The Arizona Coyotes are currently the furthest team from the 2016-17 salary cap ceiling of $73 million, but that might not be the case for very long.
Multiple outlets indicate that the Coyotes have a five-year contract lined up for defenseman Alex Goligoski. ESPN’s Craig Custance reports that the deal would be in the “neighborhood” of a $5.5 million cap hit, which would put the total around $27.5 million.
Update: The Coyotes have officially announced Goligoski’s five-year deal. Arizona didn’t disclose his salary.
Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan backs up Custance while TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that it’s at least expected to be a five-year deal.
The Coyotes have been struggling for some time, yet an influx of new talent makes Arizona quite a bit more interesting. You can do worse than the puck-moving combination of Goligoski and Oliver Ekman-Larsson:
#Coyotes' OEL on potential addition of Goligoski: "I wouldn't mind having him on our blue line when the season starts up."
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) June 22, 2016
While demand keeps climbing for defensemen of Goligoski’s ilk, supply continues to shrink and shrink.
Yandle is now the clear No. 1 defenseman available if Goligoski is off. If you need a righty, it's probably Demers: https://t.co/jNWIYcDwIX
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 21, 2016
The Coyotes made a bold move in acquiring Goligoski’s rights for a fifth-rounder, but it could pay off. They’re expected to make this official during a press conference scheduled for Wednesday.
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Morgan floats another interesting nugget: there were at least discussions that the Coyotes might absorb Pavel Datsyuk’s $7.5 million cap hit for 2016-17.
It’s likely that Goligoski + Datsyuk would get the Coyotes close to the floor, although Arizona might be less inclined to do so now. Then again, the Coyotes are already absorbing Chris Pronger’s $4.935 million cap hit, so they’re certainly not against the concept.
The Red Wings may want to at least keep the Coyotes in mind when making calls, although Arizona’s sights may now be set on guys who ... you know, are actually slated to play next season.