Could the Arizona Coyotes be hunting for a new defensmen?
By Jim Lynch
Niklas Hjalmarsson has fallen. He is out long-term with an injury that will sideline him for several months. The Arizona Coyotes know how important Hjalmarsson is to the team, so is it possible they will look elsewhere to try to fix the blue line.
Kyle Capobianco will get a shot to step into Hjalmarsson’s role, and so will Ilya Lyubushkin. The two players are going to be key to the Coyotes finding success without Hjalmarsson. Outside of them I think the Coyotes are still in good shape.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson can step up, and so can Alex Goligoski, I mean the entire defensive group can step up to the plate. Your defense is only as good as your weakest link so let’s see if the Coyotes are ready to play without their strongest defender.
Niklas Hjalmarsson played in all 82 games last season for the Arizona Coyotes. He was a player the team looked to often to block shots, and help the team win. Without him, there is a gap on your PK and overall team moral. So who could the Coyotes possibly add through the trade block?
Where else can the Arizona Coyotes find a defenseman?
How about Buffalo Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen, who has had his name circulating throughout the media about a possible addition to the trade block according to Sabre Noise. The Buffalo Sabres have plenty of talented defenseman in their organization, whether it be Rasmus Dahlin, Jake McCabe, and Henri Jokiharu. The defense in Buffalo is young, and they have been succeeding this season. But maybe Rasmus Ristolainen is not part of their plans moving forward. Arizona could definetly entertain adding the defender to their blue line, especially after losing a player like Hjalmarsson to injury.
Of course, the Pittsburgh Penguins are now carry 9 defenseman on their roster so a trade could be a bargain for the ‘Yotes at this time.
Obviously a trade would involve giving up some form of an asset from the Coyotes, and they don’t really have the money to make a move. However at the end of the day Hjalmarsson being injured leaves a hole in the organization and it is up to the Coyotes management lead by GM John Chayka to fill that hole.