Coyotes admit they have no intention of icing a competitive team in the near future
In yet another season where the Arizona Coyotes do not expect to be competitive, GM Bill Armstrong has made it clear the team will look to acquire more bloated or dead contracts this season, retaining assets in exchange for cap relief of other teams.
In the current flat cap of the NHL, acquiring these contracts is invaluable to contending teams, while meaning nothing to teams like Arizona who will struggle to reach the cap floor this season.
This of course means the Coyotes will be bankrolling players at significant salary who will never play again, while playing in the smallest arena in NHL history, and receiving equalization payments from revenue sharing across the league - all more nails in the coffin of this dead franchise.
The optics of this are not good. It was even reported on the Steve Dangle Podcast near the trade deadline that Gary Bettman nixed a deal that sent Shea Weber to the Coyotes, recognizing the optics of the trade were damning to the franchise.
Yet still, look for the Coyotes to eventually acquire the contract of Shea Weber, and perhaps more LTIR and essentially retired players like Brian Little, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and perhaps Carey Price or Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
| POLL | ||
Will the Coyotes stay in Arizona? | ||
| Yes | 137 | 30.9 % |
| No | 307 | 69.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
