The Arizona Coyotes announced today that defender Stefan Elliott was being placed on waivers. The move comes on the heels of the Coyotes claiming defender Kevin Connauton off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday.
The Arizona Coyotes have put right-handed defenseman Stefan Elliott on waivers.
The move came as no surprise after the Yotes claimed another defenseman, Kevin Connauton, with similar offensive upside on waivers yesterday from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The acquisition of Connauton left the Coyotes with eight defensemen on the roster, leaving it apparent that there was either an undisclosed injury or someone would be shipped out in some fashion. Elliott was the odd man out.
Stefan Elliott had played in 19 games for the Arizona Coyotes thus far in the 2015-16 season. He had two goals and four assists and averaged 14:14 of ice time per game. He must pass through waivers before he is eligible to report to the team’s AHL affiliate in Springfield.
“I would like to keep him,” Tippett said. “He’s been a really serviceable player for us, jumping in and out. We’ll see where things go.”
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The twenty four year old Canadian defender filled in on the right side in spots for the Coyotes this season as injuries popped up, most recently when Zbynek Michalek was out for a few games.
Elliott played sheltered minutes where he was allowed to showcase his immense offensive upside, though it could certainly be an adventure at times with the young defender’s positioning in his own end.
He was acquired via trade with Colorado Avalanche prior to the season when the Coyotes shipped former first round draft pick Brandon Gormley to the Avs in exchange for Elliott.
Regarding the incoming Kevin Connauton, Dave Tippett remarked that Connauton is a “Good two-way defenseman. A left shot that we’re trying to look to add some depth to our group. He won’t play tonight. He got in last night. We’ll let him watch tonight for a game, and then we’ll see where he’s at for the next game.”
Though they are replacing their extra right handed shot with a lefty, the hope from the Arizona Coyotes organization seems to rest on the fact that Connauton will be more reliable in his own end than Elliott, while also building on a more proven track record offensively in the NHL.
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Whether waiving their extra right-handed defenseman will bite the Coyotes or not remains to be seen. If Elliott is claimed on waivers, it could leave the Coyotes in the predicament of playing a left-hand shot on the right side should Michalek go down again.
Alternatively, Connauton provides insurance for an injury to Nicklas Grossmann should the big Swede get nicked up again.
While Tippett already announced Connauton will not play tonight against Detroit, I am curious to see what the lineup looks like should he make it into Saturday’s matinee against the New Jersey.
Who sits? Grossmann? Klas Dahlbeck? We’ll find out soon.