Lawson Crouse signs a $21.5 million extension

This just in, according to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman the Arizona Coyotes have signed forward Lawson Crouse to a five year contract extension worth $4.3 million per season.

Check it out:

The 25 year old Crouse put up a career high 20 goals and 34 points in 65 games with the Coyotes last season. He's a versatile player capable of playing up and down the lineup and has seen time on both the PP and the PK. He's the type of player who coaches absolutely adore thanks to his tireless work ethic, especially along the boards. He's a big body forechecker who's not afraid to use his frame to inflict damage on his opponents. Still, I'm not sure he's the type of player I'd be committing big dollars and big term to. It's safe to say that this is a bit of a gamble by Cototes GM Bill Armstrong. Then again... maybe this is the type of thing that the Coyotes have to do in order to keep players in Arizona. After all, their roster doesn't inspire much confidence and their financial future is ALWAYS in doubt so maybe an overpayment is what's needed to retain their players.

What's fascinating to me about Crouse is that he was chosen 11th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, also known as the Connor McDavid Draft, and was seen as a bit of a Draft day reach at the time. Drafted by the Florida Panthers, Crouse was seen even at that time as a defensive forward who wasn't expected to provide much offense at the NHL level. He was taken ahead of snipers like Brock Boeser, Kyle Connor and Mathew Barzal. He was traded to the Coyotes before ever playing a game for the Panthers in a trade that saw the Panthers dump the contract of veteran Dave Bolland back in 2016. 

In total, Crouse has 56 goals and 110 points in 356 NHL games, all with the Coyotes. The team is likely hoping for continued development with the big forward over the course of his new deal.