NHL Rumors: Coyotes Interested In Extending Defenseman

According to Craig Morgan, Anton Stralman is very open to signing a contract extension with the Arizona Coyotes. With that, he also noted that the team wants to bring back the veteran defenseman, too.

The Coyotes acquired Stralman from the Florida Panthers last offseason in a salary dump trade. Although this is the case, Stralman has proved to be a very solid addition to Arizona's roster. In 67 games on the campaign, he has five goals to go along with 12 assists, so he has contributed offensively. Yet, he more importantly has been a great mentor to the team's younger players. This is where keeping him around for the rebuild makes perfect sense.

Stralman may no longer be the legitimate top-four d-man he was during his prime years, but he is still an effective player nonetheless. It will be interesting to see if an extension is finalized soon, but it's a good sign that interest is clearly there from both parties.