New Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong has a lot on his plate. But confidence does not seem to be there yet, he would told media on Thursday he won’t use a straightforward process to keep pending free agent Taylor Hall in the desert.
“It’d have to be very creative to keep him (in Arizona),” Armstrong said, per NHL.com’s Brian Compton . “That’s something we’re going to explore. We’re never going to turn our eye to talent like that. He’s a heck of a player, but we’ve got to explore. These are (things that are) going to happen between now and free agency. We’re going to explore everything.”
This might be the Coyotes’ final shot at trying to keep Hall on their roster. The team has made numerous offers to Hall, but the 28-year-old forward is the top free-agent forward on the market this offseason and has stated several times his top priority at this stage of his career is winning a championship.
We all expect the National Hockey League’s free agency season to be quite different this fall. As you know, under the new CBA deal, the upper limit of the salary cap will be held flat at $81.5 million and remain there for the upcoming seasons. The financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will have a huge impact on Hall, who could lose big. That might be the Coyotes’ chance… If they can shed salary!
Hall has mentioned his interest to remain in Arizona when he landed in December from the New Jersey Devils. He spent this season playing out the last of as even-year deal signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012. He recorded 10 goals and 27 points in 35 regular-season games with the Coyotes, and added two goals and six points in nine games upon the NHL’s Return to Play in Edmonton’s bubble.
At the end of July, the Coyotes reportedly made him a first offer, one that was said to be embarrassing for the top forward. Hall’s market value is believed between $8 million and $11 million, while NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes the Yotes’ first offer was below $7 million.
They will have to do better this time around… He is expected to receive a considerable raise from his $6 million average annual value on his next deal. According to Cap Friendly, the Coyotes have a projected $1.1 million in available cap space for next season…
Desperate indeed!
