With the playoffs now just days away, there was plenty of news of note around the hockey world. We recap the biggest news from the past seven days in our key stories.
Coyotes To Salt Lake City? Early in the week, it came out that an alternate schedule was being drafted that had the Coyotes playing out of Salt Lake City. Soon after, momentum increased toward a full relocation and while it hasn’t officially been announced yet (that should come as soon as this week), things are trending in that direction with players reportedly being told that the move is happening. With an uncertain arena situation in Arizona, this is an outcome that the league and NHLPA will both likely be pleased with. However, this might not be the end of NHL hockey in Arizona. Outgoing owner Alex Meruelo is believed to have a five-year window to trigger an expansion franchise, giving him ample time to secure a new arena, whether it’s by winning the current auction that will end in June or on another site altogether.
Golden Knights Get Stronger: Vegas got a big boost to their lineup early in the week when they activated center Tomas Hertl off LTIR. One of their key deadline pickups, Hertl will give the Golden Knights another impact center and some more firepower. When they acquired him, it was expected that Hertl would be available for the stretch run, allowing him to get some games in before the playoffs. Meanwhile, captain Mark Stone has been cleared to return to practice as he works his way back from a lacerated spleen. Vegas used Stone’s LTIR savings to make their trade deadline additions so they won’t be able to activate him now as they did for Hertl. However, with a full week next week of practice, the winger might be available when the playoffs get underway.
Sticking Around: One of the other players Vegas added at the deadline using Stone’s LTIR placement is defenseman Noah Hanifin. He won’t be a short-term rental after all, however, as he signed an eight-year, $58.8MM contract extension. The $7.35MM AAV will make the 27-year-old the second-highest-paid blueliner on the Golden Knights behind Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM). Hanifin has seen his offensive output increase in recent years while remaining a strong defensive blueliner, making him a relatively safe bet for this long of an extension. Worth noting is that Vegas now has over $85MM in commitments for next season already, per CapFriendly. While Robin Lehner’s $5MM will likely stay on…
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