3 Coyotes Players Who Won’t Be Back Next Season

The Arizona Coyotes traded three pending UFAs for mid-to-late round picks at the deadline this season. It wasn't great, but at least the team didn't do nothing. The Coyotes tried to be more competitive this season, and it worked for a time, but they will once again have to try and push for a playoff spot next season. This will come with changes, so let's take a look.

Travis Dermott

Every single defenseman for the Coyotes is a free agent in the offseason. While most of them are RFAs, Travis Dermott is one of the UFAs and there isn't much of a place for him on the team. Arizona will likely look to add someone more significant in the offseason like they did with Matt Dumba, so Dermott is not needed to be the seventh to eighth defenseman on the team. There are other options. He should hit free agency without a contract from the Coyotes.

Karel Vejmelka

A couple of seasons ago it looked like Karel Vejmelka was going to be the starter of the future for the Coyotes. Connor Ingram has quickly changed that conversation and taken over as the starter. Not only is he on a better contract, he is signed for one more year. With Vejmelka having one year left on his deal after this one and much worse stats, there is a decent chance a team needing a goalie change looks to the Coyotes and takes a stab at Vejmelka, who still has a decent contract and a pretty good track record on a very bad Coyotes team.

Travis Boyd

The Coyotes will be changing more up front over the offseason, which means Travis Boyd, who hasn't done as much for the team as he did in the past, will be cast aside. Before the young centers that the Coyotes drafted started to develop and come into the NHL, Boyd was useful down the middle as a placeholder. This season he averaged fewer than 10 minutes a game over the span of 16 games and recorded two goals and eight points. He will also likely hit free agency.