NHL Rumors: Coyotes Looking At Surprising Trade Moves

Over the last three years, the Arizona Coyotes have been meticulously engaging in a rebuild, accumulating prospects and draft picks. Now, according to a report out of Phoenix, it appears they're ready to turn the tables, and are looking to actually move some prospects and picks in order to fortify their lineup. 

As per Craig Morgan of gophnx.com, "there is a cynical narrative that exists among some NHL personnel that (GM Bill) Armstrong is too in love with draft picks; that he’ll never cash them in to make the team better." But Morgan says based on the successful move of trading a 2nd-round pick for defenseman Sean Durzi from the LA Kings this past offseason, Armstrong is now in the phase of looking to acquire immediate help for the lineup—this season. 

Bill Armstrong is actively engaged in discussions to add those sorts of pieces. He is actively engaged in talks that could ship existing prospects or draft picks out the door in exchange for existing NHL players. And if you don’t believe he is willing to pull the trigger, you need look no further than Durzi, whom the Coyotes pro scouting staff identified as a piece that could grow with the club’s core.

Durzi, just 25, has five goals and 12 points in 20 games this season with Arizona, while playing a hefty 23:35 per game. 

Expect more moves like the Durzi one this year. As Bill Armstrong's mentor, Blues GM Doug Armstrong, said recently: “Now they’re in a different position than when he got there... You trade for a player, you sign a player or you play the free-agent market, and that result is not four or five years away. It’s four or five hours away.”

The Yotes are 9-9-2 this season, after finishing 2022-23 at 28-40-14.

Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports