Arizona Coyotes: Preparing For An Expansion Draft
By Alex Temes
Arizona Coyotes Protected via First- or Second-Year Professional Player Clause:
- C Max Domi
- LW Anthony Duclair
- LW Jordan Martinook
This section should honestly not surprise any of us. These three are all solid-to-all star NHL players in the making.
Anthony Duclair and Max Domi are the future of the Arizona Coyotes franchise up front. These two quarterback the power play, whether split up between the two units or in tandem on the first unit. Beyond that, Domi is in his first and Duclair in his second year of professional hockey, and therefore, are not eligible to be relocated forcefully to the Mohave Desert or French Canada.
Jordan Martinook also falls into this protection category because of this season being his second profession contract year, according to General Fanager.
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Beyond the first/second year player clause in the draft rules already released by the league, Martinook has become a mainstay on the penalty kill and has shown promise as a third/fourth line forward with strong onsets of speed and stick handling. He gives 110% every night, and players who leave everything they possibly have on the ice every night are not expendable.
In my eyes, Jordan Martinook is the second coming of Shane Doan, and therefore should be given tenure and reverence.
On top of those three, there is a laundry list of minor league prospects who would be exempt from expansion draft hands, including Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak, Dakota Mermis, Nicholas Merkley and Brendan Perlini.
All of these players listed, and some other lower level prospects, are in the first two or less years of their professional contracts (or soon to be drawn up contracts, in the case of Strome) and therefore free to roam about the Coyotes organization and not, as an old Southwest Airlines commercial said, “free to roam about the country[ies]” to Las Vegas and Quebec City.
Next: Protected Players by Choice