interesting, and possibly one of the best blue-lines in hockey. I have no clue what level of realism my trade proposals have, but they are just for fun. The point here is to speculate on what kind of players might be available and what it could theoretically cost to get them.
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