Arizona Coyotes: Strome And Boedker Signed

Arizona Coyotes Sign Third Overall Pick Strome, Veteran Boedker

GM Don Maloney inked newly drafted center Dylan Strome to an entry-level contract on Monday. Terms of the contract, per team policy were not disclosed, but per nhlnumbers.com he received the normal $.925M three-year contract for an entry-level player. Maloney sounded pretty giddy about signing his prize draft pick, whom he declined to give up in a trade with another team.

"“We are very pleased to sign Dylan to an entry-level contract,” said Maloney. “Dylan is a very talented player and all he’s done his entire career is lead his teams and leagues in scoring and win championships. He will be an important player for us in the future and a key building block for this franchise.”"

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The 18-year-old Strome led the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in scoring with 45g-84a-129 points in 68 games last season to capture the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league’s top scorer. He finished first in the OHL in assists and third in goals, while also collecting 40 multi-point games. Quite a good resume for a young player. And, the Arizona Coyotes could use every bit of that offense to jump start the weak showing they had last season. Scoring just over 2 goals a game, will not get you far in the NHL.

What I’m hoping is that Strome gets a good look at training camp, and if he is ready, he is allowed to play for nine games to see if they want to keep him on the roster. That’s what they did with Domi last year, and they decided to allow him to “mature” more in the OHL. Strome could be ready, not sure. I will get a better idea when I attend the prospect camp tomorrow. It should be loads of fun.

The Arizona Coyotes also signed forward Mikkel Boedker to a one-year contract. This after he was scheduled to go to salary arbitration later this month. The terms of the extension were not disclosed, but again according to nhlmumbers.com he received a $.95M raise, and signed for $3.75M. What baffles me is why the team did not lock him up for longer than a year. To me, that means they have other plans after the one year contract term for him expires. He will again be a UFA after this contract, and may seek a long-term agreement.

What is really strange about this whole thing is, they have the money. With these two signings their payroll now stands at $55.708, right around what it was last season, and GM Don Maloney had stated that he will have a payroll increase for this season. Maybe they’re not done with free agent signings, or trades, who knows?

The other factor, which must be given some credence is the re-location rumors. Why, if the team is staying put, would they not cough up some money for one of their best forwards on their roster? Look what other teams are doing. The Blues signed Victor Tarasenko to an eight-year $60 million contract today. Belesky got $19M for five-years from Boston. Hamilton got $28.5M for five years from Calgary. So, the Arizona Coyotes really don’t want to compete if they don’t sign some star players. It’s that simple, folks.

I hope I’m wrong, but the signs are beginning to lead to the fact that the team may be packing it’s bags after this next season. With Gila Rive arena drama to continue, and Barroway backing out of his majority owner position, things don’t look too promising. I don’t hold much optimism in the NHL Commissioner claiming this franchise is NOT going anywhere. Tell that to Atlanta Thrashers fans who heard the same rhetoric, to only see the team fill the moving vans in a few weeks, and head out of Dodge.

Like I said, this is NOT a good omen on Boedker. He wasn’t asking for any more than other UFA’s out there, so why give him peanuts? In the near future we will remember this signing as the turning point of this franchise. Mark my words.

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