Arizona Coyotes swap Jordan Weal for Michael Chaput
By James Reeve
The Arizona Coyotes have made a minor move on trade deadline day, sending Jordan Weal to the Montreal Canadiens.
With a few hours still to go until the end of the trade deadline, the Arizona Coyotes swapped Jordan Weal in exchange for Michael Chaput.
The deal sees the Coyotes part ways with Weal, who had filled in as a fourth line centre for 19 games – registering a single goal and assist during his brief time in the desert.
Weal did well in limited minutes with the Coyotes, blocking nine shots, throwing 12 hits and having an impressive eight takeaway compared to just three giveaways while averaging just 10:57 on the ice.
These numbers were impressive, considering he had produced less while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers – despite averaging 13:57 on the ice over 28 appearances.
The deal sees Chaput head to the desert, though it is the Tucson Roadrunners that are the most likely destination for the former third round (89th overall) selection of the Flyers.
Chaput has had a similar NHL career to Weal, playing 167 regular season games (Weal has 153), though he has marginally worse offensive numbers.
Chaput has been a productive player in the AHL, registering 16 points (ten goals, six assists) in just 24 regular season games for the Laval Rocket.
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In the NHL, however, he has managed just five assists in 31 regular season games – averaging 11:13 on the ice.
He has good possession numbers in the NHL, however, with a Corsi rating of 52% despite starting in the offensive zone just 48.9% of the time.
What is interesting about this deal is the fact that it reduces the Arizona Coyotes cap hit for this season, though Chaput is also signed through to 2020 at a very low $675,000.
Weal is an impending unrestricted free agent after this season, so the Coyotes will actually retain Chaput beyond this year – potentially looking to see how he does with the Roadrunners before bringing him back up into the NHL.
CapFriendly lists him as being assigned to the AHL, so the Arizona Coyotes could have made this move to free up cap space in hopes of making another, larger deal before the deadline passes.
dark. Next. Could the Coyotes be in on Hoffman?
What do you think of this deal Coyotes fans? Are you pleased with the return? Or are you disappointed to see Weal depart after such a short time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!