The First Domino Falls: Breaking Down the Coyotes Trade With Vegas
By Jason Costa
Trade season has officially kicked off for the Arizona Coyotes. Surprisingly, it was not Jakob Chychrun as the first player sent out of the desert. Last night, the Vegas Golden Knights completed a trade with the Coyotes for Dysin Mayo. Mayo, who was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners, will not be kept on the main roster for the Golden Knights. Instead, it appears he will be assigned to their AHL affiliate team in Henderson, Nevada.
The return for Mayo was the contract of Shea Weber, and a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft. Weber, who hasn’t played since the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals for the Montreal Canadiens, has been on long-term IR since Vegas acquired him in a summertime trade with Montreal. It is presumed that Weber’s illustrious playing career is over. The Coyotes will absorb a cap hit of $7,857,143 per season until the end of the 2025-2026 season, while only owing him $3,000,000 over the final three years of the deal per Spotrac.
This was a shrewd deal by the Coyotes, taking advantage of a team desperate to reduce their cap hit. A move that is reminiscent of several others in Coyotes’ history, such as Chris Pronger, but it adds insurance, flexibility, and a draft pick to the arsenal without giving up much more than an AHL-level player. For Vegas, it was simply a salary dump where they had to forfeit a fifth-round pick in order to clear their books a bit. Their return is Mayo, who in 15 NHL games this year has no goals, assists, or points, and a -8 +/-.
Grades:
Vegas: C-
A fifth-round pick is not usually a steep price to pay but in this case, it seems it. Vegas needed to dump salary in order to avoid problems in the offseason, and they paid a price. The return of Dysin Mayo will add a body to their AHL team, but that’s about it as he does not project to play a relevant role at the NHL level.
Arizona: B+
The Coyotes shipped off a non-roster player, added a 10th pick in the first five rounds for the next draft, and ensured they remain salary cap compliant. Solid work all in all. A potential added bonus, although extremely unlikely, is the presence of Weber at the facility should he try to make a comeback. If by some miracle that does occur, they would be adding a Hall-of-Fame presence onto a roster that could use some veteran guidance and mentorship.