Yesterday I wrote about the Capitals draft, so today I'll be covering the Coyotes, who made a couple big plays this past weekend.
First, the Coyotes selected Barrett Hayton fifth overall. This was a surprising pick because the player was expected to be drafted much lower. You can look at this one of two ways. First, as a failure for Chayka not to move down, pick up another 2nd or a 3rd, and get the player he wanted at a lower spot.
Or, you can look at it this way: draft rankings are sketchy at best, and teams have their own internal ideas that they value way more. Teams also talk. A lot. So it's possible Chayka felt that the risk of moving down was too high because he really wanted this player. There is also the fact that he was so confident in him, and wanted him so much that he was willing to go off the board.
After doing the same thing with Clayton Keller two years ago, I trust Chayka on this move.
F: Barratt Hayton, Dylan Strome, Clayton Keller, Christian Fischer, Nick Merkley, Christian Dvorak, Brandon Perlini and Lawson Crouse.
That's ten players taken in the second round or higher in the last couple of years. Dvorak at 22 is the oldest.
D: Jakob Chychrun and Pierre Oliver Joseph.
Not too shabby. (And I know some of those guys are already in the NHL, let's not get too hung up on what constitutes a prospect!).
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The other big Coyotes news this weekend is that they signed Nik Hjalmarsson to a contract extension. He joins Antti Raanta and Oliver Ekman-Larsson as franchise cornerstones who have been re-signed this summer.
The deal can't be announced until July 1st.
Also, they drafted an English guy - bloody right!
Good times! The Coyotes are looking fantastic right now.