Arizona Coyotes Sign Defensive Prospect Kyle Wood
The Arizona Coyotes signed 6’4 defensive prospect Kyle Wood on Saturday. Wood was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche as part of the trade for forward Mikkel Boedker.
The Arizona Coyotes locked up part of their return from the Mikkel Boedker trade on Saturday.
Kyle Wood has been signed to an entry-level contract with the Coyotes with a total value of $2.75M and average annual value of $925,000.
Wood’s deal will count $717,500 against the cap according to General Fanager.
The North Bay Battalion defenseman was thought to be the primary piece coveted by Coyotes general manager Don Maloney in the deal with Colorado that brought over forward prospect Conner Bleackley and veteran forward Alex Tanguay for Boedker.
Kyle Wood is 6’4 and slots in on the top pairing for the Battalion. He put up 8 goals and 31 assists in 2015-16, and also wears the “A” for the team.
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Hockey’s Future writeup on Wood mentions his size, but also emphasizes his offensive game:
"Towering over other players, Wood can be mistaken for a pure defensive defenseman but that is not the case. Wood has an underrated offensive game and was the second power play unit’s quarterback for his junior team. He uses his size well and to his advantage. Teammates love having him on the back end and opposing players hate going up against him."
With Wood signed, the question now turns to Conner Bleackley and whether he will be locked up by the Arizona Coyotes or allowed to re-enter the draft. The idea was floated by several reporters at the time of the trade.
If Bleackley re-enters the draft, the Arizona Coyotes will receive a second round draft pick in compensation. That would allow them to exercise full discretion on whomever or whatever position they may wish to acquire.
Beyond Kyle Wood and Bleackley, the third piece of the Boedker trade – Alex Tanguay – has been a nice addition to the Coyotes lineup. He’s contributed 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in 10 games. More importantly, he’s jump started linemate center Antoine Vermette after what had been a significantly trying year.
Next: Coyotes Defensive Outlook: This Season And Potential Moves For 2016-17
One would assume that we will see the young D-man suiting up for the Springfield Falcons in the AHL next year to begin his road to fitting in on the right side of the Arizona Coyotes lineup in the not too distant future.
It will be intriguing to see him in development camp with the team over the summer when he’s put up against some of the Yotes high-flying prospects.