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Arizona Coyotes Busy On Opening Day Of Free Agency

By Richard Duflo

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The Arizona Coyotes began the free agency period with a flurry of acquisitions on Wednesday.

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First up, the team signed forward Brad Richardson, formerly of the Vancouver Canucks. Richardson signed a three-year deal worth $6.25 million.

Richardson tallied eight goals, and 13 assists in 45 games last season with Vancouver. This signing will add depth to the center position and a veteran presence to the team. He won a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. Richardson will most likely play on the Coyotes third line which should push Boyd Gordon down to the fourth line.

This acquisition isn’t necessarily a flashy one, but he brings experience and stability to the Coyotes lower lines.

When speaking with Dave Vest of the Arizona Coyotes, Richardson said he was impressed by Arizona was doing,

"“I think they made some great moves today and last night. I think they’re moving in the right direction.”"

Forward Steve Downie was signed shortly after Richardson’s deal was announced. Coming from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Downie posted 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in 72 games, including 238 penalty minutes.

Downie has a scoring touch, he’ll provide secondary scoring, but that will not be his only job on the ice. If you couldn’t tell by his penalty minutes from last year, he spends a lot of time in the penalty box. That might sound like a bad thing, but there is a good side to this. He’s a tough physical player which is important to the Coyotes.

As the young prospects come up, they are going to need protection. Coyotes fans saw first hand last year what it’s like without a player like this. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the recipient of too many big hits. His teammates had his back, sure, but there was no one really there to deter the opposition from taking liberties on certain Coyotes players.

In case you need an example of this, it was Downie that fought Coyotes captain Shane Doan in retaliation for his check on Kris Letang that resulted in an injury for Letang last season.

General Manager Don Maloney confirmed this to Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona,

Downie inked a one-year deal worth $1.75 million with the Coyotes.

Arizona had another need that they addressed on Wednesday, the back up goalie position.

The Coyotes signed 27-year-old former Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars goaltender, Anders Lindback to back up Mike Smith. He signed a one-year deal worth $875,000. During last season, Lindback registered six wins, 16 losses and two over time losses. He carried a 3.11 goals against average and .909 save percentage in 26 games with Dallas. In 16 games in Buffalo, he posted a 2.76 goals against average with a .924 save percentage.

Here’s what Lindback had to say to Dave Vest of the Arizona Coyotes,

"“I’m not that old and I’ve been with a lot of teams. It’s given me valuable experience. I’m excited to show Arizona what I can do.”"

The Coyotes have upgraded their defense, so, Lindback’s numbers should improve a bit. We might not see much of Lindback if Smith can continue playing the way he did when the season ended. As long as the defense in front of Lindback plays well, he will be a serviceable back up.

I wouldn’t expect these moves to be the last the Coyotes make. Maloney said in a press conference on Wednesday that these deals were just them “warming up.” He also mentioned that the prices are too high for his liking, but would like to add another right handed defenseman and skill winger.

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Maloney will take a patient approach and wait for prices to come down a bit before doing anything else. That’s the right approach to take for the situation that the Coyotes are in. They don’t have a ton of money to spend, and have quite a few NHL near ready prospects, so, there is no reason to rush into anything and give up a big piece for the future.

The Coyotes have done well to address holes on the roster and they aren’t done yet. These weren’t groundbreaking acquisitions, but they were absolutely necessary. More deals are surely on the way as we march on through the offseason.

Next: Suns Add Veteran Center Tyson Chandler

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