Arizona Coyotes brass to discuss roster in coming weeks

Coyotes coaches and management met with players Monday before everyone went their separate ways for the summer, but the conversation isn’t about to stop as the organization’s brain trust is scheduled to discuss the future for the team in the next couple of weeks.

“Try to figure out where we are with everything, put a template in place and put the slots in and see what we need,” coach Dave Tippett said.

Arizona brass is also scheduled to have meetings in early May and while much of the intrigue will be any potential additions the Coyotes make via trade or free agency, there are decisions to be made on quite a few players who concluded the season on the roster.

Captain Shane Doan, winger Radim Vrbata and defenseman Zbynek Michalek are the only unrestricted free agents; Vrbata’s made it clear he’d like to return, while Doan’s future is up in the air as he waits to figure out if he wants to keep playing. Michalek also isn’t sure where he’ll be next season as playing in the NHL or Europe or retiring are all options, but remaining with the Coyotes seems unlikely.

The team’s class of restricted free agents is much larger with forwards Anthony Duclair and Jordan Martinook up for new deals along with the players the Coyotes brought in during the season to fill roster holes – forwards Josh Jooris, Peter Holland, Alexander Burmistrov and Teemu Pulkkinen.

“Those guys that came in worked hard, had a good attitude, tried to earn a contract,” General Manager John Chayka said. “Over the next couple weeks, we’ll make a decision on where we’re at with them.”

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Jooris, Holland and Burmistrov all were added to help out at center, which was depleted after Dylan Strome was returned to junior and Brad Richardson was sidelined with fractured tibia and fibula bones in his right leg. Burmistrov seemed to offer the most offensive potential, totaling five goals and 14 points in 26 games, while Jooris played a depth role up the middle and on the wing and Holland also roved up and down the lineup.

But finishing with the same group up the middle wouldn’t achieve the improvement the Coyotes are after since they’ve identified a better center ice as an offseason priority.

“If you’re honest, we’re weak at center,” Richardson said. “That’s just the way it is. Martinook filled in, and he did a pretty good job. But he’s a winger; probably didn’t feel 100 percent comfortable. So we’ll see. That would probably be a position that they’ll look at.”

Improvement expected

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was able to thrive personally in spite of the Coyotes’ play in recent years when the team slumped down the standings – especially in 2014-15 when he tied the single-season franchise record for goals by a defenseman with 23.

But 2016-17 was different as Ekman-Larsson’s struggles mirrored Arizona’s adversity – a down season that Tippett expects the 25-year-old will be able to overcome.

“I trust him,” Tippett said. “I know he’s going to come back and have a bounce-back year. He knows he had a tough season. That’s part of it. Already he’s talked about bouncing back and making sure he’s doing things right or playing as well as he can.”

Ekman-Larsson played six weeks with a broken left thumb suffered Nov. 29 against the Sharks, an injury Tippett believes affected Ekman-Larsson’s production.

His 39 points were his lowest for a full-length season since he had 32 in 2011-12. But Tippett was encouraged by what he saw in the second half when Ekman-Larsson was healed. Ekman-Larsson missed the final three games to return to Sweden following the death of his mother, who was battling cancer during the season.

“I’ve done a lot of looking at the stats, not just scoring but scoring chance stuff, and the last 30 games or so he was a little more normal from what I expect from him,” Tippett said.

MORE: Season’s growing pains may help Coyotes in long run

No rush

If the Coyotes decide they want to bring back Vrbata, don’t be surprised if an announcement is put on hold until after the expansion draft.

Re-signing Vrbata before the June 21 event would mean the Coyotes have to either protect him or expose him to the Golden Knights – scenarios that either limit their flexibility or add to their risk of losing a key player.

The 35-year-old, however, would like to finalize his destination for next season, whether it’s in Arizona or elsewhere, earlier than he did a year ago when he didn’t sign with the Coyotes until Aug. 16.

“As a player who needs to know how to approach the summer, how to train and if to train,” he said. “But also from a family point to know what we’re doing.”

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Draft lottery set

The NHL draft lottery will be April 29 in Toronto with the results announced shortly after 5 p.m. Arizona time.

Arizona has the third-best odds to win the first pick at 10.3 percent, which is the same odds as the Vegas Golden Knights.

A drawing will be held to determine each of the top three picks with the odds for the remaining teams increasing proportionately based on who won the previous drawing.

Teams that were not selected will be assigned picks four through 15 from least to most regular-season points.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.