Arizona Coyotes Open To Trading Third Draft Pick
Arizona Coyotes leadership, Dave Tippett, Don Maloney and Anthony LeBlanc, held a press conference to address the state of the organization on Tuesday. One of the topics discussed was the third draft pick of the first round that Arizona is currently in possession of.
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For a team in the midst of a rebuild, that draft pick is incredibly valuable. According to Maloney, the pick is also coveted by other teams as well. It’s a no brainer, this draft is deep and there is a lot of talent available. The Coyotes aren’t the only team in a rebuild and last week, rumors surfaced that at least three teams had contacted Maloney about potentially making a trading for the pick.
During Tuesday’s conference, Maloney confirmed that there were teams calling him in regards to the pick.
"“I was approached by three teams, had a call right before now asking me what would it take to get that pick.”“But all in all, those deals start being discussed now, and they end up if there’s a deal there, it’ll be on the draft floor. The idea that we’re going to trade that pick outright for a player to help us next year, I think that’s remote, but you never know. It’s probably more likely we trade down if we don’t take the pick. So we’ll see.”“We know we have a team next year we have to put on the ice. We have holes. Nobody is going to give us good players without giving up something, and that’s why we are certainly open for business, whether it’s the Chicago pick, our pick in the second round. We’ve got two firsts, two seconds, two thirds. We have two firsts next year. We have lots of good assets that we can use to better our team and we’re certainly not against using it in the right deal.”"
Maloney said that a lot of good comes from having a miserable season, and he’s right. The Coyotes are stocked full of draft picks and this gives them plenty of options.
Do they just hold on to the picks and use them in the draft? Do they trade them for more developed prospects from other teams? Do they trade for veteran players to fill holes on the current roster? Maybe they do a combination of those. Regardless of what they decide, having these options is great for a team in a rebuild.
Obviously, Maloney didn’t mention any teams by name who had called about their first round pick, but rumors surfaced today that the San Jose were willing to offer Logan Couture to the Coyotes for the pick.
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There were no other names or details mentioned, but in my opinion, Couture would not be enough for the Coyotes to trade that first round pick. He’s a really good young player, but that’s just not enough. If San Jose were to add a prospect or two, or even throw in their first round pick (ninth), would it become a more attractive option, in my opinion. The pick is just too valuable to Arizona.
Of course it’s important to remember, this is just a rumor, so, there might not be any truth to it at all.
While there are still many unknowns as to what the Coyotes may do, one thing is for sure, the Coyotes are in a good position. Whatever they decide to do, it’s going to make them a better team.