Arizona Coyotes Lineup Changes--Salaries For Next Season

With New Prospects Next Season – The Arizona Coyotes Lineup Will Change

With no less than ten players with expiring contracts, the 2015-2016 Arizona Coyotes lineup will look quite different next season.

Here’s a list of players whose contracts are up by July 1, 2015 and their salary cap hit per spotrac.com:

Martin Erat (LW) $4.5M

Mikkel Boedker (RW) $2.55M

Klas Dahbeck (D) $135,197

B.J. Crombeen (RW) $1.15M

Louise Domingue (G) $167,903

John Moore (D) $192,127

Mark Arcobello ( C ) $193,548

Craig Cunningham (LW) $132,258

Andrew Campbell (D) $230,645

Tye McGinn (LW) $132,258

Grand Total = $9,383,936

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So, one of the cool things about being a writer/editor is you get to play General Manager. Next season the Arizona Coyotes will have some prospects they will attempt to insert into their lineup.

Players like:

Max Domi, Anthony “Tony D” Duclair, this year’s Entry Draft Player(s)… fill in the blank (McDavid, Eichel, Marner, Hanifin, etc.).

Of the listed players whose contracts are expiring here’s who I would keep:

Mikkel Boedker (with a substantial raise in the range of $4M)
Klas Dahlbeck (average salary was $766,667 – three year $2.3M with Blackhawks) – my offer for next season – $3.5M three years
Louis Domingue (average salary was $636,667 – three year $1.91M – my offer for next season – $2M two years
John Moore (average salary was $850,850 − one year contract $850,850 with N.Y. Rangers) – my offer for next season – $2.5M two years
Mark Arcobello (average salary was $600,000 − one year contract $600,000 with Oilers) – my offer for next season – $2.5M two years
Andrew Campbell (average salary was $550,000 − one year contract $550,000 – my offer for next season – $1M one year. I can see him replacing Crombeen as the team enforcer.

New contracts = $6,166,666

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That means roster spots for at least four players would exist. Spots for Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, and the 2015 1st round lottery pick.

The Arizona Coyotes made it known that Martin Erat would be on the trade block, but no takers approached the team. His large salary will be an easy choice to dump. He is not getting any younger at 33, and is an inconsistent player at best. Payroll saved = $4.5M
B.J. Crombeen was a fourth line tough guy player who took a lot of dumb penalties, and I realize every team needs an enforcer, but a $1.15M? Nope… he’s outta here! Payroll saved = $1.15M
Craig Cunningham was a player claimed off of waivers after the trade deadline deals were consummated, and the roster needed to be filled. He does hustle, and may make the team, but odds are he won’t. Payroll saved = $132,258
Tye McGinn was also a fourth liner who came in off waivers along with Cunningham. He is an average player, and I don’t see the team keeping him on the roster. He too may be a player on the bubble, but his bubble will probably burst. Payroll saved = $132,258

Grand Total Saved = $5,914,516

Difference Between New Contracts and Expired Contracts = $252,150

Gee… being GM is not as easy as it may seem.

Per spotrac.com:

Max Domi signed a 3 year / $4,275,000 contract with the ArizonaCoyotes, including a $277,500 signing bonus, and an annual average salary of $1,425,000. In 2014-15, Domi will earn a base salary of $925,000 and a incentive bonus of $500,000. Domi has a cap hit of $894,167.

He is signed until 2017, when he becomes a RFA. He may get a new contract, since he is billed to be the next BIG NAME forward for the team. I would re-sign him before training camp for at least $5M for three years to keep him on the books, until such time that he proves his worth.

Anthony Duclair signed a 3 year / $2,460,000 contract with the New York Rangers, including a $277,500 signing bonus, and an annual average salary of $820,000. In 2014-15, Duclair will earn a base salary of $742,500. Duclair has a cap hit of $174,435. He will be a RFA in 2016, so better ink him too.. (am I bankrupting the team yet?) I would re-sign him to a three year $4M contract to keep him.

Now, the hard part will be determining who will be the Arizona Coyotes lottery draft pick, and how much to pay him.

Last season Aaron Ekblad signed a 3 year / $11,602,500 contract with the Florida Panthers, including a $277,500 signing bonus, and an annual average salary of $3,867,500. In 2014-15, Ekblad will earn a base salary of $925,000 and a signing bonus of $277,500. Ekblad has a cap hit of $925,000 while his dead money value is $3,775,000.

So, I’d say the pick will receive a cap hit of about $1M. Some quick math shows I’ve spent about $10M on prospects alone. Of course there are intangibles I can’t predict, and locking in the young prospects has got to be a priority for the Arizona Coyotes this coming season.

Whew… It’s exhausting being a GM ! ! You can have the job, Don Maloney. I just know the high finances of running a professional NHL team has got it’s challenges. Then, you must use your best judgment and experience to determine who to keep, and how to pay them, and when to dump a contract.

The effects of eating Mike Ribeiro’s contract will have some burning wounds until 2019, when he will be paid off. At $1,944,444 a year still owed him, that was a costly mistake to sign him.

Add in the contract of Mike Smith, still owed $5.67M a year until 2019, and you can see why Don Maloney may be aging prematurely.

Me, I’m just playing pretend GM… it was kinda fun, though…

Next: Arizona Coyotes Mock Draft

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