from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,
In his short time in charge, Chayka has traded for goalies Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper; forwards Derek Stepan, Alex Galchenyuk, Richard Panik and Vinnie Hinostroza; and defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson, Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers and Jordan Oesterle.
“We’ve made a lot of moves, and now they are accumulating to mean something,” Chayka said.
He also drafted forward Clayton Keller and extended defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on an eight-year, $66 million contract when many in the media were predicting Ekman-Larsson would leave as a free agent after this season.
"It was rewarding (that Ekman-Larsson stayed),” Chayka said. “He could have signed with 30 other teams and gotten as much money, if not more. He had leverage. …The fact he was willing to sign here long-term was a big vote of confidence for our ownership, myself, the coaching staff. It validated a lot of things we are trying to do.”
What the Coyotes are trying to do is ignite a fan base by qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
added 8:33am, from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
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