Arizona Coyotes’ Trade Rumors: Antoine Vermette
As we near the halfway point of the NHL season, teams start to look at themselves and decide if they are going to make a playoff run or not. This is when the trade rumors start to heat up and make their way through the headlines.
Right now, the Arizona Coyotes are sitting at 11-17-4 through 32 games played. They are sixth in the Pacific Division and 13th in the Western Conference. They have not had a very good start to say the least, and realistically, they are probably not going to make the playoffs this season. At this time of the year, with that record, they look like they are going to be “sellers” in the trade market.
Per ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, one player that is on the trading block is center Antoine Vermette. The Coyotes acquired him in 2012 via trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He quickly became one of the Coyotes’ best players and a fan favorite.
Nov 11, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Antoine Vermette (50) faces off for the puck against Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin in the third period at Gila River Arena. The Stars defeated the Coyotes 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
So far this season, Vermette is tied with Keith Yandle for the team lead in points with 21; 8 goals and 13 assists.Another aspect of his game that makes him a valuable piece to any team, are his faceoffs. He’s become one of the better players when it comes to winning faceoffs. He is currently sitting sixth in the NHL in faceoff percentage at 54.2 percent.
In addition to that, he can also effectively play on both sides of special teams. He can kill penalties and contribute on a power play unit.
The Coyotes are in a bit of a tough position with Vermette. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Teams will undoubtedly offer him good money for his services, which will drive his price up.
Ideally, the Coyotes would like to offer him an extension before the season’s end, but Arizona doesn’t have much flexibility when it comes to payroll. With the Andrew Barroway deal still pending the Board of Governor’s approval, the Coyotes’ front office has no extra money to play with for acquiring and extending players.
There are plenty of teams that are in need of depth at center. It makes sense that Arizona would try and deal him to get something in return before his current contract ends.
TSN reported that the Coyotes are asking for a high rated prospect and a roster player in return for Vermette. So far, there have been no teams linked to any Vermette related speculation.
The NHL’s trade freeze is currently in effect until Dec. 27, so, if a trade does in fact happen, it won’t be for another week at least.