Yesterday the Arizona Coyotes added another goaltender to a one-year deal.
The Arizona Coyotes had a busy start to free agency. They brought in several players who will be playing for the Coyotes and their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. One of yesterday’s signings was goaltender Jon Gillies.
Official: We’ve signed goaltender Jon Gillies to a one-year, two-way contract.
Welcome to Arizona, Jon! https://t.co/y9E8ys61zu
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) July 13, 2022
A native of Concord, NH, Gillies was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He played a few games with the Flames but spent most of his time with their AHL team, the Stockton Heat.
Gillies started last season with the St. Louis Blues but was traded to the New Jersey Devils after playing in just one game. He would play a career-high 19 games with the New Jersey Devils and boosted a 3.76 goals-against average, and a .885 save percentage. He would also play for the Maine Mariners in the ECHL and the Providence Bruins and Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL.
Per CapFriendly, Gillies is set to make $750,000 in the NHL and $150,000 in the AHL. The Coyotes’ goaltending plans are still unknown, but it seems likely that Gillies will spend most of the season in the minors. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka wasn’t the most consistent goaltender last season, and he played better when he was able to sit for a few games, which requires a trusted 1B.