Arizona Coyotes Acquire Mark Arcobello Off Waivers

The Arizona Coyotes have acquired Forward Mark Arcobello off of waivers, the team announced on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the Coyotes placed Brandon McMillan on waivers.

More from Arizona Coyotes

• Arizona Coyotes: Slumping Strome Shipped to Chicago
• Arizona Coyotes: How Coach Rick Tocchet Sparked His Offense
• Arizona Coyotes: 3 Keys to Win Over Blue Jackets
• Arizona Coyotes: 3 Takeaways From Saturday’s Loss in Winnipeg
• Arizona Coyotes: Dvorak Out Indefinitely After Surgery

Arcobello has 15 points, eight goals and seven assists in 50 games played this season.

He’s proven himself to be a good AHL player, but has had trouble securing an NHL roster spot. He’s moved around from team to team this year after remaining somewhat of a regular in Edmonton’s lineup for two years. Arizona will be his fourth team this season after having spent time in Edmonton, Nashville and Pittsburgh.

The team released a statement from General Manager Don Maloney about the acquisition,

"“Mark Arcobello is a quick, skilled player who will give us more depth at the center position. With center Marty Hanzal’s extended injury, Mark is a welcomed addition to our club.”"

This is a good move for Arizona as they are essentially in a rebuild mode. It’s not a major acquisition, but he is an upgrade over McMillan. Arcobello is only 26 and inexpensive, he’s on a one year deal with only a $600,000 cap hit. He brings some skill and should add some secondary scoring. He can also play center which is probably what made him attractive to Arizona.

Center Joe Vitale is out due to injury and as Maloney pointed out in his quote, Hanzal’s injury is going to keep him out of the lineup long term. There is also the trade deadline that is quickly approaching. Which means that two of Arizona’s centermen may be on the move.

Martin Hanzal and Antoine Vermette have both been the subject to trade rumors. It’s very likely that one, if not both, will be dealt very soon. So, with injury and the possible trades on the way, this move makes sense for adding a bit of depth to the center position.

Expect this to be the first of more moves made by Arizona as we inch closer and closer to March 2 trade deadline.