The Coyotes have a lot of work to do contract-wise on their back end for next season as none of their regulars are under contract for 2024-25. However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link) that the team does not have the green light to start working on contracts for next season at this time. As has been well documented, their arena situation is once again in some question for a few more months at least, pending a possible land purchase which would be late in the spring. It was also reported after the trade deadline that GM Bill Armstrong wasn’t able to retain salary, limiting the returns they received on Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. At this point, it’s far from a must to begin extension discussions at this point in the season but if those internal restrictions continue into the offseason, it could be something to keep an eye on.
- Still with the Coyotes, prospect Sam Lipkin is expected to decide between turning pro or returning for his junior year within the next 24 hours, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was the second-last pick in the 2021 draft, going 223rd overall but has outperformed his draft stock, scoring 78 points in 78 games over his first two seasons with Quinnipiac, yielding a contract offer from Arizona. Quinnipiac’s leading scorer (Collin Graf) is expected to sign soon while their second-leading scorer (Jacob Quillan) signed with Toronto earlier this week; those signings could significantly impact Lipkin’s decision.