Arizona Coyotes — 7th Overall
Next up are the Arizona Coyotes. Sitting at seventh overall, they are also likely to get a solid prospect. But, given their current ownership situation and relocation rumors, they might want to land a really big fish. Arizona native Auston Matthews is probably too unrealistic, although the Coyotes have reportedly made an offer for him, so they might have to erase the ‘s’ in Matthews and settle for Matthew Tkachuk.
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Back in 1997, when Matthew was born, his father Keith was the Coyotes’ captain — the first of the franchise after relocation from Winnipeg. Hence, Matthew was born in Coyotes Nation, and would be a great face for the franchise. Perhaps saving them from another relocation.
If Pierre-Luc Dubois is the fourth-overall selection, Arizona could make a push for fifth to secure Tkachuk. The Coyotes currently own eight picks, including four in the first two rounds, so they should have a pick or two to spare as well. However, moving up from seventh to fifth should cost more than just the 53rd pick. Arizona’s third-round selection, 63rd-overall, is too valuable to add, though.
Because of that, the Canucks might be looking to add a prospect from Arizona instead. A trade could then look like the following:
Christian Fischer was the Coyotes’ 32nd-overall selection in 2015 and looks like a really solid prospect. The Coyotes know that, so they probably wouldn’t mind keeping him. The Canucks would have to add at least the 64th-overall pick this year to make it work.
Even then, Arizona could reject the offer, because Fischer might be too valuable to them. But, Vancouver wouldn’t mind keeping the fifth pick either, so they should try to get as much as they can.
Next: Buffalo Sabres